Child sponsorship background from Santa Tecla, El Salvador

Santa Tecla is a municipality in the La Libertad department of El Salvador and is situated at the southern foot of the San Salvador Volcano, and very close to San Salvador which is 14.5 km away, the capital city.  Santa Tecla was founded as "Nueva San Salvador" in 1854 after the capital city was destroyed by an earthquake.  In 2003, it was renamed to "Santa Tecla," which was the historical name of the region prior to the founding of the city.  The city has developed through local success of coffee.

SOS Children's Village Santa Tecla was erected on a former coffee plantation of 2 hectares which had partly been preserved in its original condition.  Surrounded by many different sorts of trees, the SOS Children's Village enjoys a cool and refreshing climate.  It is situated in a suburb of Santa Tecla, at about 2 kilometres from the centre, which can be reached by bus.

SOS Children's Village Santa Tecla consists of 14 family houses, a village director's house, an SOS Youth Facility as well as an administration and service area.  It offers a new home for up to 126 children who lost their parents or cannot stay with them for different reasons.

The SOS Youth Facility comprises a varying number of youth communities depending on how many are needed.  There is also a playground where children can play and move about freely. The children from the SOS Children's Village attend public schools and nursery schools in the vicinity, which is very helpful for their early integration into society.  Orchards and vegetable gardens have been laid out in order to provide the SOS Children's Village with fresh fruit and produce.