SOS Children's villages is the world's largest orphan charity. In 1997 the charity was invited by the Mongolian government to discuss the possibility of setting up a community for children. Following an agreement between the two parties in 1998, a suitable site was found on the outskirts of the capital, Ulaan bataar. Work began in 2000 but because of extreme weather conditions and bureaucratic delays, the village was not completed until the summer of 2002 when the first SOS families were able to move in. The local infrastructure is not very developed and there are few shopping and social facilities in the area. Most of the schools in the area are overcrowded.
SOS Children's Village Ulaan Baatar has fourteen family houses which are home to 110 children and their SOS mothers. A second SOS Children’s Village is planned to be built at Darkhan in the north of the country. When completed there will be 14 family houses for 140 orphaned and abandoned children.
You can find more information about SOS Children's villages on their website: http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk
You can also learn how to sponsor a child in Mongolia.
