In Latin America, families often fall victim to high rates of unemployment, being forced to split up in the search for work. Education and health services are often beyond their reach, and welfare support is rare. One consequence of these harsh socio-economic conditions is large numbers of neglected children. This is where the SOS Social Centres seek to help local communities.
A special focus at the centre is on courses for women. The programmes range from literacy classes and vocational training (trade, handicrafts, dressmaking, etc.) to talks on nutrition, hygiene and medical subjects, plus tips for interviews at job centres.
As a result, street vendors in Tarija have been able to qualify for better paid jobs, renovate their houses and even set up their own businesses with the help of start-up loans.
"Before I came to the centre I felt I was a nobody," says one woman, who has been attending the centre for three years, "Now I am doing well; I have a job and a role to play in the community. My relationship with my husband has also changed. Now he respects me, we talk things over together and are equals."
Some of the SOS Social Centres also offer counselling services, courses on subjects like education, children's rights, family planning, cultural and social integration, and parent-and-child programmes. Others focus on the requirements of children with special needs, street children and children in need of temporary care.
In many parts of Latin America, the SOS Social Centres have provided the stimulus for new social networks. They all offer support and encouragement to large numbers of families to provide for themselves.