The role of an SOS mother

True to their global vision that ‘every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security’, SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka provides a loving and nurturing home to children and adolescents from all over the island. Over the past 34 years, 42,000 children have received the service of SOS Children’s Villages. Children who are abandoned, ones whose families are unable to take care of them for varied economic or behavioural reasons, are nurtured and educated, and are provided the amenities required to grow up in a secure environment under the watchful and loving guidance of an SOS mother. 

The SOS mother is indeed the hero, a unique woman who has been chosen for her special aptitude, and possesses an innate calling to be dedicated to the lives of the children under her care and is attuned to the way of life at an SOS Village. 

An SOS mother when selected is usually able to fully commit to the task due to her lack of familial commitments. SOS Sri Lanka ensures SOS mothers are provided with theoretical, practical and vocational training to develop the necessary skills that the job entails. 

At SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka, it is not only the children, but in most cases the mothers also who get a second chance at life to have her own family. By undergoing a comprehensive training and being given the responsibility of a family to look after, an SOS mother is empowered with a new lease of life by playing a significant role in shaping and impacting the young lives in her care. 

One of the most heart-warming success stories is Janith’s. After losing his parents in a tragic accident, Janith was adopted by his relatives. Due to the effects of the trauma, and the resulting behavioural issues, they were unable to care for him anymore and he was placed in the care of SOS Children’s Village by the Department of Probation and Child Care. After much time and effort put in by his SOS mother he settled in, and blossomed to be a bright, kind and compassionate young man. He is now a proud owner of his own beauty salon, happily married and regularly visits his SOS mother Mala who is now 60 years old and retired and residing in the village. 

Mala has raised 20 children and is now enjoying her role as a great-grandmother! She proudly states, “I have been a mother to children who at one point lost everything. That is much more of an accomplishment to me than anything else in the world.” 

Like Janith and Mala, a true testament to the family experience and bonding that the SOS village fosters, is how the children continue to cherish their SOS mothers even after they leave the village by dropping by on their birthdays and festive seasons and holidays. As SOS mothers are called to commit full time to the children in their care, SOS Sri Lanka ensures these courageous and special women have a home of their own in the SOS Children’s Village once they retire. 

Sampath is another great example of the genuine bond between SOS mother and child. Abandoned in a hospital as an infant, with no relatives to be found, he was then placed in a nutrition centre and later sent to an SOS Village. Sampath truly thrived at the SOS Village, excelling in both sports and studies. He is now a senior manager at a leading organisation and a home owner at a relatively young age. It is a remarkable achievement for someone who was abandoned early on in life. 

Sampath deeply acknowledges the love and care that he received from his SOS mother and visits her every month and plans to care for her in her retirement. He actively participates and contributes to events held at the SOS Youth Centre, paying it forward as it may, to enhance and transform another young person’s life. 

If you like to be a part of this remarkable journey, you can sponsor a child or make a donation by visiting www.soschildinme.lk. 

SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka is an independent non-governmental social development organisation which works in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The organisation promotes these rights around the world and works with children of varying religions, cultures and ethnicities who live in different communities.