The meaning Of SOS in the name of SOS Children’s Villages

You have probably seen the acronym “S.O.S.” before, but do you know what “SOS” stands for in the name SOS Children’s Villages, the world’s largest organization caring for children who have lost parental care or are at risk of losing it?

Before it was called SOS Children’s Villages, Hermann Gmeiner’s Societas Socialis was a social club organized to raise funds for the care of children without parents in Austria. That’s where the “SOS” comes from, an acronym of the club’s name.

To Gmeiner – pictured below – and his supporters, SOS meant socially responsible society (Societas Socialis is a Latin phrase and translates literally to “social service society”). Officially founded in 1949, Hermann Gmeiner refined the name to SOS Children’s Villages to emphasize the call for attention to children in need worldwide. Gmeiner believed that every child deserves a mother or father, as well as brothers and sisters, a home, and a supportive community environment.

Here in Uzbekistan, we are just one of 136 countries in which SOS Children’s Villages continues to respond to the call of children. With over 550 SOS Villages, SOS Children’s Villages is currently raising more than 73,000 children in need. Calls of SOS in the communities surrounding the SOS Villages have also been heard and over a million children and adults are being responded to daily in over 2,600 programmes supporting and strengthening families to prevent family separation worldwide. Today in Uzbekistan there are three branches of the SOS Children's Villages Uzbekistan in the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, as well as in the Khorezm region. More than 200 children are brought up in three branches and 136 young people are accompanied. Also, on the basis of the social centers of the branches, 259 families in which 547 children are brought up receive comprehensive psychological, legal, social support, as well as advice and assistance in finding a job.

Those meeting SOS Children’s Villages across the world for the first time often think our name holds other origins. New friends assume our “SOS” in Morse Code, “save our ship”, “save our souls”, “send out succour”, or “service over self.” It is important for us to share the historical information about our name, as it reinforces our mission and identity as we continue to serve children and families of greatest need through Villages and community-based programs aimed at family strengthening and prevention.