Child Sponsorship Background from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

SOS Children's Village Kinshasa

Footballer Vincent Kompany playing with children from SOS Children's Village Kinshasa

The challenge of an increasing number of abandoned children living in the streets of Kinshasa motivated the organisation to expand activities in the country's capital city. As a consequence, the country's third SOS Children's Village opened its gates in summer 2011 in the suburbs of Kinshasa, aimed at dealing with the recurring difficulties of the city: children's distress resulting from poverty, unemployment, disease and hunger.

SOS Children's Village Kinshasa is situated on the outskirts of the city of the same name. The village has been built on a site of about five hectares of land and includes fifteen family houses, the village director's house, administration buildings and a house for the SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers who support the SOS mothers). The SOS Children's Village can accommodate up to 150 children.

Other SOS Projects in Kinshasa

The SOS Nursery and the SOS School are open to both the children from the SOS Children's Village and the children of the neighbourhood. The SOS Nursery consists of three classrooms for up to 75 children. The SOS School (primary school) consists of six classrooms, as well as an administration office, a half-covered veranda, a library and a canteen.  At this school, up to 210 children can be taught.

An SOS Social and an SOS Medical Centre was built on the compound of the village with the goal of providing the people in the neighbourhood with medical care, informing them about local preventive measures, providing troubled families with social and material assistance and offering counselling on topics of education for children and career guidance for parents. Created with the aim in mind of strengthening families against poverty, this programme is run in co-operation with the local authorities.