It was a quiet morning in San Jose, capital of Costa Rica. The city was slowly gaining pace with the typical laziness of a Monday. It was just past 7 am on May 19, 2008 when I got to on the bike and I headed to the SOS Children's Village in Santa Ana, about 20 miles away. This time the arrival was quieter than in the past. Most of the kids were in school and to the naked eye the place gave me the impression that I was wrong about the timing of the event. It was not the case. It was intentionally stipulated that I get up there earlier than the children to meet the media without problems, as per regulations of the National Children's Department, in Costa Rica one is not allowed to take pictures of children and young people under 18 years which can disclose their identity. So we had to take advantage to do all the interviews before the curiosity and anxiety of the kids would prevent the journalists who had been present to do their job.

The reception from the local and national press was overwhelming: newspapers, television newscasts and radio programs came to cover my visit to the Village generating a display worthy of a press conference from a political campaign or a show business celebrity. Along with Lenn Arce, Director of the Village, and Fanny Elizondo, a fundraising adviser from the NationalBureau of Costa Rica, we addressedthe concerns of the reporters that even during the course of my stay in San Jose continued to give publicity to pass through the city.

In the afternoon the children started to arrive and they were intrigued to see Maira with its luggage roaming around, as well as the SOS mothers and family assistants, who wanted to know a bit more about this trip in which I was embarked . After a little chat exchanging experiences of the trip, I spent the rest of the day with the kids and visiting each family in their homes.


A recent SOS Village and growing

The SOS Children's Village in Santa Ana is the fourth of Costa Rica and is located one kilometer away from the small village of Santa Ana, on the outskirts of San Jose. Large international companies have their offices in this region, which has benefited the local population due to the economic expansion and job creation. Nevertheless, the increasing number of unprotected children in the country has generated the need to have children hosted in a family-type environment.

The current headquarters of the SOS Children's Village in SantaAna was built in 1996 with the aim of transitionally receiving in boys and girls at risk, under the name SOS Santa Ana Home. The children were placed there while carrying out the process that determined their legal status and until it was determined what would be their final location, with the aim to separate children from their social risk. 

Thus, under this form of transient care, since its opening the SOS Home took over the care and protection from an annual average of 51 children, whose ages were from birth to twelve years.

Since then it has a capacity for 48 boys and girls, with 6 houses, 6 SOS mothers responsible for the families and 3 rotating SOS aunts. The technical team is composed of a psychologist, a social worker, an administrative secretary and a director.   

However, in 2006 began efforts to change the SOS Home Santa Ana form a temporary shelter to permanent a measure of protection, giving it the characteristics of an SOS Children's Village. In this spirit of giving a mother and a family to children who need it, is that it was determined to expand the physical facilities of the Santa Ana Home with the ultimate intention of consolidating the transition of the Home to SOS Children's Village Santa Ana. Currently there is a program in place to build four more houses and the expansion of the existing ones, for a total of 10 family houses, which will host 90 children and adolescents.


SOS Children's Villages in Costa Rica

The concept of the SOS Children's Villages was introduced in Costa Rica in 1972 on the initiative of an Austrian, Roderich Thun and his wife, Manuela, granddaughter of former Costa Rican president Rafael Iglesias, who had met Hermann Gmeiner in Austria. The first SOS Children's Village in Costa Rica was built in 1975 in Tres Rios, a village located near the capital.

In July 1996 a hurricane hit the center and southwest of Costa Rica, causing enormous losses in one third of the country. Approximately half a million people were affected. In a few days was created an SOS Emergency Program, which supplied about 6,000 children with food and medicine, there was support to state aid teams and health authorities to prevent the outbreak of diseases, and enabled the reconstruction of a school and the distribution of school materials to 2,500 schools.

In March 2005, SOS Children's Villages launched programs to strengthen families with the aim of ensuring that children at risk of being separated from their families could remain with them. To achieve this, SOS Children's Villages works directly with families and communities to strengthen their capacity to care for and protect children the best possible way. This preventive work is organized in cooperation with local authorities and other social partners.

At present, Costa Rica has four SOS Children's Villages (Santa Ana, Tres Rios, Moin and Limon), an SOS Youth and an SOS Social Community Center.  

Your help is appreciated

The commitment of SOS Children's Villages with children has no limits, but unfortunately the economic resources themselves do. Would you help us to continue our work with donations?

To channel your contributions directly to the SOS Villages in Costa Rica, you can do so through the following bank accounts:

SOS Children's Villages Costa Rica
Banco de Costa Rica in colones: 001 215192-8
Banco de Costa Rica in dollars: 001 177772-6

www.aldeassoscostarica.org
e-mail:amigos@aldeassoscostarica.org 
Phone: (506) 22 83 99 09 ext 101
Fax: (506) 22 83 97 63

MTHANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

Acknowledgments

To Lenn Arce, director of the SOS Children's Village Santa Ana: for the warm reception and hospitality extended during my stay in their facilities.

To Fanny Elizondo, fundraiser adviser for SOS Villages, the National Bureau of Costa Rica: for moving closer to Santa Ana for my reception in the Village and for coordinating the call for the press conference. Thanks for your freshness and the enthusiasm shown.

To Milena Brenes, SOS Village accountant Santa Ana: for your good vibe and the interest in my journey.

To Minor Villalobos: for the contacts generated with the press and the friendship that was built later, joined by two passions: working with children and cycling!

To the many members of the media who came to cover the visit, including Alejandro Arley Vargas, a journalist for the newspaper Al Dia.

To Ivannia Cambronero, from the regional office of SOS Children's Villages in Costa Rica: for managing and coordinating my visits to the SOS Villages in Central America.

To the moms, family assistant, boys and girls from the SOS Village Santa Ana: for the love and warmth shared while I was with them.