SOS Children's Village Kakiri

The SOS Children's Village Kakiri consists of 13 family houses, a Village Director's house, and accommodation for the SOS aunts (who take care of the children when SOS mothers are on leave), a multi-purpose hall, workshops, and an administrative and service block.

The SOS Kindergarten, which is also located on the premises of the SOS Children’s Village, comprises four classes, a playground and affiliated rooms. It hosts about 110 children, not only from the SOS Children's Village, but also from the neighborhood.

As soon as youths reach the age of about 15, they move into one of the three SOS Youth Houses, where they are cared for by a youth leader.

Being admitted into an SOS Youth Facility means taking responsibility for oneself and is synonymous to taking a big step towards independence. Being fully aware of this, SOS mothers, the Village Director and a psychologist prepare them carefully for that change.

Usually, youths stay up to four years in an SOS Youth Facility. They may stay longer, however, if they are looking for work, completing professional training or studying at a university.

The SOS Hermann Gmeiner School was opened in 1991. It comprises 16 classrooms, a library, a multi purpose room, a canteen, an auditorium and side rooms. At present, the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School provides a total of 490 students with an education.

The SOS Medical Center consists of seven treatment rooms, a laboratory and various side rooms. Approximately 50 to 60 patients from the SOS facilities and its neighborhood receive medical treatment there on a daily basis.

The SOS Social Centre Kakiri was opened in March 2006. It offers a range of social services which mainly focus on the special needs of destitute children (including medical care, financial support, education) but also on securing the income of families to enable them to take care and protect their children in the best possible way (including counseling in education, etc.). At the moment, 600 children and their caretakers are supported through this program.

The construction of the SOS Children’s Village and its ancillary facilities, together with the construction of a new market place, considerably stimulated the local economy. This boost for the local economy was particularly gratifying to see, since the local infrastructure was heavily damaged during the civil war.