A caring relationship beyond boundaries

Not all children are blessed with a happy home. Some may be blessed with a caring family while others fall under the fates of faults in their stars.  

In Sri Lanka it’s estimated that 340,000 children have lost parental care. Children lose their parents through diseases, accidents, natural disasters, poverty and social issues. To add salt to the wound, these innocent individuals are constantly taunted by abuse, which comes either in mental or physical form.   

With the calls being heard loud to eradicate social criticism and indifference to these children, SOS Children’s Villages have come to the rescue. The SOS Villages ensure every child gets a happy childhood.The SOS model is fuelled by the belief that ‘in order to thrive, every child needs a loving mother, a safe home, siblings and a stable community  

SOS Children’s Villages have branches in 135 countries. SOS Children’s Villages have branches in Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Monaragala, Galle and Piliyandala. These villages provide alternative care to over 41,000 children who have been deprived of parental care. The service provided by the SOS Children’s Villages adds colour to the lives of children whose lives would otherwise have been grey.   

But despite riding on the rough seas of life, the lives of these children are now experiencing a smooth sailing, thanks to the SOS villages. Having been run on funds granted largely by international individual donors and European benefactors for the past 36 years, the SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka are now facing a challenge. The SOS Children’s Villages International, has implemented a gradual reduction in their funding on the grounds that Sri Lanka has now become a middle income country in Asia. Since 2016, part of the funding has been withdrawn and by the year 2023, funding is expected to completely cease.  

 

 

I joined the SOS village in Piliyandala in 1981. I was a mother to 27 children. Most of them are married now. Some live abroad

‘Seeing is believing’ and spending a day at the village is enough for one to be awe-struck at the efforts made by SOS Children’sVillages to bring happiness and hope into the worlds of these children. The air is filled with the happy laughter of children. What they are enjoying under this system of care confirms how rewarding the efforts of the villages truly are.   

The most loved concept of the SOS village is that every child grows up in a SOS family. This allows a child to grow up in a loving environment. Children are cared for in family homes by ‘SOS mothers’. These wonderful ‘females’ have dedicated their lives to play the role of mother to these children. “Even though I am not the birth mother of the children, they are my children and I do everything for them. They have become the meaning of my life and I love them very much,” said Yamuna, a SOS mother. The villages also have ‘SOS Aunts’ as supporting roles for the mothers. The SOS village is also a retirement homes for the mothers. The walls of these retirement homes are adorned with photographs of generations of children who lived in these homes. They are now grown up and have left these homes. The pride that the retired mothers have in their children is no different from the pride that a mother would have for her own offspring. This shows the intimate bond that exists between the SOS family members. Having just returned from a trip abroad, the retired mother shared her experiences. “I joined the SOS village in Piliyandala in 1981. I was a mother to 27 children. Most of them are married now. Some live abroad. I was taken to the UK by one of my children, Mali, who is now a UK citizen,” said Yamuna. She proudly showed us the pictures during her trip abroad. The pictures contained images of  the children when they were little.

Each SOS family is each given a cozy spacious house equipped with all facilities. When this writer visited this home it was satisfying to see how the children got together with their SOS mothers to prepare the meals, and set the table. As the children grow older, siblings are separated by gender. When these children reach youthhood they are moved to the ‘SOS Youth Facilities’. The individuals who are subject to this change are boys who turn 14 and girls who reach their 18th birthday. “Apart from education, children are taught life skills such as cooking, shopping and maintaining vegetable gardens. They are engaged in activities such as air rifling, shooting, swimming and going on outings. We ensure that they do things on their own. The children surprised us with a music video that they had created for the Mother’s Day especially organized in the village. The fact that they had done it all on their own was very impressive,” said the youth worker.  

According to the youth worker pilot programmes are being set up to address these areas. “ We have also lined up internships in companies for the youth to get them used to social and office environments,” the youth worker added. 

Dealing with youth isn’t an easy task as most parents with teenagers will agree. This could aggravate the negative influence on them. So it is very important how you handle this sensitive issue,” said the expert youth worker.   

 

 

Through this program we empower families to enhance their capacity to protect and care for their children and strengthen safety nets regarding vulnerable children

Education is a right of every child. SOS Villages offer the children the golden gift of education to ensure that they turn into members who contribute to society. The SOS village has a kindergarten and a school that is open to not just the SOS village children, but to the residents of the locality as well. The school syllabus is designed in keeping with the local education guidelines. The school is managed by the Government. Stopping by the preschool of the village, it was quite satisfying to witness the colourful little classrooms adorned with colourful art works, posters and paintings.

  
The health of the children is taken care of by two nurses who are attached to a medical centre. A medical file is maintained for each child and holds records of the individual’s medical status.   

The village is equipped with a large playground that opens up many opportunities for the children to engage in sports. The purpose behind introducing them to sports is to produce a balanced individual. Each child in the village is also allocated a budget. What is extremely heart-warming is that the SOS Villages fulfill duties of the children as families would do for their own kids. The budget includes an allocation for weddings. Weddings are funded when the children are grownup and the time comes for them to tie the knot. This shows that the relationship between the child and the SOS village remains intact even when the child leaves alternative care. This kind of caring relationship isn’t seen in most alternative care institutions. This is again another unique quality of these SOS Villages.  

The village also renders the service of conducting family strengthening programmes for children. “Through this program we empower families to enhance their capacity to protect and care for their children and strengthen safety nets regarding vulnerable children. At present we serve around 3350 children around the country who have come to us from nearly 2000 families,” said Divakar Ratnaduri, the Deputy National Director of SOS CVSL.  

Everything considered, the service that is provided by the SOS Villages around the country is exemplary. Therefore a call for help is made to make people come together to safeguard children who live under the care of SOS Villages. For the meritorious task of sponsoring a child at the SOS Villages, the public is invited to contribute LKR1500 monthly or Rs 18,000 annually. These contributions can help sustain a SOS family. So feel free to contact them on their phone lines 011 2702712/ 0772366106 or send an email to [email protected] 
More information can be obtained by logging on to their website www.soschildrensvillages.lk 
Support this worthy cause and safeguard young innocent lives in the country.   

Feel free to contact them on their phone lines 011 2702712/ 0772366106 or send an email to [email protected]