Child Sponsorship background from Vinh, Vietnam

SOS Children's Village Vinh

In January 1992, the fourth Vietnamese SOS Children's Village was officially opened in Vinh. The city of Vinh is situated at the mouth of the Songka river, about 300 km south of Hanoi, in Nghe An, one of the country's poorest provinces.

SOS Children's Village Vinh was built on a 2.5-hectare site in the city-centre. Several markets, the provincial hospital and various schools are close by.

SOS Children's Village Vinh consists of 15 family houses, staff accommodation and the necessary administration and service area. The houses were built in a low and very solid style to withstand the typhoons, which often hit this region.

Other SOS Projects in Vinh

The SOS Children's Village has its own SOS Nursery, where up to 190 children can be taught in six group rooms.

The SOS School with 27 classrooms, laboratories, a library and a canteen offers primary and secondary education and has a capacity of 1,200 students. Both nursery and school are attended by children from the local community as well. The school was opened in 1997.

The same year saw the opening of an SOS Youth Home. 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.

In January 2008, SOS Children's Villages opened an SOS Social Centre, which runs a family-strengthening programme. Monthly financial support is provided to orphaned, abandoned and poor children in the neighbourhood to cover basic needs (food, clothing, school expenses).