Child Sponsorship Background from Aqaba, Jordan

SOS Children's Village Aqaba

In October 1984, the cornerstone of SOS Children's Village Amman was laid.  In May 1986, the first children moved into the new village.  1990 saw the start of construction of a second SOS Children's Village in the city of Aqaba, a port in the south of the country. 

This SOS Children's Village was officially opened in 1991.  In September 1997, it was decided to build a third SOS Children's Village in Irbid in the north of the country which was completed in 1999.

Other SOS Projects in Aqaba

SOS Children's Village Aqaba is situated near a middle-class residential area of the city of Aqaba.  The inhabitants of the village benefit from the area's infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals.

The SOS Children's Village was opened in July 1991; it was officially inaugurated on 30 April 1992 by King Hussein and Queen Noor.  It consists of eight family houses, where up to 90 children can find a new home.

There is also the village director's house, 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), an administration and service area, a computer lab, and a sports centre, where a variety of sports can be practised.  The SOS Children's Village has its own supermarket, which is also open to the local community.

An SOS Nursery School was opened in 1991.  In its three classrooms up to 75 children both from the SOS Children's Village and from the neighbourhood can be taken care of.  There is an assembly hall, which is also used for functions and festivities.  At the nursery school playground, children can romp around and have fun.

Background to Aqaba

Aqaba is a coastal town in the far south of Jordan with a population of around 80,000.  It is the capital of Aqaba Governorate.  It is strategically important to Jordan being the country's only seaport.  The town borders Eilat, Israel, and there is a border post where it is possible to cross between the two countries.