Ceremony marks the beginning of a new SOS Children's Village in Peru

SOS Children's Villages Peru has an exciting new project for 2009: the beginning of the construction of what will be the new SOS Children's Village Juliaca. Juliaca is a city in the Puno Region. It is the region's largest city and capital of the San Román province. Juliaca is on the Altiplano, where the Andes are at their widest.

The Village will consist of twelve family houses, and is to be located in the neighbourhood of California, an area better known as the Rinconada. The twelve family houses will give homes to over a hundred children and will be taken care of by twelve experienced SOS mothers, who will not only fulfil the child's basic education and nourishment needs but will also give them the necessary affection and protection every child needs in order to grow. "It has been decided that the next Children's Village should be built in Juliaca because we believe it is necessary to continue expanding our work to places where it is most needed, like in the country's highlands, in order to give these children the proper conditions for a happy childhood," Salvador Cebrian, National Director of SOS Children's Villages Peru, said during his speech.

SOS Children started to work with the Juliaca community a year ago through the implementation of four SOS community homes which form part of the organisation's Family Strengthening Programme in Juliaca. So far, the programme has been giving service to almost 150 children and during 2009, the hope is to open five more homes, expecting to help over 270 children.

The cornerstone laying ceremony carried out on 24 April was attended by Yonhy Lescano, member of the Peruvian Congress and President of the Support Committee for the SOS Social Project Juliaca; David Mamami Paricahua, Mayor of Juliaca and Puno, and several executive representatives of the organization such as Walter Cadima, Regional Director and representative for SOS-Kinderdorf International, and Salvador Cebrian, National Director of SOS Children's Village Peru, among other personalities.

SOS Children has been present in Peru for 34 years. At the moment, it gives support to almost 9,000 boys and girls in two integrated programmes: the Family-Based care Programme and the Family Strengthening Programme.