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SOS Children’s Villages-Ghana is the local branch of an international humanitarian organization that provides abandoned and destitutes children with safe, stable homes and loving families.
These families live in clusters of about 10 to 15 family houses integrated into exiting communities. Children stay with their SOS families in these Villages until they are grown, and they leave equipped with a good education, motivation and the strength of a stable and supportive family.
Currently, SOS has two Villages in Ghana. The first one is situated in Tema and the second village is in Asiakwa in the Eastern Region. There are plans to build a third village in Tamale in the Northern region.
The SOS Children’s Village is different from traditional foster care homes in many ways. For one thing, our placements are intended to be stable. Once children are admitted into the Village, they stay until they are grown up to lead independent lives. This is what we call the long-term family-based care. Also in every SOS home, there are SOS mothers who commit themselves to raising a group of children for a generation. In addition, we make every effort to re-unite biological brothers and sisters and raise them together in the same family house. We believe a stable, loving home and family is vital to every child. All the children live in a community called a Village.
Each SOS Children’s Village carefully screens and selects applicants who seek jobs as mothers. This screening includes an extensive background check. Our mothers are normally women who are single, divorced or widowed. Many of the mothers do not have children who are dependent on them. New SOS mothers together with Village Directors and other supporting staff undergo rigorous 12 to 18- month training to educate them about parenthood and the complex needs of their future children, who are trying to overcome troubled backgrounds. SOS mothers also serve an apprenticeship with another SOS family as aunties for about two years before being assigned their own family. The training does not end there. Every mother attends monthly sessions to discuss problems and progress with other mothers and specialists including social workers and counselors.
In Ghana, a family court judge usually determines which child will best be served by SOS Children’s Villages based on recommendations by Social Welfare Officers. SOS also gets cases from the Police, Social Welfare Department, hospitals and sometimes from members of the community. In all cases, a thorough investigation is made and the right legal procedures are taken before the child is finally accepted.
This is because SOS builds families for these children by providing them with a mother, brothers and sisters as well as making them part of a community. These children often develop family ties with their new siblings. It is therefore difficult for the organization to separate the children fro the SOS mother and the siblings. They also receive the required skills, training and education to ensure a good future for them.
No, the SOS Village is not a boarding house. SOS provides a stable home for the orphaned, abandoned or destitute child. ? It does not offer temporary homes to those who need caretakers for their children.
SOS Children’s Villages derive the major share of its income from private contributions. SOS relies on finances provided by ordinary people through sponsorships and donations in both cash and kind. We ensure a culture of maintenance by using limited resources efficiently.
SOS Children’s Villages use your donations to give happy endings to kids who have lived through the deaths of their parents, neglect or abandonment, or unimaginable abuse. WE rely mainly on the support of generous individuals, friends and organizations who give us donations in cash and in kind. These gifts provide a loving and stable family for these orphaned and abandoned children.
For more information about SOS Children’s Village, call or visit us in any of our Villages or National Office. You can also visit our website on www.sosghana.org
All you need to do is to commit yourself to support SOS by sponsoring a child. You can decide to sponsor a village or offer educational scholarships to a specified number of children. You may also send general donations which will benefit all the children. Every contribution both small or big can make a difference! No amount is too small. |
