Organization’s history, background :

The idea of SOS Children’s Villages was born in 1949 after the Second World War, when a way to help the many orphaned and homeless children who were totally unable to face their destiny, was urgently needed.
The first SOS Children’s Villages was founded in Austria. The solid and clear educational and psychological principles underlying the SOS Children’s Villages the SOS Children’s Village idea have proved to be effective. SOS Children’s Villages then spread to most European countries and all over the World. 55 years after the construction of the first SOS Children’s Village, under the leadership of Helmut Kutin, there are SOS Children’s Villages in 131 countries, of which 23 SOS Children’s Villages in 23 SOS Children’s Villages in Arab countries.
SOS Children’s Villages in Lebanon
In Lebanon, the first SOS Children’s Village was found in 1964. The SOS Lebanese family expanded: the Lebanese are aware of the importance of family life. Moreover the number of children who are in need of a family is increasing. During the Lebanese war and in order to fulfill the children’s urgent needs, SOS Social Centers were founded. The aim is to prevent the abandonment of children by helping poor families and widowed mothers, heads of families.
The Lebanese Association of SOS Children’s Villages is a non-profit private social care organization, both politically and denominationally independent. It was founded in 1964 and registered in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, under No 189/AD. It is legally recognized as a Lebanese welfare organization under the Decree of Public Utility No. 5830.

Mission :

Our mission is to build for children in need, to help them shape their own future and to share in the development of their communities. We give children who are orphaned or abandoned or whose families are unable to care for them the opportunity to build lasting relationship within a family Our long-term family- oriented care model in the SOS Children’s Villages is based on four principles that meet the basic needs of every child:
A Mother providing love and care
Brothers and Sisters with whom to share family life
A House which is his permanent home
A supportive Village environment that provides the best setting for healthy development and good social integration.
We enable children to live according to their own culture and religion as good citizens and active members of their community.
SOS Children’s Villages are involved in the Community Development of the localities in which they are implanted. In Lebanon for example, SOS Social Centers support families in a precarious situation because of economic difficulties. The ultimate objective of SOS Social Centers is to prevent abandonment of children by their parents.