Loving home for every child

Nipuni Wimalapala

Walking along the neatly maintained corridors of SOS Children's Village, Piliyandala, I happened to smile with cuddly kids. They were playing freely, studying and talking to each other. Some were studying dictation, trying to solve mathematic sums and elder ones were helping small fellows. Their faces reflected happiness, freedom, love and care they receive from the SOS family.

They have their biological siblings as well as other sisters and brothers in their SOS homes. They are happy with their living conditions. They are provided with all the needed facilities to live a happy childhood with an expected education level.

SOS truly means a loving home for every child who has nobody to call their own. As part of its continuous efforts to provide a loving home to every child at risk of losing parental care, SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka took initiatives to establish its sixth SOS Children's Village in Jaffna. The foundation stone laying ceremony took place on February 13 with the participation of the Mayor, District Secretary, Provincial Probation Commissioner and other leading government officials in the Northern Province, Board of Directors and the National Director of SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka.

"These children were caught in the Northern Conflict and had nobody to call their own. Today, these children are living happily in six SOS families formed with temporary facilities in Jaffna. They are not afraid anymore as they have a safe place to live. A happy childhood, a loving family, a sound education are ideals that SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka strives to provide for all children under our care," said SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka President Malsiri Dias.

"The need for an SOS Children's Village in Jaffna has grown exponentially and SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka will take every possible measure to ensure that the children under our care will receive the care and affection of the SOS mothers and grow up with their biological and SOS brothers and sisters within a protective SOS Children's Village environment," said SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka National Director Ananda B Karunarathne.

The SOS Children's Village, coming up in Nayanmarkattu, Nallur (just 4.5 km away from Jaffna town), will have 12 SOS family houses, a SOS kindergarten for the children in the care of SOS families as well as children in the neighbourhood and a SOS Youth facility. The children who were formerly under the care of the SOS Emergency Relief Programme, Chettikulam will move into this SOS Children's Village once it is completed.

At present, 75 children who have lost their parents are cared for at four rented premises in Jaffna. The Jaffna SOS Children's Village is slated to be fully operational by July 2013.

The Chettikulam project was put in place at the Manik Farm IDP camp at the end of the war- in fact, SOS Children's Villages had the only residential facility for unaccompanied children within the IDP camp during this period and provided immediate support to 234 children out of which 160 were re-unified with their families of origin. SOS Children's Villages have been active in Sri Lanka for over 32 years. SOS Children's Villages are in Piliyandala, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Anuradhapura, Moneragala and 45 ancillary projects including the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Piliyandala under an agreement with the Education ministry, a fully-fledged SOS Vocational Training Centre in Monaragala which is registered with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission of Sri Lanka for youth living below the poverty line, SOS youth facilities for boys and girls, SOS kindergartens, SOS Family Strengthening Programmes, SOS medical centres, a SOS day care centre, SOS social centres and SOS mothers' clubs.

SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka was also instrumental in constructing 984 Tsunami houses and eight social centres in the Eastern Province. The Al-Misbah School at Kalmunai, which was destroyed during the catastrophe was reconstructed by SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka and was dedicated for the benefit of over 1000 students of the area.