The first SOS Children’s Village was built in Buru Buru, on the outskirts of Nairobi, in 1973. The Village comprises of 16 family houses, a kindergarten and attached youth homesAdditional Children’s Villages were built in Mombasa in 1978, and Eldoret in 1988. The three Villages provide permanent homes for 700 Children and Youth.

In addition to the three Children’s Villages, SOS also operates three Kindergartens, two Primary Schools, a Vocational Training Centre, and a number of youth facilities. Plans are now underway to build a fourth Children’s Village in Meru, Kenya. A pilot project, which entails the establishment of the first SOS Community Health and Social Centre of its kind in East Africa, is planned to be operational in August 2003. The Centre will, amongst others, address HIV/AIDS issues and serve as a VCT Centre, providing anti-retroviral treatment and counselling services to HIV+ persons. It will also provide basic services and rehabilitation programs for children in need of special protection particularly street children drawn primarily from the Buru Buru catchment area.

Roles and Objectives:

• Working with the Village Directors and the Project Heads, review the status of the 10 standards to determine the extent of compliance as spelt out in the GSC SOS Children’s Villages Manual by December 2003.

• Develop an Implementation Action Plan with clear objectives, activities and costs by 2003 and get the Board approval to implement within 3 – 5 years as stipulated in the timeframe given by the GSC (with the support of the Regional Office).

• Sensitise staff and Board of Trustees on the main principles underlying the Manual by April 2003.