Continuing to provide loving homes and family-based care for children who have lost parental care, SOS Children’s Villages is set to inaugurate its third children’s village in in Les Cayes (South). The opening ceremony is set for 10 January 2015.

"The completion of this new Village underscores our organisation’s long-term commitment to the social development of Haiti, five years after the devastating earthquake. Most importantly, it illustrates the core value of SOS Children's Villages: an unwavering commitment to providing vulnerable children with a loving home," declared SOS Children’s Villages International COO Hanne Rasmussen. "We’re very grateful to the many donors and partners, including the government of Haiti, who have helped us make this Children’s Village a reality."

The SOS Children's Village Les Cayes was made possible thanks to funds from a variety of donors, as well as the support of SOS Children’s Villages member associations in Sweden, Germany, Norway, France, Austria, the USA, Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The ongoing SOS Children's Villages Emergency Programme for Haiti, launched after the 2010 earthquake, includes a series of construction, reconstruction and renovation projects. With the help of its donors and partners, SOS Children's Villages has also made significant investments in Haiti's educational system, with the construction or renovation of eight schools. In addition, SOS Children's Villages supports community centres, family strengthening programmes, vocational training centres and its three Children's Villages in Santo/Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien and Les Cayes.

SOS Children’s Village Les Cayes, the newest, will comprise private family homes for 14 SOS families and one house for the 13 SOS ‘aunts’, who help the SOS mothers look after the children. The village is planned to support up to 135 children.

"Children's Village Les Cayes will be staffed by social workers, two family facilitators, one child development assistant, an administrative secretary, and Village Director Volny Etienne.

An office for administration and a house for overnight visitors to the village are also on site. With almost 26,000 m2 in land, the SOS Children’s Village Les Cayes includes ample play, recreation and communal areas for its 14 families.

HL/ HaitiLibre