Children from the SOS Children's Village Tête, Mozambique…
I've been reading about the SOS Children's Village facilities in Mozambique, and I was interested to find that during filming for his movie, "Blood Diamond", Leonardo DiCaprio had the chance to meet and work with 24 children from the SOS Children's Village in Maputo, Mozambique.
- Lisa
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Children from the SOS Children's Village Tête, Mozambique
I've been reading about the SOS Children's Village facilities in Mozambique, and I was interested to find that during filming for his movie, "Blood Diamond", Leonardo DiCaprio had the chance to meet and work with 24 children from the SOS Children's Village in Maputo, Mozambique.
The children were asked to be extras in the film and got to spend part of their summer break travelling to the movie set and working with the actors. Leonardo was extremely touched by his interactions with the children and was thrilled to be a part of such a memorable experience for them.
SOS Children's Villages opened its first village in Mozambique in 1986, after 16 years of civil war in the country had left many children orphaned and destitute. There are now three SOS Children's Villages in Mozambique, home to hundreds of children orphaned as a result of war, poverty, and disease; problems that have plagued the country for years. - Mary
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A flower from SOS Children's Village Maputo Mozambique
I've been looking into the history of the work at the SOS Children's Villages in Mozambique. I always knew that it can be a challenge to build a new SOS village, as often the need for the village is exactly because the area is in some sort of trouble, such as war or famine or terrible poverty. The history of building SOS Villages in Mozambique really demonstrates this point clearly:
The first village was built in Tete, in the north of the country. This construction began when the fighting in the country was at its height. Zimbabwean armored vehicles had to be stationed on the building site to protect the village from attack. Almost every night there was fighting in the area.
The need for the Village was so great that, before the first houses were ready, it was necessary to provide provisional shelter for a first group of children in a couple of wooden sheds. The refugee camps were filled to overflowing and the conditions there were a nightmare.
The SOS staff did not take sides in the war when helping children in great need, children from both sides were cared for.
The children witnessed some terrible scenes during the war. But with the help of motherly love and therapy the children eventually were able to come to terms with their trauma to some extent.
An encouraging report - and one in which the SOS Children's Village story comes full circle - illustrates the commitment of our youngsters. During periods of drought the team have often organised emergency food aid programmes for the extremely poor population of Tete Province, with the older children of the village handling all the logistics.
Each day an enthusiastic group would set off for the villages in the hot and dusty bush where they cooked food for the half-starving children, mothers, and the old and infirm. Then they would write reports, complete with such details as the weight and height of the children they had fed, and they even organised a medical service with the help of our nurse. All that is the work of our SOS Children's Village youngsters, who almost starved to death themselves just ten years ago!
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