SOS Childrens Villages has got to be one of the best charities I’d never heard of. In fact, it is the worlds largest orphan charity serving 60,000 children and 456 villages in 132 countries. Established in 1949 and with fourteen nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, it has become a powerful world presence and was awarded the highly esteemed Conrad Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 2002. So why is there not a stronger name recognition, I wondered?. I spoke recently with Jennifer Tabbal, one of SOS' representatives to discuss this, World Orphan Week and the SOS charity in general.

SOS does feature a name recognition in Eastern Europe similar to what UNICEF is here in the US; but the truth is, they spend as much money as possible on doing the job of the charity rather than a lot of pomp-and-flash marketing. SOS focuses rather on providing housing and alternate families in the form of communal villages rather than individualized care. Children that have lost all family, whether through war, poverty, famine or disease and have absolutely no options left to them. In many of the countries they serve, without resources such as SOS, most of these children are simply abandoned to the streets and die either through starvation, brutality or disease.

The strategic view which they employ for the ongoing care of the child and the commitment they extend until the child has reached the age of adulthood, defines them from other traditional charities, as does their position on support – heck, they’ll even let you come and assist with paperwork if funds are tight. And rather than simply instituting foster homes in a given country, they build a community of villages where all of the children live collectively, in diverse religious and cultural traditions. This empowers each child with a real sense of communal belonging, as well as places a premium on empathy and tolerance. All faiths, beliefs and cultures are equally embraced. They place a premium on never separating siblings, and are committed to raising those children in as warm and secure of an environment as possible until they turn 18, regardless of circumstance.

SOS’ work has been instrumental in countries like Africa where more than 53,000 AIDS orphans were supported last year alone. With current estimates placing over 40% of the adult population in Africa as HIV positive, SOS may be the only hope many of these children will ever know. Thie family strengthening programs additionally focus on empowering communities, where possible, in order to not remove the child from their familiar environment.

When and if international events do manage to catch the eye of the media through a catastrophe such as the Indonesian Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina, the tremendous generosity of people never fails to profoundly move me. But it is charities such as this, that serve as a consistent and continuous presence when the flash of the bulbs fades, which are the real backbone of hope for a body of people that the world will sadly forget after the glitter fades.


There are numerous ways to offer sponsorship and support. To donate or sponsor a child, visit SOS Childrens Villages for further information.

To read more on World Orphan Week in general, visit World Orphan Week.