Child Sponsorship Background, from Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

SOS Children's Village Anuradhapura

Conflicts in the northern part of the island have left many children orphaned and destitute. In order to help these children, SOS Children decided to establish an SOS Children's Village just outside the city.  This SOS Children's Village, which is located at Dahaiyagama, approximately 2 km from Anuradhapura, consists of 14 family houses and the usual additional buildings. The first families moved in in December 1994.

Other SOS Projects in Anuradhapura

In the following year, the second phase of construction started: an SOS Social Centre and an SOS Nursery School were built. The SOS Social Centre runs a mothers' club and provides medical care as well as classes in home economics and crafts. It coordinates the local family strengthening programmes. The nursery school has four group rooms, where up to 110 children both from the SOS Children's Village and from its neighbourhood can be looked after.

There is also an SOS Youth Home and an SOS Vocational Training Centre, which offers computer courses and technical training (motor mechanics and welding). Older boys from the SOS Children's Village normally move to the SOS Youth Home when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education in order to learn to shoulder responsibility and to start making their own decisions.

Background to Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura  is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization, which some records date the city back to the fifth century BC. The city, with a population of over 55,000, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malvathu Oya.