Why does SOS Childrens Villages not play a greater role in aid relief?
SOS-Kinderdorf International, the umbrella organisation of SOS Children’s Villages, was set up to provide children in need with long-term help and as such is not an emergency relief organisation. It offers a new and permanent home in a family-like environment to children who have lost or are, for a variety of reasons, no longer able to live with their natural family. In addition to SOS Children’s Villages the organisation runs other long-term facilities such as kindergartens, schools, medical- and social centres to help the local population and the SOS children and youth. In crisis situations caused by war or natural disasters, SOS Children’s Villages is able to respond swiftly through its network of facilities to help victims, running its own relief programmes or collaborating with the state, UN or other NGOs. Emergency relief, however, forms only a subsidiary part of SOS Children’s Villages’ work, and our SOS Emergency Relief Programmes are small scale in comparison to those of other
