Child Sponsorship background from Florida, Uruguay

SOS Children's Village Florida

SOS Children's Village Florida is the country's largest SOS Children's Village. Florida is a small town about 100 km north of Montevideo. It is well-known as the centre of dairy farming.

The SOS Children's Village was built on a 25-acre site and consists of 15 family houses, where up to 120 children can find a new home. In addition, there is the village director's house, a house for the so-called SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers who support the SOS mothers in their daily work and fill in for them when they are ill or on leave), the caretaker's house, a community building with rooms for functions and festivities, an administration and service area, and a sports field. The SOS Children's Village runs a small farm where pigs are bred and vegetables are grown.

Other SOS Projects in Florida

On the village site, there is an SOS Nursery, which is also open to children from the local community. Up to 75 children can be looked after there. The older children from the SOS Children's Village attend state-run primary and secondary schools.

For youngsters from the village, an SOS Youth Home was set up in town in 1998. It consists of several flats shared by the youngsters. 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.