SOS Children's Villages, Shillong

Orientation Visit to
SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGE, SHILLONG
P. O. Umiam, Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya – 793 103

 Orientation Date : 9th September 2011 (Friday)
 Time: 01.30 PM to 03.00 P.M.

SOS Children's Villages is active in 133 countries and territories. The variety of this international work is brought together by the umbrella organisation SOS Children's Villages International, which unites all of the autonomous national association. SOS Children's Villages was founded in Austria by Hermann Gmeiner; first SOS Children's Village built in Imst, Austria in 1949.

The Shillong SOS Village

It is no less than a developed and well maintain village.

SOS Children's Village Shillong was opened in 1999. It is situated about 12 km from the city of Shillong on a green hill covered with pine trees.

SOS Children's Village Shillong consists of twelve family houses, staff accommodation, a multi-purpose hall and the necessary administration and service area. It has its own playground where the children can romp around and have fun. The sick bay at the SOS Children's Village provides basic medical care for the inhabitants of the village. A building with a ground floor and 1st floor consists of several bed rooms with a huge kitchen and a common room.

The Youth Facility

2007 saw the opening of an SOS Youth Facility at Shillong. Young people usually move from the SOS Children's Village to an SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, the young people develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers. They are given financial assistance at the initial stage to make their own career. Some of them have got a high profile jobs in a multi-national companies and some are joining different professional courses like MBBS, management and social works.

Family Strengthening Program

In 2004, SOS Children's Villages India launched its family strengthening programmes in Shillong. These programmes are intended to support families at risk of abandoning their children and to encourage families to stay together. SOS Children's Villages therefore works with local authorities and other service providers to support families and enable them to take good care of their children.

The Shillong family strengthening programme provides nutritional, educational and health support as well as vocational training, career counselling sessions and job placement support. Families are linked with existing self-help groups; if there is no group, a new one is formed. The programme also aims at raising awareness of hygiene and child rights and improving people's parenting skills.

This program is on five years basis.

Admission Process: SOS Children Village, Shillong consist of twelve families, each family have an adopted mother and ten siblings. Admission of a child was generally done the Child Welfare Committee of the state. The maximum age limit eligible to admit in a village is twelve and if one child got selected, his or her siblings were also taken to the village. Before admitting the child, a thorough home investigation was carried out by the authority from the village and the findings were sent to New Delhi. Once a child was admitted in the village, he cannot visit his relatives until and unless he attain the age of 18 years.

The Adopted Mother: As I have stated above, the village have 12 families each. In each family, there is an adopted mother or mother in charge for the 12 siblings from different background. Prior to giving the responsibility of motherhood to the selected lady, she has to complete one year training and must have been a class ten passed. Once she takes the responsibility of motherhood, she cannot get married. She is entirely responsible to the family like a normal family in our society. Financial assistance of Rs. 3300 only was given to the families on monthly basis where they have to manage within that amount. It is the sole responsibility of the mother that she can save it or earn more money for her family.

Source of Income: SOS Children's Villages, Shillong does not have any source of income in its own. It entirely depends on the alloted budgets from the centre. The budget for the an num was prepared by the responsible persons and was forwarded to New Delhi, where the headquarter for India is. The govt of Meghalaya generously donated a school bus and drinking water to the village.

90 % of the organisation's income is raised by the SOS Promoting and Supporting Associations in Western Europe and North America. The fundraising efforts of these 18 national SOS Children's Villages organisations not only guarantee the continuity of its international work; many of them also operate SOS facilities and programmes in their own country. SOS Children’s Villages has always relied on a large number of donations from individual donors all over the world. Accordingly, 56 % of the total income in 2010 has been contributed by individual donors.

Reflection

With our support, SOS Children’s Village can secure a future for those who are unable to help themselves. Children need our help every day - people in need cannot wait until tomorrow.