SOS relies on the kindness and generosity of Canadians to be able to provide a home for the most vulnerable children around the world.
By becoming a child sponsor you are helping an individual child in need.
(You will receive a Canadian charitable tax receipt)
Please help us ensure a loving home for every child in Burundi. Sponsor a child in Burundi now.
SOS Children's Villages in Gitega
Our organisation is increasingly focusing on strengthening families at risk of breaking apart; we believe the best place for children to grow up is in their own families whenever this is possible. Therefore, numerous initiatives are carried out through our social centre to help families in need become self-sufficient.
Examples of such initiatives in Gitega are the distribution of food, providing education for the children, offering support and counselling for HIV/AIDS affected families, and helping parents or carers to acquire skills that will enable them to work and support their families.
Up to 130 children find a loving and caring home in 13 SOS families, and the SOS Youth Programs provide young people from SOS families with a stable environment for their first steps towards independence.
Here, the young people can keep their ties with their SOS families while they finish vocational training or higher education. The acquisition of skills that can later help a young person to secure a job is an essential step towards self-sufficiency. Therefore individual development plans are carefully arranged for all the children and young people in the care of SOS Children’s Villages.
The majority of the children who are looked after in the SOS Kindergarten come from the surrounding community.
Here, pre-schoolers can enjoy a caring, early-learning environment while their parents can go to work knowing their children are safe and sound.
The SOS primary school provides access to education for more than 430 pupils. The large majority of the children benefitting from the school come from the surrounding community. Furthermore, SOS Children’s Villages runs a medical centre in Gitega, which treats more than 12,000 members of the community per year. Even more people are reached through different campaigns often related to how to prevent the spreading of HIV/AIDS.
A tremendous effort is needed to turn the tide for children in need
Though the government is currently undertaking initiatives to improve the situation of children, the need far exceeds the resources available in the region. Gitega Province is one of the most populated in Burundi, and it has a very high number of children without anyone to care for them or at risk of losing the care of their family.
Considering the high fertility rate and the high number of adults suffering from HIV/AIDS, the coming years will require even more support and local initiatives to secure a safe existence for a growing number of vulnerable children. Together with local authorities and other partners, SOS Children’s Villages is working with determination to bring lasting positive changes to this region.
Our Impact
Image
The SOS Kindergarten in Burundi are a fundamental building block for the early development needs including, intellectual and social skills for children. |
1 KINDERGARTENS | 91 Kindergarten students |
Image
SOS Medical Centres in Burundi provide quality health care to the children in our care, our staff, our staffís family as well as people in the surrounding community. |
1 MEDICAL CENTRES | 18399 Patients |
Image
SOS Social Centres in Burundi 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. |
2 SOCIAL CENTRES | 999 Beneficiaries |
Image
The SOS Children's Village in Burundi provides loving homes to orphaned and abandoned children |
1 VILLAGES | 128 Orphaned and Abandoned Children |
Image
The SOS Youth Facilities in Burundi provides youth with a loving environment where they learn to transition into independent living and to expand their education |
2 YOUTH FACILITIES | 155 Youths in our Care |
Our Impact