Child Sponsorship Background from Medan, Indonesia

SOS Children's Village Medan

On the morning of 26 December 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake with the epicentre near Banda Aceh struck the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean. More than 130,000 people died in Indonesia, even more lost their homes and thousands of children were separated from their parents. Medan, the capital of the North Sumatra Province, was less affected than the western cities of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, but right after the natural disaster, many people fled to Medan. Today, there are a lot of destitute families and many children without parental care.

SOS Children's Village Medan is situated about seven kilometres southwest of the city centre, in a middle-class area called Medan Permai (Beautiful Medan).

It consists of a collection of family houses, a director's house, a community centre (administration and a medical room), an activity centre (computers, library, music, dance), a multi-purpose hall and different co-workers' residences. The SOS Children's Village offers a new home for up to orphaned or abandoned children.

Other SOS Projects in Medan

Furthermore, there is an SOS Nursery School which is also open to children from the local community. The older children attend public schools, which helps them to grow up just like their friends from outside the SOS Children's Village.

The SOS Social Centre offers family strengthening, health counselling, community support, counselling and psychological support. The programmes are designed to ensure that children have access to essential services, such as education, health services and psycho-social support. Families are assisted with income generation. They also receive help when dealing with the authorities. People's parental skills and awareness of children's rights are improved.

Background to Medan

Medan is the capital of the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia with a population of approximately 2.5 million people. Located in the northern part of the province along the coast, Medan is the third largest city in Indonesia. The city is bordered by Deli Serdang Regency to the east, south, and west, and the Strait of Malacca to the north.