An SOS mother has prepared lunch for her children at the SOS Children's Village Poá, Brazil
This is an extract from a letter sent to the supporters of the SOS Children's Village Poá, Brazil:
- Lisa
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An SOS mother has prepared lunch for her children at the SOS Children's Village Poá, Brazil
This is an extract from a letter sent to the supporters of the SOS Children's Village Poá, Brazil in 2008:
The whole Poá SOS Children's Village is very glad to tell you our news. Currently we have 13 SOS houses in the village and other two placed in a nearby community, assisting 144 children and teenagers.
We started 2008 with summer school vacation in January. Some of our children and teenagers could enjoy little trips and strolls around the city, others went to visit their biological families. Backing to school was a happy time too, time to meet again classmates and teachers and make new friends. Also it is time to come back to do extra class activities, like swimming, football, judo, and professional courses to help young people to get the first job.
We are very proud! Children are bringing home report cards filled with good marks and our teenagers are getting their first jobs.
Community and Family Strengthening Programme, through Social Centre and Community Centres are doing an excellent work together with local partners, developing new proposal to assist families from these communities, always focusing on prevention of child abandonment, domestic violence, and other issues according to the needs of each community.
In January we reopened the Social Centre in São José district, one of the most vulnerable districts of our country, which up to that time did not offer any kind of activities for children. Currently we are assisting 211 children and their families.
Within our activities we are working "Who I am" (in the family, community, and school) through talking groups, crafts using recyclables, reading, drama, and music.
Since the first day, some mothers from the community have been joining us as volunteers to help at snack time, cleaning, and facility maintenance.
Also we started a partnership with Unidade Básica de Saúde [Basic Health Care] which supports us to weigh children, aiming to fight against child malnutrition. Another partnership with a public school, enables us to have more space for our children play.
Our Community and Family Strengthening Programme assists 427 children from Nova Poá (a district in Poá city), and Itaim Paulista and São Miguel Paulista districts in São Paulo city.
Thank you very much for being part of our big family.
- Mary
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Two children attend an emergency relief program in Santa Cruz, Jordan
This is a report written at the time a flood hit Santa Cruz, Jordan. This is about the second Daycare Center SOS Children's Villages provided for flood-hit affected children:
47 families and over a hundred children from the affected areas in the district of Santa Cruz are now attending a newly opened SOS Daycare Center. The Daycare Center started to operate on 9 March and it is the second of a series of actions taken on by SOS Children's Villages in favor of the flood-hit victims in Bolivia.
The Daycare Center has been set up in the community of San Juan de Yapacani, which is about 120 kilometers from the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The program is currently assisting over 100 children who are living at camp sites. The support consists of essential daily meals, education and basic health service. Among the community children attending the center are babies and kids under the age of eleven.
"The children are happy. They spend a very good time carrying out interesting activities at the center. Before, they were doing nothing, just getting bored and even causing trouble. They are now busy and recreated," said a father of the community.
Another action of the organization has been to support the affected mothers. They have been given short workshops on how to take care of small children and the results have been great. Mothers have learned to prepare inexpensive nutritious foods, especially for their babies, and to clean the areas in which they live, in order to avoid any possible health problems.
"The community feels more strengthened and supported. Many families have lost all their belongings in the flooding and it is not easy for them to overcome the situation. So, it is really a great relief to have at least their children receiving good food and education," commented an "SOS co-worker".
Similarly, another victim of the flood, a woman with five small children, said: "I thank God for your help [ ] the people who work for SOS Children's Villages do a very good job. We are receiving a lot of support".
This and other programs of support to the victims of flooding in Santa Cruz and Trinidad are expected to be there until most of the families have returned to their communities and homes.
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