SOS Children Research Articles

Female and Migrant Entrepreneurship in SOS Children’s Villages in the Lambayeque Region, Peru

This quantitative research analyzes the entrepreneurial competencies of in-migrant women in the Children’s Village of the Lambayeque Region. With a sample of 79 women, 39 Peruvian and 40 Venezuelan, online surveys and observation forms were operated for 18 months (2021–2022). Using a Likert scale of 55 questions and nine dimensions, competencies such as opportunity seeking, risk anticipation, persistence, self-exertion, and more were assessed. Data were analyzed using correlations, ANOVA, logistic regression, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results revealed significant differences between nationalities, with Venezuelan women having higher competencies. The study identified two principal components that explain 57.663% of the total variance, representing initiative and quality, as well as control and responsibility. These findings suggest the need for specific training programs to strengthen the entrepreneurial competencies of these women. The inductive methodology and quantitative analysis provided a clear vision of entrepreneurial competencies, contributing to the improvement of support and training programs.

HAND-ON ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH LEARNING GROUND LEVEL AT SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE BALI

Hands on is a learning design aimed at involving students in finding information, asking questions, engaging in activities, discovering, and concluding. Known as authentic learning or experiential education, hands on creates an active learning environment. The aims to describe the emergence and benefits of hands on conducted at SOS Children’s,Bantas, this qualitative study with a descriptive method seeks to illustrate how hands on can facilitate students in gaining knowledge from direct learning experiences and to clarify the benefits of hands on activities. Data was collected through observation and interviews. Findings show that hands on appeared in student activities, including actively asking questions, engaging directly with objects during learning, and developing critical thinking, independence, and activeness in students.

PREVALENCE OF SPINAL DEFORMITIES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN LIVING IN THE SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGE IN SARAJEVO

The issue of spinal deformities, which occurs during phases of intense growth in children, has been recognized within the broader community. Certain categories of children are particularly vulnerable to long-term health risks in this regard, making it important to find ways to intervene early and identify such cases. This study was conducted to assess the current state of spinal posture during one of the most sensitive phases of physiological development in a special group of preschool children. In this case, the sample included 92 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years, who have been living and growing up from an early age in the SOS Children's Village in Sarajevo, without the presence of their biological parents. The assessment of poor posture was applied according to Napoleon Wolanski (1975), which is based on determining the relationships between segmental dimensions as follows: D1 – assessment of head posture (HPA), D2 – assessment of shoulder posture (SPA), D3 – assessment of chest posture (CPA), D4 – assessment of scapula posture (SBPA), D5 – assessment of spinal posture (SP), D6 – assessment of abdominal posture (APA), D7 – assessment of leg posture (LPA), D8 – assessment of foot posture (FPA). Deviations are classified according to their severity and are assessed with so-called negative points, where: 0 points indicate no deviation, 1 point indicates a mild deviation, and 2 points indicate a significant deviation. The posture results show that 15.2% of the children have scoliosis, while 13.0% have lordosis, and 7.6% of preschoolers have kyphosis. Additionally, 30.4% of the children have flat feet, which predisposes them to long-term spinal problems, and 33.7% have significant deviations in leg posture. Numerical values of the results indicate that none of the children included in the testing had an ideal shoulder posture, i.e., a score of 0, which implies no deviation from normal, while the head posture results were also extremely poor.

Strategi Panti Asuhan SOS Children’s Villages Meulaboh dalam Menjamin Perlindungan Anak Terlantar

This study examines the protection of abandoned children from one of the social institutions, namely SOS Children's Villages Meulaboh. This study aims to determine the success of the protection program for neglected children at SOS Children's Villages Meulaboh. This study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data collection techniques using observation, interviews, documentation, and audio-visual materials. The results of this study indicate that child protection at the SOS Children's Villages Meulaboh orphanage has been running well and properly. Through programs designed for the protection of children to ensure the fulfillment of their rights so that they can live, grow and develop like children in general, and are protected from violence and discrimination. In addition, SOS also organizes/provides various activities that support children's growth and development. This is useful for developing religious moral abilities, academic abilities, ethics/politeness so that the realization of quality and noble children.

Menumbuhkan Kepedulian Sosial Dan Kerjasama Anak Melalui Metode Groupwork

Humans are social creatures who cannot live alone and need the help of others in every aspect of their lives. Good cooperation must be instilled in children from an early age so that they can develop and be able to function socially well in the future. Fostering social care and cooperation in children can be done in various ways even through games. Through games children are easier to learn. This activity was carried out as one of the mini projects of Field Work Practice 2 activities carried out at SOS Children's Villages Medan for the Family Strengthening Program. This activity was carried out at the Kwala Bekala Community. This Field Work Practice activity was carried out at the Kwala Bekala Community. This Field Work Practice activity was carried out for approximately 3 months. The method used in this study is the Groupwork method with general stages (1) Preparation, (2) Assessment, (3) Alternative Program Planning, (4) Action Plan Formulation, (5) Program Implementation, (6) Evaluation and Results of Change and (7) Termination.

Honesty and Empathy Character-building Training for Children Under Care of Foster Parents

SOS Childrens Villages is a non-profit, non-governmental social organization that actively supports childrens rights, namely a loving family and home. In this case, SOS Childrens Villages is committed to providing shelter and care for children who have or are at risk of losing their parental care. To increase the ability of foster parents, it is necessary to provide further training on improving parenting skills about honesty and empathy to foster parents through roleplay and case examples. A focused group discussion was conducted to collect the data from 12 foster parents. The results of this training were effective where foster parents have succeeded in increasing their knowledge and skills in applying the values of honesty and empathy. The suggestion in this study is that it can be held offline so it will be easier for parents to understand the material. For the next collaboration, the training will be discussed in more depth what underlies the honesty or openness of children and empathy for children.
 Keywords: honesty, empathy, children, SOS children village

Clinical application of fluorescence lasers to evaluate the efficacy of arresting caries with silver diamine fluoride

Objective: This clinical trial used fluorescence lasers to assess the effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) in preventing active dentin caries in baby teeth. Subject and method: Preschool children aged 3 to 5 years old with at least one active dentin caries lesion were selected from a SOS Children's Village in Vietnam. A total of 32 children with 126 caries lesions were treated with 38% SDF, applied only once. DIAGNOdent pen 2190 - Kavo device and sharp sickle-shaped probes were used to evaluate lesions independently at certain timepoints including: Before the intervention and 5 minutes, one day, and one week after the intervention. For the evaluation of treatment results, the caries lesions were diagnosed as prevented if their surfaces were hard and difficult to probe or the measured laser index ≤ 20, while the lesions were assessed as active if they were soft and easy to probe or the measured laser index > 20. Result: In general, before SDF was applied, all decayed tooth surfaces had soft dentin and laser indexes > 30. The average value of laser index measured on caries lesions was significantly reduced from 88.2 (SD = 9.3) at baseline to 19.6 (SD = 13.7) at one week after intervention (p<0.001, χ2 test). Based on fluorescence laser method, the caries arrest rates were 80.2%, 73.2% and 70.6% respectively for the post-intervention periods, while the assessment by probes for caries arrest rates were 82.5%, 80.2% and 77.8%, respectively (p<0.05, χ2 test). The difference between the two methods was due to some caries lesions that were smooth and hard on probing but still have laser index > 20. Conclusion: The fluorescence laser device can be applied clinically to assess the effectiveness of preventing caries with SDF, the evaluation results are more accurate than the lesion probe method.

Dietary practices and nutritional status of children served in a social program for surrogate mothers in Colombia

BackgroundDietary practices are acquired in the family context and in turn can affect the health of family members, especially the nutritional status of children. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between nutritional status and feeding practices in children from foster families served by the SOS Children's Villages program in Cartagena, Colombia.MethodsThe study had a cross-sectional design. Through a non-probabilistic purposive sampling, 139 children from 0 to 5 years of age from the SOS Children's Villages Cartagena program were involved. The sociodemographic background of the participants was recorded and the nutritional status of the children was evaluated through anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Dietary practices were measured by means of a standardized questionnaire. Analyses were performed with Poisson regression models with robust variance. These regression models provided prevalence ratios (PR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).ResultsAmong dietary practices, it was observed that most families eat together at home (63.3%), watch television when they eat (55.4%), and have dietary norms (80.6%). Consumption of plant foods was predominantly high, especially vegetables (86.3%), fruits (92.1%), cereals (84.9%), root vegetables, and bananas (93.5%). Consumption < 4 times/week of soft drinks and industrialized juices increases 14.3 times the probability of low weight-for-height in the study population compared to the group that does not consume them. On the other hand, watching television while eating (PR: 2.82, 95%CI 1.32—4.69) and consumption of sweet snacks (PR: 2.24, 95%CI 1.03—4.87) increased the probability of low height-for-age; while having eaten norms at home decreased the probability of low height-for-age in the study population by 50%.ConclusionIt is necessary to develop and implement interventions such as preventive measures and early diagnosis of inappropriate feeding behaviors to ensure adequate nutritional status among children under 5 years of age.

Efektivitas Home Visit dalam Program Penguatan Keluarga Oleh Sos Children’s Village Medan

Family strengthening program by SOS Children's Village Medan is one form of family level social intervention that aims to prevent conditions that resulting children being separated from their family, mainly from economic factors. In implementing, educators obliged to do home visits. Home visit means that educator carried out in the client's home. One of the village assisted by this program is the village of kwala bekala, where most of the clients work in the informal sector and spend their daily lives working outside their home, thus hinder the process of home visits. In fact, through home visits, educators will be able to explore problems and developments experienced by clients that will affect the termination process.The purpose of this study is to know the effectiveness of home visits in Family strengthening programs by SOS Children’s village. Techniques being used for data collection includes literature study, observation, interviews, and documentation. The data obtained in the field were analyzed qualitatively to obtain conclusions. The result of this study shows that home visits in this program have been effective, as measured by three approaches, namely, resource approach, the second approach is the process approach and lastly based on the target approach seen from the achievement of the home visit goal in this program.

A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of narrative therapy on resilience of orphaned and abandoned children fostered in SOS children’s village

ABSTRACT Background: Narrative Therapy is an efficacious treatment approach widely practiced for various psychological conditions. However, few studies have examined its effectiveness on resilience, a robust determinant of one’s mental health, and there has been no randomized controlled trial in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of narrative therapy for the resilience of orphaned and abandoned children in Rwanda. Method: This study was a ‘parallel randomized controlled trial’ in which participants (n = 72) were recruited from SOS Children’s Village. Half of the participants (n = 36) were randomly allocated to the intervention group and the rest to the delayed narrative therapy group. For the intervention group, children attended ten sessions (55 min each) over 2.5 months. Data were collected using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) and analyzed using mixed ANOVA within SPSS version 28. Result: The results from ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of time and group for resilience total scores. Of interest, there was a significant time by group interaction effect for resilience. Pairwise comparison analyses within-group showed a significant increase in resilience in the intervention group, and the effect size was relatively large in this group. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the notable efficacy of narrative therapy for children’s resilience in the intervention group. Therefore, health professionals and organizations working with orphaned and abandoned children will apply narrative therapy to strengthen their resilience and improve mental health. Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry identifier: PACTR202107499406828..

Efficacy of narrative therapy for orphan and abandoned children with anxiety and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders in Rwanda: A randomized controlled trial

Background and objectiveAlthough narrative therapy (NT) is globally practiced for alleviating psychological disorders, studies of its efficacy for vulnerable children are still scarce, especially in African post-conflict settings. Thus, this study was aimed at assessing the efficacy of NT for Rwandan Orphans and abandoned children (OAC) with ADHD and anxiety disorders. MethodThis study was a parallel randomized controlled trial in which participants (n = 72) were recruited from SOS Children's Villages. A half of participants (n = 36) were randomly allocated to either the NT group or the waitlist control group (WCG). Outcomes were collected at baseline before randomization and 10 weeks post-randomization. ResultsANOVA results indicated a significant main effect of time for anxiety disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.176), and the main effects of group were significant for anxiety disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.254) and ADHD disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.260). There was a significant time by group interaction effect for anxiety disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.328) and for ADHD (p < .001, ηp2= 0.193). Between group analyses showed that the difference in symptoms was significant for anxiety disorders (p < .001, Cohen's d = 1.28) and for ADHD (p < .001, Cohen's d = 1.6) during the posttest, and the effect sizes were large. LimitationThe long-term effects of the intervention for the current sample were not assessed in this study. ConclusionDespite its limitations, this study provides initial support for the safety, efficacy, and usefulness of NT among Rwandan OAC with ADHD and anxiety disorders. Health professionals must implement the new intervention as an everyday tool.

Pembentukan Kelompok Belajar Sebagai Strategi Untuk Meningkatkan Minat Belajar Siswa SD di Desa Binaan Sos Children Village Medan Kelurahan Kwala Bekala

Community service as a manifestation of one of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education carried out by Students of the Social Welfare Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, the University of North Sumatra through Practicum II activities at SOS children's village medan, through the family strengthening program carried out in kwala bekala aimed at increasing the interest of students at the time of the pandemic, to increase their interest in learning through the formation of study groups. The method the author uses in this devotion program is community intervention by zastrow, which consists of: intake and contract, deals, planning/planning, intervention and formulation of programs, evaluations, and terminations. The results of the program can be seen from the attainment of the goals and impact students obtained during the program. Where students who participate in the program are able to follow the writer's well applied set of activities and are thus helpful in increasing their interest in learning. It is seen at the rate of their presence in group meetings each week and the results of weekly quizzes that show their willingness to repeat each home lesson.

ORGANIZATIONAL AND PEDAGOGICAL FORMS OF SOCIAL CARE FOR ORPHANS IN CHINA AND UKRAINE

The article analyzes the organizational and pedagogical forms of social care for orphans in the People’s Republic of China: children’s villages-communes, Children’s Towns – SOS, boarding schools, boarding schools of religious orientation. It is proved that the commune-settlement named after V. Korolenko was taken as a model for the creation of children’s settlements-communes. Children’s villages are located in the countryside, in nature. In children’s villages there are children of different ages (from 3 years to 16–18), who must take care of each other. Children’s villages are considered a personnel reserve for China’s agricultural sector. SOS Children’s Villages is a charity project to support orphans, children left without parental care and children at risk of losing their families. It is a charitable organization that exists solely at the expense of sponsors. The organization is united in a mini-community of 11–15 houses, in each of which live 6–8 children of different age together with the SOS-mother. In China, there are boarding schools organized by local communities opened at the initiative of the local community in rural economically backward areas. Subjects taught in the boarding schools are Chinese, Local Language, Mathematics, Basics of Agriculture or Handicrafts, Basics of Politics and Laws of the People’s Republic of China. Children between the age of 5 and 12 live permanently on the boarding school, and older children attend Sunday lessons and receive additional education in their free time.&#x0D; The purpose of the article is to theoretically analyze the organizational and pedagogical forms of social care for orphans in the People’s Republic of China.&#x0D; As a result of the analysis of scientific works dedicated to the problem of social care for orphans in the People’s Republic of China, we can state that the main forms of social care for orphans in China are: children’s villages, “Children’s Towns – SOS”, boarding schools, orphanages and boarding schools with a religious orientation.

‘Preparation and Transition into Adult Life—Guide for Professionals’: An Educational Tool from the SOS Children’s Villages

SOS Children’s Villages work to protect and improve the lives of children and young people placed in alternative care system. The goal is to break the cycle of family and social disadvantage within this framework, it is essential to provide tools to professionals to support young people path towards autonomy and social integration as active citizens in civil society. This article aims to present and discuss the preparation and transition into adult life—A guide for professionals recently implemented in SOS Children’s Villages, Portugal, within the context of Project PORTA. Educating for autonomy arises as the main concern for the organization, individually and collectively, since it is responsible for the care and support of development needs of children and young people in its programmes. With this aim, this guide helps professionals and young people to promote better practices for developing autonomy skills and preparing transition to adult life, through the explanation of resources and structured intervention individual plans. Thereby, knowledge and practices are shared, expecting to be useful for others as well. A special focus is dedicated to the reinforcement of specific skills, protective factors and social areas, aiming the preparation for autonomy people in close collaboration with all the intervenient and, in particular, with the participation of young people.

Research on Outdoor Space Design Strategy of "SOS Children's Village" Based on the Psychology of Troubled Children.

Despite significant interaction between children's psychology and space in welfare institutions, only a handful of empirical studies have focused on it to date. Through the investigation, analysis, and spatial classification of the psychological issues of troubled children in the SOS children's village community in Chengdu, we observed the records for 1 year and used the PHCSS-SD method innovatively to systematically and quantitatively analyze the psychology of troubled children and their perception of public space in the park. Based on the needs of hearing, vision, touch, interaction, and safety of children in distress, we selected nine evaluation factors, including daylighting, interesting pattern, participation, and touchability. Each factor was categorized into five evaluation scales for psychological measurement and analysis to provide a basis for the development of mental health and the optimization of the living environment of children in distress. Based on the SD broken line of public space, we analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of space and affirmed the crucial contributions made by the Chinese government to children's welfare. Overall, this study discusses the strategy of building outdoor public spaces in the SOS children's village community.

Storytelling: a method for enabling a child to become an active participant in child protection assessment in the example of substitute care

ABSTRACT This paper examines and reflects on a storytelling method that enables children to share their life stories in the intervention and decision-making process associated with child protection evaluations. The child is granted an active role in this process by directly participating in telling their life experiences. The example described herein centers on the case of a 14-year-old girl from SOS Children’s Village (CV) and how storytelling is used to capture details of her personal history, focusing on the themes of the child’s place of birth, home and life before placement, the move into placement and everyday life at SOS CV.

Preparing Care Leavers With Short- and Long-Term Interventions to Face Challenges of the Pandemic of COVID-19 in Asia

COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented human and health crisis and has been affecting lives in many forms. What seemed to be a health crisis eventually became a major ongoing global economic crisis. Sector-wide disruptions are threatening both short- and long-term livelihoods and well-being of millions of youth around the globe, especially youth from vulnerable communities. Business closures threatened the operations and soundness of the enterprises resulting in layoffs and wage losses, affecting a major chunk of youth including the young care leavers of alternative care programmes in Asia. This called for customised interventions and support for such young care leavers. Immediate actions were needed for managing their mental health, for maintaining education continuity and for reskilling of such young care leavers to prepare them to cope with the pandemic. This article is based on the learning and experiences of SOS Children’s Villages responses to supporting nearly 1,500 care leavers in various Asian countries. SOS Children’s Villages is committed to ensuring quality care and protection of children and youth through its various alternative care programmes in 15 countries in Asia region. SOS Children’s villages responded to COVID-19 pandemic by supporting youth and care leavers in SOS family-like care. Primarily, these countries reported that the school closures mandated to combat the spread of the virus affected the education and learning of all the children and youth in their care. All projects in Asia started reaching out to the care leavers and started extending a wide range of support to them with both short- and long-term interventions. This article covers SOS Children’s Villages youth programmes, especially from 11 countries of Asia region—Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Oral Health of Children from the SOS Children's Village in Croatia.

The aim of this study was to determine the values of DMFT/DMFS and dft/dfs in the examined groups of children and the assessment of the mothers of the examined groups of children related to the oral health of their children. The research included children from the SOS Children’s Village in Croatia as well as children from biological families from rural and urban areas. The children were examined by the visual–tactile method according to the standardized World Health Organization criteria. dft/DMFT and dfs/DMFS indices were calculated. An analysis of completed questionnaires was made. The children from the SOS Children’s Village demonstrated the lowest mean values of the dft/dfs (2.42/3.31) and DMFT/DMFS (1.61/2.23) indices compared to children from rural and urban areas. The Kruskal–Wallis test showed a significant difference (p = 0.01) in SiC index values between the examined children. In the groups of children from the SOS Children’s Village and from the rural area compared to the children from the urban area, oral hygiene was singled out as the most important factor in the analysis of the main components. An equally significant factor for all the respondents is the assessment of oral health and eating habits. The least significant factor for the group of children from the SOS Children’s Village is socio-economic status, which is the most significant for the children from the urban area. The children from the SOS Children’s village have the lowest dft/DMFT, dfs/DMFS, and SiC indices. The most important factor influencing oral health in the group of children from the SOS Children’s Village that stands out is oral hygiene, and the least important is the socio-economic status. The assessment of oral health by the SOS mothers does not differ from the assessment of biological mothers of children from rural and urban areas.

Impelementasi Pemeliharaan Jiwa (Hifz Al-Nafs) Pada Pengasuhan Anak Berbasis Keluarga

The formula for nurturing the soul always receives interesting discussions, likewise the SOS Children's Village as the largest non-governmental organization dedicated to caring for children who are abandoned and have lost their parents. The SOS Children's Village of Semarang believes that every child deserves to have a loving home by giving children supports they need to grow strong in sustaining life. This article focused on the discussion on how SOS Children's Village formulates ḥifẓ al-nafs by means of parenting styles applied in SOS. The phenomenological approach was used to see how the formulation of soul care was applied by SOS, so that the maintenance of the soul as a part of maqāṣid al-sharī'ah could be more unique due to the emphasis on applicative and empirical nourishment of the soul. SOS had three (3) work programs, namely family-based care, family strengthening programs, and disaster emergency response. The three programs were oriented towards fulfilling children's rights as an effort to nurture children's souls so that they could grow and develop like children with nuclear families, where children who lost their care would live in an SOS village with a substitute family. This concept of care involved a foster mother in each house as the center of care, other children as siblings in the family home, and the SOS Family Village. The forms of care provided by the foster mother included paying attention, supervising, interacting and giving support to the SOS children. Also, the values conveyed in this parenting included religion, love and affection, responsibility and discipline

AN EVALUATION METHODOLOGY FOR MEASURING THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF FAMILY STRENGTHENING AND ALTERNATIVE CHILD CARE SERVICES: THE CASE OF SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES

Until recently, SOS Children’s Villages International, like many organisations in the social sector, lacked a rigorous and systematic approach to gauging the long-term impact of their services. With this in mind, SOS Children’s Villages International developed a social impact evaluation methodology in 2014 to measure the long-term effects of its services on children and their families and communities, as well as the social return on investment. This evaluation methodology has been tested and applied to similar service types across 15 low-, middle-, and high-income countries worldwide. The findings are regularly consolidated, in order to derive trends and learnings for the global organisation and to inform strategy and policy. The present article will discuss the evaluation methodology and the related limitations. Conclusions regarding the validity of the methodology will be offered in terms of the measurement of social service impact and the way forward.