SOS Children's Villages International

About SOS Children's Villages International

SOS Children's Villages is the world's largest non-governmental organisation focused on supporting children and young people without parental care, or at risk of losing it. Founded in 1949 as a non-denominational organisation, today we have a presence in 136 countries and territories. Our work is anchored in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. We operate more than 2,600 locally led programmes, directly reaching more than a million children, young people and families. We partner with donors, communities, governments and other organisations to reach the children and young people who need support, and we advocate for governments to uphold their obligations with regard to children's rights. In April this year, SOS Children's Villages released its 70 Years of Impact report that tracks the organisation's impact on the lives of children and young people through its family-like care and family strengthening services. The research helped to identify the numbers of children reached, but more importantly how they have actually improved their lives in the long term, and how the community has benefitted as well.