SOS Children's Villages has been present in Italy since 1956, when an SOS Holiday Camp was built in the north of the country. Shortly after, the organisation started working with local children and their families in the town of Trento, in the north of Italy. At present SOS Children's Villages supports children, young people and families in seven places in Italy.
On a site which was offered by the municipality of Vicenza to the SOS Children's Village, four family houses and two youth homes were constructed. Each house has a covered-in play area, and the children can also enjoy the large playing fields which can be used by all the children in the SOS-Children's Village. Additional buildings are the Village Director's home, an administrative office, a guesthouse and a day-care centre for children from 3 to 10 years, who are looked after by educational staff.
A kindergarten, the primary school and secondary schools are within easy reach from the SOS Children's Village and therefore, the children are well integrated into their neighbourhood. The local hospital is also near the SOS Children's Village.
Included in the SOS-Children's Village's welfare programme is a youth care centre for former SOS-youth, a centre for physically and mentally handicapped youth, who cannot expect assistance from their own relatives and a counselling centre for pregnant women and single mothers.
