The first SOS Children’s Village was founded in Tyrol, Austria, in 1949.

The SOS Children’s Villages initiative was established in response to the plight of children orphaned by the Second World War, with the mission of providing them with loving families and supportive communities.
Guided by the vision of offering family-based, nurturing care for children without parental support and helping families stay together to protect their children, this mission has continued to grow steadily for more than seventy years — thanks to the generous contributions of donors, child sponsors, partners, and friends.

Today, SOS Children’s Villages is active in 138 countries and territories around the world, helping hundreds of thousands of children each year through alternative care, family strengthening, schools, health centres, and other community-based work.