Love, care, and hope: The SOS village way

Tucked away in the quiet outskirts of Colombo lies a community unlike any other; this is SOS village in Piliyandala thriving on the philosophy of family style living.

- By Zanita Careem

Each child grows up in a cosy home with an SOS mother, a caring figure who provides warmth, discipline and unconditional love. This is Sri Lanka's first SOS village and for hundreds of children, the place they call home.

For the children here, siblings are not bound by blood but by shared meals, shared laughter and shared dreams.

When we walked through this SOS village recently, we saw love was the language spoken in every home. It is neither charity nor sympathy; it is dignity, care and opportunity wrapped in the warmth of shared homes that stimulate independent living. Here, they manage their own budgets, cook their meals and prepare for university or careers with guidance with SOS members.

Founded in 1981, on the vision of Austrian philanthropist Hermann Gmeiner, the village was designed to recreate family life for children who had lost parental care to find a new beginning in small family style houses.

The day begins with breakfast, school bags on shoulders. Walking through the village, we saw school shoes lined neatly on verandas, gardens tended by small hands, and a sense of warmth more often associated with a family home associated with a family home than an institution. Many children attend the Hermann Gmeiner School, a bustling institution of thousand students. The kindergarten fills morning with songs and laughter while older youth get training at the Vocational Centre in trades that pave the way for their independence.

Evenings are for games in the court yards; buildings are decorated rooms and stories before bedtime. It's a rhythm of life designed to give every child the chance to simply be a child.

SOS children's village Piliyandala is not just where children live. It is the home they love. When children mature, they step into youth facilities and shared homes that prepare them for responsibilities of adult life.