SOS Children's Villages UK
{{Short description|International children's charity}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = SOS Children's Villages UK
| logo = File:Logo of SOS Children's Villages UK.jpg
| type = Charity
| founded_date = {{Start date|1963}} in Lavender Hill, London, United Kingdom
| area_served = Worldwide
| registration_id = 1069204
| coordinates =
| origins =
| product =
| focus = Alternative care for children who cannot live with their birth parents
| headquarters = Cambridge, England
| method =
| revenue =
| endowment =
| num_volunteers =
| num_employees = 27
| num_members =
| leader_title = CEO
| leader_name = Alison Wallace
| former name =
| homepage =
| dissolved =
| website = https://soschildrensvillages.org.uk
| footnotes =
}}
SOS Children's Villages UK{{Cite web |title=SOS Children's Villages UK - Charity 1069204 |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3938862/contact-information |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Charity Commission for England and Wales |language=en-GB}} is an the UK chapter of SOS Children's Villages – the largest international charity dedicated to aiding children who have lost parental care. The charity is non-denominational and works in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Internationally, SOS Children's Villages works in 136 countries and territories,{{Cite web|url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work|title=SOS Children's Villages UK: Where we work|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}} providing services in 125 of those nations. Its goal is to ensure that no child grows up alone.{{Cite web|title=Homepage|url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=SOS Children's Villages|language=en-GB}} International programs and campaigns include children's villages, family strengthening programs, youth employability and vocational training, and child protective services.
Since 1995, SOS Children's Villages has worked with the United Nations to help governments and organizations support children who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care. In 2009, the charity worked with other experts to develop the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/what-we-do/child-care/quality-in-care/advocating-quality-care/unguidelinesonthealternativecareofchildren |title=UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children |access-date=19 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707210559/http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/what-we-do/child-care/quality-in-care/advocating-quality-care/unguidelinesonthealternativecareofchildren |archive-date=7 July 2014 |url-status=dead }}
In 1969, chairman of SOS Children's Villages UK, Dickson Mabon attempted to arrange the construction of Children's Villages in Scotland. However, he was refused permission to build the Villages on planning grounds by the local authorities concerned.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1585087/J-Dickson-Mabon.html?pageNum=2|title=J Dickson Mabon|date=2008-04-13|access-date=2019-06-05|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}
Supporters and Ambassadors
SOS Children's Villages partners with significant persons to advocate and boost their message. Some of those public figures include Stephen Hawking, Alexander McCall Smith, Anyika Onuora, Richard Attenborough, Kate Humble and Wayne Rooney, per their website.{{Cite web |url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/inspiration-type/ambassadors/ |title=Our Ambassadors |access-date=5 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106011300/https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/inspiration-type/ambassadors/ |archive-date=6 January 2017 |url-status=dead }} Additionally, Belgian footballer Vincent Kompany. has advocated for the international efforts of SOS Children's Villages,[https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/get-inspired-article/out-on-a-limb/ Vincent Kompany joins SOS Children as International Ambassador] and Angelina Jolie is a long-term supporter and has visited SOS Children's Villages in Haiti, Ethiopia and Jordan.{{Citation |last=AngelinaJolieUNHCR |title=Angelina Jolie Visited Haiti SOS Children's Villages 2010 |date=2010-02-11 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOhgbLfZZx4 |access-date=2019-06-05 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/WOhgbLfZZx4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} Nelson Mandela was a supporter of SOS Children's Villages work in South Africa and officially opened the SOS Children's Village in Cape Town.[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/villages/cape-town/cape-town-village SOS Children's Village Cape Town] Upon his death in December 2013, SOS Children's Villages joined in memorials to celebrate his life. Finally, The Dalai Lama supports SOS Children, particularly the SOS Children's Villages in North India, which provide a home for child refugees from Tibet.
Trustees
The current Board of Trustees of SOS Children's Villages includes Harpinder Collacott (Chair), Graham Budd, Matthew de Villiers, Nicola Robert, Ian Briggs, Susie Hargreaves and Solava Ibrahim.{{Cite web|title=Who we are|url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/how-we-help/who-we-are/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=SOS Children's Villages|language=en-GB}} The President of SOS Children's Villages is Dame Mary Richardson.{{Cite web|url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/about-us/sos-in-the-uk/ceo-and-trustees|title=SOS Children's Villages: CEO & Trustees|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}} Previous Trustees have included George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews.
Campaigns and Programs
= International Programs =
SOS Children's Villages hosts over 550 SOS village communities around the world for children who have nobody to care for them. The children's villages have dedicated SOS parents who give the children the individual care and attention they need and SOS siblings to grow up with.{{Cite web |title=Support for children and young people |url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/how-we-help/support-for-children/ |access-date=2021-03-30 |website=SOS Children's Villages |language=en-GB}}
SOS Children's Villages works directly with families to provide practical and emotional support to help parents and caregivers look after their children, preventing children from growing up alone.{{Cite web |title=Support for families |url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/how-we-help/support-for-families/ |access-date=2021-03-30 |website=SOS Children's Villages |language=en-GB}} SOS Children's Villages also hosts youth employability and vocational training programs around the world, tailored to the country they are in to provide young people with the skills and confidence to build fulfilling careers and independent lives.{{Cite web |title=Support for children and young people |url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/how-we-help/support-for-children/ |access-date=2021-03-30 |website=SOS Children's Villages |language=en-GB}}
In conflict zones and disaster-hit areas, SOS Children's Villages provides children with specific protection and care utilizing their global infrastructure and resources.{{Cite web |title=Support in emergencies |url=https://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/how-we-help/support-in-emergencies/ |access-date=2021-03-30 |website=SOS Children's Villages |language=en-GB}}
= Wikipedia for Schools (WFS) =
SOS Children's Villages UK developed and launched Wikipedia for Schools (WFS) in 2006. WFS is a curated selection of approximately 10,000 Wikipedia articles designed for offline use in primary and secondary classrooms. WFS saw multiple updated versions with SOS Children's Villages UK until 2013.{{Cite journal |last=Al-Khmisy |first=Rashad |last2=Hosman |first2=Laura |last3=Nova |first3=Rachel |date=2023-11-10 |title=Curating an Offline Wikipedia for Schools in any Language: A Road Map |url=https://online-journals.org/index.php/i-jet/article/view/44313/14145 |journal=International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET) |language=en |volume=18 |issue=21 |pages=129–148 |doi=10.3991/ijet.v18i21.44313 |issn=1863-0383|doi-access=free }}{{Cite web |title=Wikipedia for Schools — SOS Schools |url=https://samplecontents.library.ph/wikipedia/wp/w/Wikipedia_For_Schools.htm |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=samplecontents.library.ph}} Then, in 2020, SolarSPELL, a global education initiative based at Arizona State University, took on the role of maintaining and updating Wikipedia for Schools. Kiwix, a nonprofit organization that hosts websites for offline use, now houses WFS freely available to download worldwide.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize recipients}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Development charities based in the United Kingdom
Category:Charities based in Cambridgeshire
Category:Children's charities based in the United Kingdom