Child Sponsorship Background from Rafah, Palestinian Territories

SOS Children's Village Rafah

SOS Children's Village Rafah is situated about 15 km from the town of Rafah, at a village named Deir Sultan.

It consists of fourteen family houses, the village director's house, accommodation for co-workers, 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 community house and an emergency clinic.

Other SOS Projects in Rafah

2000 saw the addition of an SOS Nursery, where up to 160 children can be taken care of. The SOS Nursery consists of six classrooms and two playgrounds. In February 2006, the SOS Children's Village was extended by an SOS Youth Home for girls in which, as occasion demands, up to seven girls can be accommodated.

In September 2004, the second SOS Nursery was started in Khan Younis. At the time being, it accommodates roughly 160 children mainly coming from the city of Khan Younis, near Rafah. It consists of five class rooms, a computer lab and a nice green garden.

Since there had hardly been any educational facilities in the poor area surrounding the SOS Children's Village, an SOS Primary School was opened in 2001. It comprises eight classrooms for up to 150 pupils, an administration area and a playground. Both SOS Nurseries and the SOS Primary School are open to children from the local community as well.

The SOS Social Centre (SOS Centre for Social Resources and Training) has opened in April 2005. In this SOS Centre university professors provide students from the local universities (approx. 2800 students) with practical and theoretical training courses in fields like computer skills and languages. The SOS Hermann Gmeiner Social Centre includes a small SOS Medical Centre.

Background to Rafah

Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories. Located 30 kilometers south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees.