Child Sponsorship Background from Savannakhét, Laos

SOS Children's Village Savannakhét

For years, SOS Children has been requested to extend its operation to the city of Savannakhet, second largest city and commercial hub of Laos.  The city is linked to Thailand by means of a bridge over the Mekong River, which was completed at the end of 2007.

Now Savannakhet has become an important trading centre on the road to Thailand and Vietnam.  Savannakhet province is the country's largest province. Approximately one fifth of the population of Laos lives there and there is a large number of children without care. 

HIV/AIDS has become a major problem for the city and the whole province, as more and more children lose their parents due to this disease.

A site on the north highway just a few kilometres from the entrance to the city was donated to SOS Children's Villages by the government.  Savannakhet University is situated nearby. 

SOS Children's Village Savannakhet consists of family homes, the Village director's house, a community house, co-worker residences, a house for the so-called SOS aunts (family helpers or SOS mothers in training who assist the SOS mothers and fill in for them when they are sick or on holiday), a garage and a workshop.

Other SOS Projects in Savannakhét

There is an SOS Nursery School, which can be attended by both children from the SOS Children's Village and children from the neighbourhood. 

An SOS Social Centre provides day-care for children from local families and other family strengthening programmes according to need.  A visiting doctor attends to the children and mothers from the SOS Children's Village as well as to the beneficiaries of the family strengthening programme.

Background to Savannakhét

Savannakhét is a province of Laos, and is located in the south of the country.  The name Savannakhet comes from the words Savanh Nakhone, which means "city of paradise", the province's original name.  It is bordered by Khammouan to the north, Salavan to the south, Vietnam to the east and Thailand to the west.  The town was initially bombed and subsequently occupied by Thai armed forces during the French-Thai War.  In 2007, the Second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River from Savannakhet to Mukdahan, Thailand was opened.