SOS Children's Villages started working in Germany in the mid-1950s, after the foundation of "SOS-Kinderdorf e.V." in Munich. The SOS Children's Villages concept aroused great interest in Germany; the number of members and friends rapidly increased, and in subsequent years our organisation was able to expand its support to reach children, young people and families in nearly 40 locations around the country.
The SOS Children's Village Pfalz was established in 1959 and consists of fourteen family houses, where about 60 children are living. It is situated in a plain, only a few kilometres from the Rhine river and close to the cities of Kaiserslautern and Mannheim. The SOS Children's Village Pfalz offers a kindergarten with 25 places for children from two to seven years to the neighbouring families. An educational community for eight children in problematic family situations is also enclosed to the SOS Children's Village Pfalz. The children receive care six days a week for a maximum duration of two years. During these two years, the educators aim at stabilizing the situation and re-integrating the children into their natural family.
In addition to this program, a family counselling centre was opened in the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village Pfalz, offering the assistance of psychologists and educators to children, youth and parents in difficult situations. Moreover, a close cooperation with local schools and kindergartens was established. A youth community for young people who can not live in their natural families for a variety of reasons completes the program of the SOS Children's Village Pfalz.
