Child Sponsorship Background from San Miguel, El Salvador

San Miguel is the third most important and populated city in El Salvador with a population of around 220,000.  It is located 138km from the capital, San Salvador and is also the capital of the department of the same name and a municipality.  The city is an important centre for the coffee, textile, and chemical industry of El Salvador. The Volcano Chaparrastique of San Miguel (2,129 meters) is nearby.

Every last Saturday of November, the city celebrates 'de Carnaval De San Miguel' in honour to "Nuestra Señora De La Paz".  It is the biggest festival of music and food in the eastern region of El Salvador.  During the war, the mini carnavals or "carnavalitos" were the main entertainment of the people.

San Miguel is famous for its night life along the Calle Roosevelt, which is the main street running through the city and dividing it into two sides. One of those sides, includes historical places like the Catedral de San Miguel, Parque Guzman, Alcaldia Municipal and Palacio Municipal. On the other side is the modern San Miguel, with new communities called "colonias".

SOS Children's Village San Miguel was officially opened in 1996.  SOS Children's Village San Miguel is situated in a residential area near the city centre and the train station. It consists of 15 family houses, the village director's house, a library and an administration area. The extensive green areas and the orchard offer much space for the children to move about freely. The infrastructure around SOS Children's Village San Miguel is well developed: schools and shops are within easy reach.

There is also an SOS Youth Home where young people live together, preparing for their future independence. Furthermore, the SOS Children's Village runs an SOS Social Centre with a day-care centre where up to 200 children are looked after while their parents are working. This represents a big help for single mothers of the neighbourhood. Since 2005, the SOS Social Centre has been supporting local families to develop different measures of family strengthening, for example to organize childminding programmes.