SOS Children Village September 10, 1979

SOS Children’s village International is a non-denominational, non-political, social welfare organization dedicated to providing the best possible care to orphaned and abandoned children all over the world. The first SOS children’s village was established in 1949 at Imst in Austria by Dr. Harmann Gmeiner. His desire was to provide conditions as close as possible to the natural homes these children had been deprived of by providing ‘a mother, brothers and sisters’ and the security of a family life. This concept of child care proved so successful that now, thirty years later, there are no less than 135 SOS Children’s villages in over 60 countries of the world.
The pilot project of SOS Children’s village in Pakistan was inaugurated by the President of Pakistan in Lahore on January 2nd, 1978. It covers an area Of more than thirty thousand square yards. It comprises several buildings which include multipurpose community centre, an auditorium, administrative offices, canteen, village shop, a library and nursery classes and a residential area for the lady staff members. Recreational interests, indoor games and television sets have been provided for the amusement of the children. A well equipped medical care unit with a dispensary and two sick rooms has also been provided.
There are 15 houses in the SOS Children’s village Lahore; each house is an independent unit and accommodates 9 children with a house-mother. The children live in their own houses and the house mothers of the respective houses do the cooking and take care of their children. There are at present more than sixty children in the village from different parts of the country. The Population Planning Association of Pakistan and the Social Welfare Department, Government of Pakistan are helping the organization to find deserving children in need of a home.
This unique approach has proved so successful that more and more’ villages are being construct-ed in many parts of the world. The, management of SOS Children’s village, Pakistan is also planning to establish two more villages in Pakistan, one at Abbottabad and the other at Karachi in the near future so as to serve as a model for all orphanages.
To commemorate the first anniversary of the establishment of SOS Children’s village, Lahore and the thirtieth anniversary of SOS Children’s Villages International, Pakistan Post Office is issuing a stamp of the denomination of 50 paisa on the 10th September, 1979.