SOS Children's Villages has been present in Italy since 1956, when an SOS Holiday Camp was built in the north of the country. Shortly after, the organisation started working with local children and their families in the town of Trento, in the north of Italy. At present SOS Children's Villages supports children, young people and families in seven places in Italy.
At present there are six SOS Children's Villages in Italy, six SOS Youth Facilities, one SOS Kindergarten, four SOS Social Centres and the international SOS Holiday Camp Caldonazzo.
For just $36/month you can sponsor a child and help provide an orphaned or abandoned child with:
- A safe and nurturing home
- A loving SOS mother
- Quality education
- Healthcare
- Nutritious food
- Clothing and toys
- All the things necessary for a bright future
SOS Children's Villages in Italy
SOS Children's Villages has responded to the needs of children and families in Italy for over fifty years, adapting its work in order to support children at risk. For example, as a result of the increase in number of refugees arriving in the country, the social centre in Mantua provided accommodation to children who had fled their home country and arrived in Italy without their parents.
There are six social centres in Italy, all of which work with the local communities and agencies to support children and their families so that the children can grow up within a caring family environment. Children whose parents cannot take care of them will find a loving home in one of the SOS families. SOS Children's Villages also provides semi-independent housing programmes for youths and helps them integrate into the labour market.
A changing population
Italy borders Austria and Switzerland in the north, Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in the south, the Tyrrhenian, Ligurian and Mediterranean seas in the south, and France in the northwest.
There are 61 million (2011 est.) people living in Italy, and the capital city of Rome is home to 3.4 million people. The past three decades have seen a change in the demographic composition of the country. Like many of its southern neighbours, Italy has gone from being a country of emigration to becoming a country of immigration. In the 1980s, and partly because of its long coastline and its proximity to areas of political and social conflicts, Italy became a net receiver of immigrants. Many have no official documentation and work in low-skilled, badly paid jobs in agriculture or construction.
Since 1945, Italy's political life has been characterised by variety - the country has had several dozen governments since 1945. Italy was a founding member of the European Union and was one of the first countries to adopt the euro, which became the official currency in January 2002.
Geographical disparity in standards of living
In spite of the political changes, Italy is one of the largest European economies - it has one of the highest per capita incomes, and Italians enjoy a good standard of living. There are, however, a number of persistent problems: corruption, a big underground economy (some estimate it to be up to 15 per cent of the GDP) and organised crime remain issues to be addressed. In addition, there is significant disparity in the standard and cost of living between the wealthy, developed north and the agricultural, poorer south of the country.
Italy was one of the first countries in the Eurozone to notice the effects of the global economic crisis of 2008-2009. The unemployment rate increased from 6.2 per cent in 2007, to 8.4 per cent in 2010. There is a high public debt: it was 115 per cent of the gross domestic product in 2009 and is projected to grow to over 120 per cent in 2011.
About 13 per cent of the population is estimated to be living in poverty. Poverty mostly affects elderly people (especially those living on a pension), but there is an increase in the number of working poor - this refers to those with fewer qualifications, who earn very little money in unsafe jobs. While the state provides health care, education, housing and access to clean water, the extended family still plays an important role in supporting those members who need it.
Many children need protection
There are just over ten million children under the age of 18 living in Italy.
In comparison with other OECD countries, Italian children suffer from a greater level of inequality in terms of health, education and material well-being. Italy also has one of the highest levels of child income inequality. It has introduced a number of targeted policies to reduce child poverty which have been effective in reducing child poverty by up to seven per cent. However, the percentage of children living below the poverty line is estimated to still be as high as 19 per cent.
Children can be seen working in Italy - this is more widespread in southern parts of the country where the poverty of the households means families rely on children to increase their income. Children mainly work in family-run businesses and in sectors such as restaurants, crafts and construction industry. They do not always drop out of school, but there is a higher incidence of children having to repeat years due to poor performance.
Young people find it hard to enter the job market once they have finished their education. Many can only find temporary, low-paid jobs. Young people from the urban areas of the south find it particularly hard to find a job, resulting in them moving to the northern regions in search of work.
Our Impact
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The SOS Children's Village in Italy provides loving homes to orphaned and abandoned children |
7 VILLAGES | 204 Orphaned and Abandoned Children |
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The SOS Youth Facilities in Italy provides youth with a loving environment where they learn to transition into independent living and to expand their education |
7 YOUTH FACILITIES | 67 Youths in our Care |
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The SOS Kindergarten in Italy are a fundamental building block for the early development needs including, intellectual and social skills for children. |
3 KINDERGARTENS | 34 Kindergarten students |
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SOS Social Centres in Italy aim is to help families, in particular women and children, living in communities neighbouring the SOS Children's Villages to gradually escape from poverty, and to help young people become self-reliant. |
8 SOCIAL CENTRES | 165 Beneficiaries |
Our Impact