SOS Children’s Village celebrates 100th birth anniversary of its founder

SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka recently celebrated ‘SOS Day’ honoring the 100^th birth anniversary their founder Dr. Hermann Gmeiner.

‘SOS Day’ is celebrated annually during  June to memorialize the globally renowned humanitarian in developmental assistance of children, who founded the first SOS Children’s Village in Imst, Austria in 1949 due to his sole belief in providing ‘A loving home for every child’.

To commemorate this special occasion, ‘SOS Day’ celebrations were carried out by all six SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka.

Each village joined hands to organize programs with a desire to give back to the very society these children were given a second chance to transcend and re-build their life in. Each programme turned out to be a success due to the collective support rendered by all of them including mothers from the community, a statement from the organisation said.

SOS Children’s Villages Piliyandala conducted a ‘Beach Clean-Up’ at Mt. Lavinia Beach. Almost a kilometer’s stretch of the beach was cleaned of all garbage and it was disposed as per the supervision of a PHI Officer who was in charge of the area. Later that day, a ceremonial observance was held at Hermann Gmeiner School Piliyandala in tribute of Dr. Hermann Gmeiner.

SOS Children’s Villages Galle conducted a ‘Beach Clean-Up’ program located close to the Galle Fort Lighthouse.

SOS Children’s Village Nuwara Eliya donated a number of custom cots to accommodate the children’s requirements at the Meth Seva Foundation; a Government registered non-profit home for mentally and physically handicapped children located in Handapanagala, Weherayaya.

SOS Children’s Village Monaragala carried out daily cleaning activities at an Elder’s Home in Pirisevana.

SOS Children’s Village Anuradhapura carried out daily cleaning activities at the Pediatric Ward at the Anuradhapura General Hospital.

SOS Children’s Village Jaffna invited principals and teachers from surrounding schools to their village and conducted an awareness programme to educate them about the work carried out by the Village.

SOS Children’s Villages have been in Sri Lanka for over 37 years with 6 Children’s Villages across the Island in Piliyandala, Galle, Nuwara-Eliya, Anuradhapura, Monaragala and Jaffna and has cared for many children without parental care and alleviated numerous poor families out of poverty throughout this period, the statement said.

(Photos below capture Nuwara Eliya, Piliyandala and Anuradhapura SOS Day celebrations)