As many as 50 managers and heads of SOS villages and Herman Gmeiner schools across the country gathered in central Khanh Hoa province’s Nha Trang city on July 23 to share experience in caring disadvantaged children.

According to SOS Children’s Village Vietnam, 17 SOS villages nationwide care for more than 4,700 children. SOS primary schools, Herman Gmeiner schools and vocational workshops provided vocational training for 13,000 children.

As many as 19,000 children are receiving support from community-based activities.

As a result, thousands of disadvantaged children to have a chance to go to school and find stable jobs, securing their future.

Over 23 billion VND (1.05 million USD) from the Hermann Gmeiner scholarship, named after the Austrian philanthropist who founded SOS Children’s Villages International, has funded the studies of more than 9,100 Vietnamese children.

Le Hung Nghe, Director of SOS Village Nha Trang, shared that at his facility, trained care-giver SOS mothers and aunts have made efforts to ensure the quality of children’s health and education over the last 16 years.

Tran Thi Kim Dung, Vice Director of SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam, said future village models ought to prioritise natural environments for children’s growth in SOS families.

It also needs to cut costs and curb reliances on foreign financial assistance through smart spending and local fund-raising programmes, stated Dung.-VNA