A girl wearing traditional clothes for Guatemala at Children's Village…
In Guatemala two new SOS Children's Village projects have opened. Both projects tell something of the traditions of the ancient Maya culture.
- Lisa
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A girl wearing traditional clothes for Guatemala at Children's Village San Cristóbal, Guatemala.
In Guatemala two new SOS Children's Village projects have opened. Both projects tell something of the traditions of the ancient Maya culture.
The first project is an SOS Social Centre in San Juan Sacatepéquez, which lies 30 km northwest of the capital Guatemala City. The San Juan Sacatepéquez town was founded by ancient Central American civilisations, and was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1976.
Today, the re-built San Juan Sacatepéquez faces difficult economic and social problems, like many other towns in the country. At the SOS Social Centre San Juan Sacatepéquez, up to 150 small children are able to attend the daycare centre or the nursery and receive three meals every day.
Medical care is also available. Advice concerning educational issues is available for mothers or parents, who make a small monthly contribution to demonstrate their support for the work.
The second project is the opening of an SOS retreat for 100 children and young people. The opening party was held on 25 March in Panajachel, a town which lies in the Guatamalan highlands - 1,562 m above sea-level. Panajachel, has lots of places the children can make connections to the history of ancient cultures.
The new camp is for children to come together from all SOS Children's Villages in Central America, and to make friends.
- Mary
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Children having fun at the playground in Chinnakalapet Pondicherry town, Eastern India.
Pondicherry town was hit by the tsunami of late 2004. Fortunately SOS Children's Villages was already on the ground and was able to help straight away. Other places affected by the tsunami were not so fortunate, but SOS found a way to help. This is the story of how SOS built a new school in Eastern Sri Lanka to replace the one completely distroyed by the waves.
In January 2007 a new school was completed in Eastern Sri Lanka. This school replaced the one that was distroyed by the tsunami in late 2004. SOS Children's Villages has rebuilt the school from scratch; it is currently being attended by 1,500 students.This school is situated in Kalmunai, 300 kilometres east of Colombo and 45 kilometres south of Batticaloa - right on the conflict-ridden east coast. The tsunami catastrophe made the situation even worse for the development of this region, already badly affected by the long civil war.
The coastal Ampara district, where Kalmunai is located, reported more than 10,000 tsunami casualties - about a third of Sri Lanka's total death toll.
SOS Children's Villages didn't hold back in furnishing the school: a total of 58 classrooms was constructed, along with an administrative room, a staff room, a science laboratory, a library, a multimedia room, a play room, an agriculture room, and a computer lab.
While the new school was still under construction, classes were being held in temporary shelters. "Sitting in the temporary shelter was tough. It got so hot in the afternoons we couldn't even have proper lessons; arts and crafts classes didn't take place at all during this period. Now, everything is set up and ready," said a student.
When the 2004 tsunami's waves slammed into the shore, the school was open and classes were in session. Most of the structure was wiped out immediately, 106 students died.
Other charities who took up activities in the region after the disaster shied away from reconstructing the school due to its massive infrastructure and financial implications.
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