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What is SOS Children's Villages?

The villages

The SOS children's Village concept is based on long term family care. The village is therefore based on a family structure. This is how it is built, run and organized. There are two villages in Israel, one in the Northern town of Migdal Haemek, named Megadim, and one in the Southern town of Arad, named Neradim. The villages are comprised of 12 homes, 7-9 children of various ages reside in each home and each one is run by an SOS mother, who lives with them.

In every village there are also support staff that consist of professionals and therapists, who care for the children's individual emotional, physical and educational well-being as well as helping them promote their integration into the community in a healthy way.

The children learn in local community schools in town and are integrated into its social fabric in accordance to their age and ability.  Every child enjoys a tailor-made therapeutic and educational program in order to help them achieve their full potential.

Both our villages have social workers and educational teams who serve as managers and coordinators for the implementation of the individual child's care plan. Various therapeutic activities are provided on and off campus, for example, therapeutic horseback riding, therapeutic animal care, music therapy, psychodrama and psychiatric intervention is available when needed. Medical attention is provided through local community health clinics. In addition, each village has a dedicated cadre of post high school volunteers who come for a year to live and work in the village, before continuing to the Israeli army or with other activities. As well as serving as role models and "big brothers and sisters" to our children and youth they are invaluable to many other areas and aspects of the village life. Alongside the therapeutic activities we have free time activities such as sports, music and photography classes.

Once the children leave our village and start their obligatory national service in the IDF and life as adults we continue to support them by responding to their needs with a variety of programs and frameworks. We help them guarantee their rights as lone soldiers and to cope with government bureaucracy, such as, renting an apartment and receiving scholarships. We also make an effort to stay in touch with their families.

The children in our care

The children who we care for are referred to us by the social welfare services from all around Israel. This is after they have been declared as at risk children. Many are placed in our villages under court order, some of them are orphans, but most have biological families that they are in contact with and see on a regular basis. Those who do not, are assigned a host family, by the village staff, so that they too can experience a home setting on holidays, weekends and other occasions, beyond their home in the village.

The children under our care are between the ages of 6-25 years old. 

The villages are comprised of 12 homes, 7-9 children of various ages reside in each home and each one is run by an SOS mother.

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The emergency shelter

We run an emergency shelter that cares for children who had to be urgently taken out of their homes and a permanent solution has not yet been found for them.

Some children are eventually placed in foster care, some eventually go back home, some are adopted, some are placed in other institutions and facilities and others continue with us and move to one of our homes. Approximately 30% are integrated into SOS Children's Village Neradim's homes. These children’s care is under the supervision of the Ministry of Welfare.

The children not only reside in the shelter but their schooling is also conducted within the shelter. The school in the shelter has received a school status symbol which means that its curriculum, teachers and teaching materials are approved by the Ministry of Education.  

Monthly donation page

As a monthly donor you will make a real difference in a child's life. SOS Children's Village depends on SOS friends, like you, who's support provides crucial funding for emergency relief, food, clothing, health care, education, emotional and physical therapies and so much more.

One-time donation

SOS children's village Israel believes that a loving home for every child is a necessity. By donating today, you will help us give these children a loving, safe and stable family environment, a childhood and a chance for a better future.

Donations for SOS children

Day-care centers

We run 10 day- care centres in the Bedouin communities, to this date. These day-care centres were set up in light of the Association's efforts to strengthen families and empower children and because of the proximity of the villages to the residential areas of the Bedouin Diaspora in the South, and to the Bedouin villages in the North.

The scope of the needs in the villages and areas of the Bedouin diaspora is wide-spread and extensive. The Bedouin community as a whole are considered at risk and their children in particular. It is also important to stress that many of these communities lack the basic physical infrastructure, especially schools, kindergartens and playgrounds.

We do not only support the children but also their families, especially the mothers. This is a measure that is taken by us to support families and to get one step closer to a loving home for every child.

We run different workshops for the mothers so they can be empowered, learn new skills and gain knowledge. In turn, they can use this in their lives and more importantly to secure work.

Activity among the Bedouin community has become one of the Association's flagship projects. The first three day-care centres were established with the cooperation of the Ministry of Welfarers in the villages of the north in 2009, and they became a success story. Subsequently, in that same year the first day-care centre was opened in the South.

The day –care centres in the south have been called "models for imitation" by the Ministry of Welfare and local Municipality.

Set up

The children who come to our day-care centres are, in general, between the ages of 6-12.

These day-care centres are supportive frameworks that provide the children with the following:

  • Transportation from school to the day-care centre at the end of the school day at 13:30 and back home at 18:00.

  • A hot meal for lunch. This is very important for these children as a vast majority would not get this if they went straight home after school.

  • Help with homework.

  • Tutors to teach the children in groups and one-to-one.

  • Extra-curricular activities.

  • Different games for them to play, free play time and organized leisure activities.

  • Different therapeutic activities, such as art therapy. 

The time spent at the day-care centres is time spent in a supportive setting instead of on the streets. In turn, the children feel safe, supported, loved and cared for and this helps the child in all aspects of their lives, that is schooling, family life and their emotional and physical well-being. We have also seen a positive change in the parents' attitudes towards their children.

Youth care

The project is aimed to support youth who have grown up in villages, boarding schools, or other institutions, including but not limited to SOS Children’s Villages. The project encourages the development of an independent, successful life. We will provide youth with a long-term housing solution and accompany them in different areas of their life.

At the age of 18, the young people that were in alternative care or registered in the social welfare ministry because of problems in individual development or family environment are transferred to a new social group and are no longer entitled to the services to which they were entitled as youth. The lack of clear parental responsibility and treatment frameworks exacerbates the difficulties.

The development of the young age period presents risk situations and risk characteristics, some of which are new and some are known from other age periods. Young people move across the continuum of risk in varying degrees of severity and in different combinations of one or more risk factors. Some of the risk factors are unique to young people, while others are recognized as risk situations in other age groups as well.

The program helps young people (18-25) who are at risk and have no place to live.

 

Target population: Young people (18 - 25) who completed their stay in villages, boarding schools, or other institutions.

The Youth care will be provided in 14 flats spread over different locations in Israel. YC will be offered in line with the governmental regulations; fully local funding of running cost for YC service for the next 3 years with high likelihood to be extended by the next round of governmental tender (permanent service envisaged due to national legislation).

A central need:

  1. Young people who are at risk have poor achievements in developmental tasks related to their age and find it difficult to integrate fully into adult life.

  2. Young people who have grown up in villages, boarding schools, or other institutions are at high risk of experiencing difficulties when moving from dependent adolescents to independent adults.

  3. Youth from SOS Children’s Villages experience difficulty in mobility and integration into the Israeli society after their departure from the CVs.

A central goal:

  1. The transition from youth to adulthood is a more complex challenge for those who do not have the right cognitive, emotional, and economic resources. Young people at risk often do not have family support and role models. This may lead them to find themselves pushed to the margins of society.

  2. Integration of graduates of welfare institutions in the optimal manner in Israeli society

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