Case studies: former child from Malleco, near Angol, Chile

My Life In The Village

This is the story of Viviana, a girl who was welcomed to SOS Children's Village Angol when she was just three years old. Several years have passed since then, but now, happily, she can say: "I am grateful to God for I was given the chance to grow in such a wonderful place!"

I don't remember well the time when I arrived in the village. I was so small that the only thing I clearly remember is that there were a lot of children around me, watching me with big smiles as if I were a present (She smiles). Much later I realised the presence of this great woman, my SOS mother. There she was, giving me loads of affection.

My family was more than a normal family. It seems that my mother enjoyed keeping herself busy, although my brothers and sisters were also there to help her with the housework. My brothers, especially them, were very naughty. My mother must have loved them too much to bear all the things they did to her. But my mother was brave and intelligent enough to cope with all of them. She was, and still is, a courageous woman.

In the village, children receive a lot of support, especially in education. It is not only our mothers or the village director who orient our development; also the other co-workers at the village. An "SOS aunt" (family helper), the caretaker or the driver is always there to offer a bit of support. During my childhood, these co-workers were very nice people - ready to give me advice or comfort whenever I had a personal problem, something that was difficult to share directly with my mum.

In the village, we had moments for everything. We had spaces to express our opinions, feelings, ideas, emotions, with the main objective of gaining self-confidence and security. It's impossible to remember the number of such activities I attended during the time I spent in the village. There must have been hundreds of them.

And, here I am. All the effort and support from the village community - including my own family - helped me to achieve a career and become a successful professional. I am a toddler's educator at a nursery school and had the pleasure of finding a job very soon after I graduated. I am an independent woman now and have my own flat, well, a rented one for the moment.

When I look back to the past, I can see that there were lots of people in the village who helped me reach my goals. All in one, I am grateful to God for I was given the chance to grow in such a wonderful place. I grew up in a great family, with a mother, my brothers and sisters.

SOS Children has been working in Chile since 1965 and has thirteen unique children's villages at Madreselvas, Los Aromos, Concepción, Bulnes (Chillán), Chaimávida, Coyanco, Ancud (Chiloée), Arica, Antofagasta, Malleco(Angol), Puerto Varas, Quilpué and Curicó.

You can support children like Viviana by becoming a child sponsor.