Pupils in the library at the SOS School in Tema, Ghana.…

  Both photographs are of the library at the SOS School in Tema, Ghana.  

In many countries parents simply cannot afford to send their children to school, or in other cases, there simply is no education available.  

SOS Children's Villages has built nursery schools, schools and vocational training centres where previously there was no way to get an education, for children worldwide.  

Such schools are not only for children who live in SOS villages; they are also for the local community -- they're open to the children and young adults who live near. 

These schools play an important role in helping the people in the neighbourhood. At the educational facilities run by SOS Children's Villages we offer equal education opportunities to girls and women, which sadly isn't normal in every society. 

In the Badaber refugee camp in Pakistan, for example, SOS Children's Villages is enabling girls to attend school for the very first time.

In their schools and training facilities, SOS Children's Villages does not practise one standard method; we have a flexible approach that takes account of the specific situation of the country concerned.

One of the goals of SOS Children's Villages is to enable as many children as possible to attend primary school.

Experience with the labour market shows, however, that the higher the level of education and training, the better the chances of finding employment. Yet, many parents simply cannot afford to send their children to secondary school. SOS Children's Villages is addressing this problem with the construction of secondary schools so as to give such children and youngsters a better start in working life.