SOS Children's Villages has been present in Spain since the late 1960s and currently works with families and children in eight locations on mainland Spain and in the Canary Islands. In 1981, SOS Children's Villages Spain was founded and since then has been responsible for the organisation's work in the country. SOS Children's Villages runs a variety of programmes in order to meet the needs of children, young people and families in the local communities.
The SOS Children's Village Zaragoza was erected in 1993 and in the very same year, the first SOS families moved to their new homes. It is situated in the village of Villamayor, about 10 km north of the capital city of the province of Aragón, Zaragoza. Villamayor, a small rural town with a medieval church, is surrounded by a vast semiarid plain called "Monegros" which is known for its unique ecosystem. Although Villamayor is just a small town, it disposes of good infrastructure, the next airport being located not far away. The famous skiing resorts and natural parks of the Pyrenees can be reached in a two hours drive by car.
The SOS Children's Village Zaragoza was built on a site measuring 8745 sq. m right in the fertile plain between the rivers Ebro and Gallego and consists of six family houses. An SOS Youth House where the adolescents of the SOS Children's Village are living during their higher educational or vocational training in order to be prepared step by step to live an independent life outside the SOS Children's Village, is also part of the facility. The children attend the local public school and there is a technical school, too. Next to the SOS Children's Village there are sports facilities and a swimming-bath.
