.jpg)
Faces of displaced children. (AP Photo: Muhammad Sajjad)
New SOS illages means happier, healthier kids and communities. Interested in making the world a better place? I cannot think of many better, or more lasting, ways to make the world a better place than to help spread the SOS Villages concept worldwide.
While leaving orphaned children to fend for themselves will many times cause a life of abuse, drugs, sex slavery, and crime, other times can also allow for them to be found and raised by lunatics, such as was the case with the Taliban orphan boys that were recruited and raised to become terrorists, mere robots on self-destruct mode who also kill all they encounter.
However, there are options. These include foster homes of families that take in a child to raise along with their own. Though, this system works well for some children, it does not for others, especially when siblings are separated or when the child goes from home to home, never establishing a sense of family or belonging.
The concept of SOS Villages takes this into account, in that siblings are never separated and children stay within the same family, establishing deep, lasting bonds. It also ensures children have a caring mother and a community, in which they actively participate. This sense of family and community not only meets children's needs, but also provides a model for their own future families and communities.
SOS Villages was founded by Dr. Hermann Gmeiner, an Austrian medical doctor whose own mother died when he was five years old. He experienced his world come apart with her loss. His sixteen year old sister Elsa took the role of mother for her younger brothers and sisters, becoming the role model for the ideal SOS mother. Dr. Gmeiner spent his life engaged in the physical, mental and psychological well-being of children. He was particularly concerned about the orphans caused by WW II. He founded the first SOS Village in 1949 in Tyrol, Austria, later to expand worldwide into the Third World. Today, SOS Villages are present in 132 countries, helping mothers and children to improve their lives.
Let's help SOS Villages reach their goal of 60 new sponsors for 60 children in Chengdu, China; Bhuj, India; and Eldoret, Kenya. Sign a pledge today to spread the word - to spread hope!
Happy faces of SOS Villages worldwide!
For more information:
To sign a Pledge today:
http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=4&campaign=every_child_needs_a_mother
On Dr. Hermann Gmeiner:
http://www.sosvillagesenfantsbenin.org/whoweare/personalinfo.asp?id=82
On SOS Villages USA:
http://www.sos-usa.org/Pages/default.aspx
Click here to return to my webpage. 
Get notified as articles get posted! Click on the "Subscribe to Email" button next to my photo on my main page to be notified by email.
For other stories on SOS Villages:
Support SOS villages worldwide
Comments
Had not heard of the SOS Villages before, thanks for the attention you have brought to it. It is worth our while to check into it.
You are welcome! I actually saw one in a remote area of Bolivia decades ago. The children looked so happy, like well-taken-care-of-children, though they didn't have much really. Besides the immediate results, it really can change the world by breaking the cycle of lack of family & community, so that they in turn will create their own families/communities in the future.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!