For children from the region who are no longer able to live with their parents, 15 SOS families can provide a loving home for up to 150 children. In each family, the children live with their brothers and sisters, affectionately cared for by their SOS mother.
Together with children from the community, they attend the SOS Kindergarten here in Hawassa. This way, children from SOS families are integrated into the community from a young age. The children then continue their education at the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, which offers primary and secondary school education to around 960 students. In addition, the children also have the opportunity to obtain an IGCSE, which is an internationally recognised qualification for school students.
When young people from the children’s village reach an age where they feel ready to move out of the family home, the SOS Youth Programme makes shared accommodation available to them while they complete their education or vocational training. With the support of qualified counsellors, the young people learn to take responsibility, plan for their future and prepare for independent adult life.
The SOS Vocational Training Centre here in Hawassa offers young people, including those with special needs, from all around Ethiopia the chance to complete training in dairy, poultry and livestock farming and fruit and vegetable cultivation.