SOS Children’s Village Harrar is located in Eastern Ethiopia, one of the driest regions of the country. Our organisation is offering a package of services to the population in need. This includes family-based care for children who have lost parental care, a kindergarten, a school, vocational training and an SOS Youth Programme.
In 2012 SOS Children’s Village Harrar launched its first family strengthening programme. This programme organised in collaboration with local agencies, is intended to support families at risk of abandoning their children and to encourage families to stay together. We offer health counselling, community support and psychological support. The activities are designed to ensure that children have access to essential services, such as education, health services and psycho-social support. Families are assisted with income generation and also receive help when dealing with the authorities.
The SOS Children’s Village currently comprises 15 SOS families where up to 150 children can be cared for in a loving home by SOS mothers. The SOS Kindergarten has a total capacity of up to 200 children. Vulnerable children from Harrar and surrounding areas are being taken care of by our professional staff. The high illiteracy rate in the country makes the work of the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School particularly pertinent, up to 960 children receive primary and secondary schooling here.
At the SOS Youth Programme, up to 118 young people live in two youth houses. They are given the opportunity to live semi-independently while they attend vocational training or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth counsellors, the young people develop perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions.