Child Sponsorship Background from Bahia, Brazil

SOS Children's Village Bahia

SOS Children's Village Bahia as it is today was built to replace an older SOS Children's Village of the same name (built in 1979), because the old site was situated on a hillside where a landslide seemed imminent. Apart from that, a shanty town inhabited by more than 30,000 people had come into existence near the old SOS Children's Village. It kept spreading and was threatening to "swallow" the village. The present SOS Children's Village Bahia is situated between the airport of Salvador and the city of Salvador de Bahia. The official inauguration took place in January 1999.

Well over 100 children have found a new home in Bahia. There is also the village director's house, a house for the so-called SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers who support the SOS mothers during their daily work and fill in for them when they are ill or on leave), a multi-purpose hall for functions and festivities, a workshop, a crisis intervention centre, and an administration and service area. The SOS Children's Village is near the city centre and blends in with its surroundings. Close by, there is a state-run primary school, which most children from the SOS Children's Village attend. In the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village, there are several schools, doctors' offices, shops, a supermarket, a hospital, the town hall and some other public buildings.

Other SOS Projects in Bahia

An SOS Youth Home in the city centre accommodates up to eleven youths from the SOS Children's Village. Young people usually move from the SOS Children's Village to an SOS Youth Home 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.

Background to Bahia

Lauro de Freitas is a municipality in the north-east of the state of Bahia, Brazil. The town has approximately 140,000 residents.