Child Sponsorship Background from Tegucigalpa, Honduras

SOS Children's Village Tegucigalpa

SOS Children's Village Tegucigalpa was the first SOS Children's Village in Honduras. It went into operation in 1970 and existed for about 25 years in Tegucigalpa's Colonia Kennedy. Then it was closed down because it did not correspond to the SOS Children's Village standards any more.

A new SOS Children's Village was erected in Colonia Las Hadas in Comayaguela in the southern part of Tegucigalpa, at a distance of approximately 1 km from the airport of Toncontín.

SOS Children's Village Tegucigalpa consists of 15 family houses, the village director's house, staff accommodation, a library, a multipurpose hall, a playground and an administration and service area. In the middle of the building site, a recreational area serves as a meeting point for mothers and children. Because of the lack of water in Tegucigalpa, the SOS Children's Village has its own well. The infrastructure of the SOS Children's Village is good; there are banks, pharmacies, hospitals and shops within easy reach.

Other SOS Projects in Tegucigalpa

The children attend primary and secondary schools in the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village. At a certain age, young people move to the SOS Youth Home in order to prepare for independent life. There are several rented flats in the city of Tegucigalpa, where youths live together under the care of a youth supervisor.

Background to Tegucigalpa

Tegucigalpa (Teguz for short) is the capital city of Honduras, founded in 1578, and was a mining centre for gold and silver. It is also the country's largest city with a population of approx 1.25 million people. Most are predominantly Spanish-speaking mestizos with a very small white Hispanic minority. They are joined by Arab immigrants from Palestine, and smaller cohorts from China. There are indigenous (Amerindians) and Afro-Honduran people as well.  It is a common belief among Tegucigalpans that the name of their city comes from the Maya-Nahuatl "Taguz Galpan" which would mean Silver Mountain (Cerro de Plata).