SOS Medical Centres and Social Centres in Central and South America: Country List
In South and Central America, SOS Children runs 169 SOS Social Centres and 4 SOS Medical Centres. Many of the SOS Social Centres are supported by a wealth of Community Centres.
SOS Social Centres play a valuable role in SOS Children's work in South America. They are effective bases to run Family Strengthening Programmes. These programmes strengthen communities and empower disadvantaged families. In South America, where there is a large social disparity, these programmes are effective in preventing children being abandoned, as families gain work skills and the nous to care for their children in a supportive and caring manner. Community Centres act as satellites to the SOS Social Centres, providing the same kind of programmes on a smaller and more local scale.
The 4 SOS Medical Centre that SOS Children run are integral to their respective communities, providing healthcare and services to the communities in which they run.
Examples of Work in SOS Centres in South and Cental America (2009):
- At SOS Centres in Venezuela, children and adults alike celebrated the 30th anniversary of SOS Children's work in the country, through specially organised celebrations.
- At the SOS Social Centre Juigalpa, Nicaragua, 45 children supported by community staff are now preparing to start elementary school
- At the SOS Social Centre Santiago, in Chile, 3 marches were organised by the centre, aimed at raising awareness of children's rights
Click on a country below, or select a title on the right, to read more about how individual SOS Social and Medical Centres work in South and Central America.