Child Sponsorship Background from Kisumu, Kenya

SOS Children's Village Kisumu

SOS Children's Village Kisumu, Kenya, was officially inaugurated on 6 April 2012 by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga amid songs, cheers and greetings from SOS children, mothers and co-workers alike.

PM Mr Odinga thanked SOS Children's Villages for handling the plight of vulnerable children, noting that since its inception in Kenya in 1973, it had grown in leaps and bounds: 'SOS is doing a great job', he said, 'and I am certain that all these projects will have a profound and useful impact on the lives of thousands of orphaned and underprivileged children.'

Kisumu is located on the shores of Lake Victoria. The village brings to five the number of SOS Children's Villages in Kenya. Others are Buru Buru in Nairobi, Mombasa, Meru and Eldoret. So far, the village comprises 15 houses, a medical center and a nursery. There are seven mothers and 70 children at the moment. When it will be full, there will be a total of 15 mothers and 150 children. An SOS Social Centre has been operating in the area since 2009 and offers family strengthening, health counselling, counselling and psychological support, community outreach, and care for people affected by HIV Aids.