What are SOS Children's Villages?
SOS Children's Villages is a non-governmental organization that creates families for children who have lost the care of their biological parents. We are deeply convinced that every child should have the opportunity to grow up in a family.
Currently, two SOS Children's Villages – Īslīce and Valmiera – are home to 120 children and young people. Most SOS families live in the SOS Children's Villages, but several SOS families also live outside the villages in places like Iecava, Valmiera, and Valka.
In our SOS family support centers, our specialists provide support to more than 1,200 children across Latvia each year. Over many years of operation, we have also realized the importance of working with families at social risk who have children. By strengthening these families' ability to care for their children, we can avoid situations where children need to be separated from their parents and placed in alternative care.
What is an SOS Mother?
SOS mothers are the foundation of SOS Village families. Without their commitment, ability to accept, warmth, sleepless nights, and early mornings, SOS families would be unimaginable. Each SOS family is led by an SOS mother, and usually, there are four to seven children living in the family. Often, children living in one SOS family are biological siblings.
It's a great responsibility and courage – to make the decision to dedicate your life to providing, creating, and ensuring a peaceful daily life for children who, for various reasons, have been forced to leave their biological families. Time is the most precious thing we can give to another, never to be regained.
Being an SOS mother is not a job where you take off your office shoes at five o'clock and close the door to rush home. It is a serious calling where you give yourself fully seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. First teeth, first steps, first words, first Septembers, first dates... Joyous highs and poignant lows constantly intertwine, reminding us that the price of a real life is endless ups and downs, where we simply stay together.
Every mother is an entirely ordinary person and at the same time, a guardian angel worthy of admiration, whose previous life experiences have unknowingly prepared them for this mission.
"I have formulated my mission in the SOS Children's Village family: to show children that life can be different – much better. Whether they accept it remains their choice. We all understand that they have had very sad experiences, so here they experience a new, healthy, normal family life. I have never insisted they call me mom, but they do." - Anda, SOS Mother.
"On Valentine's Day, we placed a mailbox in the village library. The children thought nothing would be put in there, and were surprised when it turned out to be full. I also prepared a greeting for each child, which made them very happy. One of the sons brought me a letter personally. I read it and cried. It said that I was the best mom in the world. Reading such words, I realize how great my responsibility is to these children." - Anita, SOS Mother.
"I deliver love in doses – hugging, holding, providing this important physical connection so the child feels loved through touch. I believe that a child can only develop in an atmosphere of love, or at least when they feel calm and secure." - Kristīna, SOS Mother.
How can you help?
Think about it – what could you do with 15 euros a month?
There are many good things you can buy for 15 euros. You could go to the cinema, buy a shirt, or have a snack out. But a 15-euro monthly donation can help change a child's life, helping them grow up in a family.
Start anytime and continue throughout the year – become a regular donor to help children grow up in families!
Your regular donation will help SOS foster families pay for many everyday but important things, such as:
- Purchasing necessary daily items for children and developing their talents;
- Paying for children's training or extracurricular activities;
- Providing necessary specialist consultations for children.
For a large SOS family with six children to go to the cinema in Riga, 100 euros are needed. Of course, this is not everyday life, but they too want those special – festive days. A water park? A festive table? Birthday celebrations? All these require extra expenses, but these are the unforgettable memory moments that make up every child's childhood. With your support, children can be secure about their future, grow up with dignity in an SOS family, receive much-needed therapy, and experience special – festive moments.
Any amount you donate – 5, 10, 15 euros or more per month, will help children grow and experience a happier childhood. No amount is too small if donated from the heart! Support SOS families, donate for a happier childhood!