SOS History

The SOS Children's Villages model, although relatively new to the United States, dates back to 1945, when a young Austrian medical student named Hermann Gmeiner came to the aid of children who had been orphaned or abandoned during World War II.  His efforts led to the establishment of the first SOS Children's Villages in Imst, Austria in 1949.

Gmeiner believed that all children need a mother, a home, siblings, and a village.  It became the mission of SOS to meet these needs and ensure that every child raised in an SOS Village was equipped to transition into a successful, productive adulthood.