Child sponsorship background from Retalhuleu, Guatemala

SOS Children's Village Retalhuleu

SOS Children's Village Retalhuleu is situated near the Pacific coast at a distance of 180 km west of the capital of Guatemala City.  The site of the SOS Children's Village is at a distance of 2.5 km from the city centre of the province's capital of Retalhuleu.  The region of south-western Guatemala is very poor; many parents are not able to take care of their children because of the difficult social situation.  That is why the city government donated a piece of land in order to facilitate the construction of an SOS Children's Village.  The official opening took place in 1983.

SOS Children's Village Retalhuleu consists of a number of family houses, the village director's house, an aunts' (family helpers') house, a multi-purpose hall and an administration and service area. In their free time, children like to play on the basketball and football fields, which are also a great place to meet their friends from the local community.  The SOS Children's Village has its own bus, which is mainly used to drive the children to school.

Other SOS Projects in Retalhuleu

The children attend nursery schools, primary and secondary schools in the town of Retalhuleu.  The SOS Youth Home opened its doors in 1992.  Here, youngsters gradually prepare for later independent living while they continue their education or training.

Background to Retalhuleu

The city of Retalhuleu is in south-western Guatemala. It is the departmental seat of Retalhuleu department as well as the municipal seat of Retalhuleu municipality.  The city stands at about 240 metres above sea level.  In 2003 the city had a population of about 40,000 people and locally it is nicknamed "Reu."