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 Saar was completed in 1959. It is located near the French border in the city of Merzig at the Saar river and comprises ten family houses. About fifty children live at the SOS Children's Village Saar.
An ancillary educational community for children and youth offers short and medium term. The goal is the re-integration of the children into their natural families. During their stay at the educational community, the children receive support to cope with their problems, in school affairs and in their every day life. In 1999 an educational day care centre was established, offering lunch, support with homework and common spare time activities to up to eight children from seven to thirteen years. Another program of the SOS Children's Village Saar is a vocational qualification project called "young helps old" with fifteen training posts. Young, formerly jobless people can find a useful occupation in the field of house keeping and nursing, while the elderly patients receive support in their daily life. An old people's home for five seniors is included in this very special project. In the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village Saar a community meeting place was established, offering counselling to families in difficult situations.
