History of SOS Children's Villages
For over 70 years we have been active worldwide
The idea for SOS Children’s Villages was born in 1949 in the Tyrol and now forms an arc stretching across the entire world – across 138 countries, all religions, cultures and societies!
How it all began...
On 25 April 1949, a group of committed men and women around the Vorarlberg medical student Hermann Gmeiner founded the "Societas Socialis" in Innsbruck. Their revolutionary and socially innovative idea laid the foundations for the creation of SOS Children's Villages and provided a significant impetus for child and youth welfare. Instead of placing unwanted children in anonymous homes and educational institutions, they were to grow up in the security of a family.
Even after 70 years, SOS Children's Villages is still of great importance. Despite progress, millions of children and young people still have to grow up alone, neglected, without education and in poverty.
Today, SOS Children's Villages is active in 138 countries and operates more than 570 SOS Children's Villages as well as over 2700 other programmes to care for children and young people and strengthen families.
