KOCHI: Life often tests us with umpteen challenges. Though we face them with grit and gumption, at times, the support from the dear ones matters the most. But many who went into the abyss of life since childhood cannot count on that luxury. SOS Children’s Village (SOSCV) at Edathala in Aluva, has brought hope to many such souls.
SOS Children's villages- the brainchild of Austrian philanthropist Hermann Gmeiner – spread across 135 countries – has managed to develop the idea of a family among orphaned children.
“We started our mission in Aluva in 1990 offering family care and support to the orphans. SOSCV has selected widows without children and spinsters to look after the kids. Currently, we have 15 families in Aluva centre. Each family has eight children nurtured by a mother. So far, around 250 kids from our centre are in various professions and ranks,” said C Sreekumar, village director.
The Aluva SOS Children’s Village celebrated the birth anniversary of its founder on last Sunday by launching an impact study ‘Tracking Footprints,’ to assess its children’s success so far. Other than the kids of the villages, SOSCV supports 1,500 kids who are being managed by widows across the state. “With the support of various sponsors, many of our kids achieved excellence in higher education. Once they attain self-sufficiency, we encourage them to find their biological roots. In fact, many of 152 individuals who got married took the decision with the support of close relatives,” he said.
However, SOSCV is facing acute shortage of ‘mothers’ to look after the kids in the state. “Though we select kids suggested by the district child welfare committees, the lack of available mothers proved to be a major issue. We have given full support to them and they enjoy the freedom to relieve themselves from the duty at any point of time. Till date, all our mothers have completed around 30 years of service and retired at the age of 60,” said Sreekumar.
Apart from Aluva, SOSCV has another centre at Mulayam, Thrissur with 17 families in total. By 2030, the movement is planning to reach out to more children across the state with self-employment schemes.