The location for this village has been chosen according to the same principles as the one for SOS Children's Village El Jadida: the aim is to facilitate the integration of the children in their local environment by placing the village in a central location inside the city.
The construction of the village was almost completely funded from local sources (local associations, the municipality and the provincial government).
The coastal city of Agadir is located in the south-west of the country, 508 km south of Casablanca, 235 km west of Marrakesh and has a population of approximately 700,000. As early as in the Middle Ages, Agadir was one of the most important trading places of Morocco.
Between the 16th and the 18th century, the city enjoyed a long period of prosperity, which ended in the middle of the 18th century. While benefiting the port of Essaouira, this development plunged Agadir into a state of lethargy which lasted until the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1960, an earthquake devastated Agadir and left 15,000 people dead in only 15 minutes (the city had 40,000 inhabitants at that time). The whole city had to be rebuilt afterwards. Today, Agadir is a modern city; it has become active again and is expanding, especially thanks to its profitable agricultural production (dates, spices), but also thanks to its strong tourist activity.
SOS Children's Village Agadir consists of four buildings with three stories each and will accommodate up to 126 children.
It has 14 family apartments, an administration area, the apartments of the director and his deputy, a guesthouse and storage facilities. Built on a site of 0.86 hectares, it is located in the centre of a residential area of the town with great infrastructure (various companies, a technical training school and a private school which is under construction).
Thanks to this proximity, the children are able to attend the schools of the city and they will easily integrate into the community. The city with its increasing amount of activity will offer to the young people many possibilities of training and employment, particularly in the tourist sector.
