A visit to SOS Luján, Argentina, by volunteer Primrose Lovett

Primrose Lovett helped start up the Cambridge University Society for SOS Children in 2008. Since graduating, she has been travelling around South America, learning Spanish en-route.

She visited Lujan Children's Village in October 2009 and tells us about her experience:

A new home for orphaned children

SOS Luján first opened its doors 2 years ago, though it was only officially inaugurated in November 2008. Argentina´s fourth, newest and last SOS Children´s Village is only two hours by bus from the glitzy capital of Buenos Aires but is a different world entirely. Luján itself is a sleepy little town, best known for its beautiful Catholic basilica, huge plaza and its status as the guardian of Argentina’s most important religious shrine. Its outskirts, however, are run down and relatively poor. Situated in a semi-residential area, SOS Luján is identified as such only by a discreet logo, but is easily distinguished from its neighbours by its brand new buildings. I was greeted by the small, friendly and energetic team of SOS Luján who very kindly showed me around for the day and gave me an unforgettable experience!

SOS mothers and aunts

SOS Luján houses, at present, 74 children from all over Argentina, in one of 10 family homes with up to 10 SOS ‘brothers and sisters’ and presided over by kindly SOS Mothers and Aunts. Like all SOS Children’s Villages, the brand new, homely, bungalows here were designed to mirror local culture. These come equipped with wooden floors, a big communal sitting and dining room and a kitchen with industrial sized pots and pans! Whilst the teenagers have their own bedroom, the younger ones sleep in bunk-beds, sharing rooms with several SOS siblings. When I visited, many of the children were at school, though I saw several of the youngest ones playing in the sunshine or enjoying an afternoon siesta in front of the TV. I did, however, get the chance to chat to a group of SOS Mothers and Aunts about their work. Of those I met, some had already had children whilst others - barely out of their 20s - were seeking a vocation. Each had undergone about 2 years training before they joined Luján, yet they said that nothing could have prepared them for the practical reality of the job. Caring for 10 children, each with different needs, sounds extremely rewarding but incredibly tough, not least because of their traumatic backgrounds. Argentina offers very little social support to its people, and shockingly over 70% of children come to SOS Luján as a result of physical or, more often, sexual abuse from their parent or carer. This often manifests itself in withdrawn or attention seeking personalities, or even in abusive behaviour towards others, which means that each child must be carefully monitored. Contact with their biological family (none of the children here are orphans) is normally maintained under supervision, and some in cases children will even return home.

The chance of a normal life

What lies at the core of SOS Luján´s ethic, and of course SOS as a whole, is the chance to lead a normal life in a loving environment. A home and an SOS Mother is central, but integration of SOS Luján into the local community is also crucial, though not always easy. To many who live nearby, SOS Luján resembles what is called ‘country’, an exclusive, gated community for wealthy Argentines, which causes some local resentment. In reality, of course, SOS Luján is neither wealthy nor exclusive. Each mother receives less than £50/per month (all funded by donations to SOS) to cover each child’s needs - food, clothes, school books - in a country where prices are not significantly lower than those of the UK. Moreover, SOS Luján strives to include local people in its work. From allowing them the use of their hall for community events and fiestas to opening up their playground to the public nursery opposite it is hoped that the Children´s Village can positively contribute the area and prevent future cases of child neglect or abuse. Central to this are the variety of outreach projects and social support conducted by the small team SOS Luján. In a nearby villa (slum) I visited a group of mothers who take turns looking after each other´s children for the day so they can go out to work. SOS Luján offers social support to these mothers, such as arranging for their child to see a doctor or giving guidance on how to budget their money, as well as facilitating the ‘day care’ by finding an available space (in the local football team’s shack!) and providing lunch each day.

'Un amiga de SOS'

This was the first time I had visited an SOS Village, despite having volunteered for SOS UK for two years. I thought I knew what to expect, but I quickly realised that each Children´s Village, tailored to the needs of the country and local community, is utterly unique. This is the beauty of SOS as an organisation: a global family which operates independently and effectively at a local level. The welcome I received as ‘una amiga de SOS’ (a friend of SOS) was wonderful and I was inundated with requests to visit again, and I will definitely keep in touch. If you get a chance, to visit this or any other Children´s Village around the world, then do. Having seen its work in action, I feel incredibly privileged to be part of SOS and encouraged that all the hard work volunteers do in the UK really does change lives.