Child Sponsorship background from Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela

SOS Children's Village Ciudad Ojeda

SOS Children's Village Ciudad Ojeda is located in the centre of the city of the same name on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo, near the most important oil region of the country.

The SOS Children's Village was constructed on a 2.5-acre site and consists of ten family houses, where up to 90 children can find a new home, 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), a community building with rooms for functions and festivities, and an administration and service area.

Other SOS Projects in Ciudad Ojeda

The SOS Nursery, which is located within the SOS Children's Village, is open to children from the local community. It consists of two classrooms where up to 100 children can be taken care of. The older children from the SOS Children's Village attend state-run primary and secondary schools near by.

For youngsters from the SOS Children's Village, an SOS Youth Home has been set up in town. 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. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.

The SOS Social Centre, which is open to the local community, runs a child-care facility, where children who do not attend school yet are looked after during the day. The centre was opened in June 2000 and consists of five classrooms, as well as a dentist's and a paediatrician's offices. All in all, up to 120 children from local families can be taken care of at the SOS Social Centre.