Child Sponsorship Background from Tacloban, Philippines

Sponsor a child Tacloban, PhilippinesSOS Children's Village Tacloban

The second SOS Children's Village of the country was opened in 1970 on the island of Leyte, at Milagrosa, approximately 4 km from the city of Tacloban.  SOS Children's Village Tacloban consists of various family houses, the village director's house and staff quarters.

Other SOS Projects in Tacloban

An SOS Elementary School with a large number of classrooms, where around 1,000 children can be taught in two shifts, was built in co-operation with the Ministry of Education.  Next to the SOS Children's Village, an SOS Youth Village was erected.

Older boys from the SOS Children's Village normally move to the SOS Youth Home when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education.  With the support of qualified youth workers, they develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions.  They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.

The SOS Social Centre offers child day care and health counselling.  The aim of this centre is to improve the standard of living of the local community by providing basic medical care.  Children of working mothers are looked after during the day and receive a hot meal.  In 1989, a home for retired SOS mothers was established at SOS Children's Village Tacloban.

Background to Tacloban

The City of Tacloban is a port city approximately 360 miles southeast of Manila.  It is the first in Eastern Visayas to be classified as a Highly Urbanized City.  It is the capital of Philippine province of Leyte with a population of around 200,000, making it the largest city in the country.  Tacloban is one of the cities with the lowest poverty incidence in the Philippines.