SOS has successfully gained the community’s trust due to their constant involvement and commitment to Somalia during the civil war. The SOS Children’s Village and the SOS Kindergarten in Somalia were officially opened in 1985, and was the last village to be opened by the late Dr. Herman Gmeiner, in the presence of the former president of Somalia, Mr. Siad Barre.

The village itself comprises 12 family houses as well as a youth home, a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary school. The village houses currently have 84 children in their care and 17 Youth living in the Youth Home. A large number of children have already have already been disengaged from the family houses and moved into the SOS youth facility, whilst some of the youth have already been well integrated into the community and are doing well. Some of the SOS Youth have gone on to pursue their secondary and tertiary education in Kenya and Ghana, where they have settled down well, and are enjoying the experience.

The SOS Mother and Child Clinic:
The SOS Mother and Child Clinic (MCC) is well renowned (and won presidential awards) for continuing its activities during critical periods (such as the war) when most other medical facilities (both local and international) had ceased to function as a result. Since its establishment as a mother and child clinic in 1985, the SOS medical facility in Mogadishu has been providing medical assistance to thousands of people, particularly during the war in 1990 to 1993, whereby it was the only functioning health facility in the Somali capital city. The Mother and Child Clinic (MCC) treats over 25,700 patients annually, with an average of 20 babies being born on a daily basis. The MCC accommodates 30 patients, and is well equipped to conduct surgical procedures such as caesarean sections, hysterectomies and fistula operations. The medical facilities are supported by a fully equipped blood bank, laboratory and pharmacy.

The emergency hospital was formerly an SOS primary school but was converted appropriately to deal with the casualties from the civil war that broke out in 1990. The European Commission is one of SOS’ strong partners as they support the hospital through annual subsidies, which are of great assistance with regards to sustaining hospital operations in particular the purchasing of medicines and materials. SOS also has a long-term on-going partnership with the Consolata Sisters, who support the medical operations in both the Emergency Paediatric unit and the Mother Child Clinic. There are currently four Consolata Church sisters based at the SOS medical facilities, who continue to show great enthusiasm in working with SOS projects.

The SOS Paediatric unit provides both in-patient and outpatient services, and is unique in the sense that it provides these services free of charge to the community, and has become the main point of reference for the most vulnerable population in the city, women and children in particular. SOS Somalia has formed various reputable partnerships with other International aid agencies, such as UNICEF that provides vaccinations and other medical materials for the Paediatric Unit.

SOS also runs two feeding programs for both malnourished children as well as TB infected children that are registered at the specialised clinic.

SOS Children's Villages Somalia and its Partners:
SOS has formed successful partnerships with the World Food Programme (WFP) as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Somalia and these assist in providing food for the patients and supporting the TB program respectively. There are currently 600 patients registered in the TB program and 600 patients registered in the malnourished child program, who are treated over one year period. The in-patient section of the hospital has the capacity of accommodating 120 individuals, and has a turnover of 250 out-patients on a daily basis.

SOS Children's Villages Somalia and Education:
SOS boasts a very reputable nursing school in Mogadishu. The current lack of professional nurses and the dilapidated health status of the country resulted in the strong welcoming of such a facility into the area. The SOS Herman Gmeiner Nursing School was opened in May 2002, and has proven to be highly successful in the given goals. The school is supported by funds generated by SOS Italy who continue to show great enthusiasm in the Somalia projects.

SOS Somalia has a strong focus on educational activities, and has a well established Primary and Secondary School in Mogadishu. The primary school currently accommodates 480 pupils, whilst the secondary school accommodates 64 students. The SOS Kindergarten has been up and running since 1985 and currently has 120 students in its care.

SOS Somalia has been warmly accepted by the Somali community, and continues to promote local sustainability in every possible aspect so as to continually improve the livelihoods of our children and their future environments.

Objectives:

• Renovation of SOS Children’s Villages Family Houses
• Continued development of SOS Nursing School in Mogadishu
• Draw up employment plans for SOS Youth
• Continue & strengthen further relationship with European Community to fund
• Emergency operations in Mogadishu