SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde, 50 years of solidarity

Sophie Glesener, Managing Director of SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde, looks back on the jubilee year of the Luxembourg-based charity, which was founded on 10 October 1974. She recalls its history and memories from the field, and talks about the challenges and current projects of this NGO committed to the protection and rights of children.

50 years of SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde! How does this anniversary inspire you?

: “This anniversary is at once a celebration, a retrospective and a new beginning. It inspires emotions, joy and gratitude, first and foremost for the pioneers, Marcel Nilles and Barbara François. These founders paved the way for an association that became an NGO and made the protection and rights of children a priority. We work with our sister associations and our federation, which is present in more than 130 countries and territories, and in Luxembourg with our partners and donors, sponsors, volunteers and friends, and of course with our members and our team.

What has changed in half a century?

“In 50 years, the world has changed! Crises and challenges have created new needs that require new responses and new resources. But our projects have evolved and we will continue to work to improve the well-being of children in their families and communities over the long term.

What are the major challenges facing the association?

“With disasters and wars becoming more complex and crises multiplying, vulnerability is increasing everywhere and children’s needs are growing. By managing high-quality projects with perfect governance and good management of our funds, we can respond efficiently. The good news is that solidarity has not wavered, even during critical times such as the covid-19 pandemic. Still, we need to reach out to new audiences, raising awareness among younger people.

Can you tell us about your current projects?

“We are involved in 16 countries with 25 projects, including those within our framework agreement with the MFEA, which are long term development programmes focusing on the rights of children and young people in West Africa and Uzbekistan. We support also projects that respond to emergencies, to terrible wars such as in Palestine and Ukraine, or to major crises such as in Ethiopia. Finally, we are running projects in Cape Verde, Colombia, Laos, Morocco and the Central African Republic, focusing on education as an essential part of a child's life and a guarantee of development and peace.

You’ve been working at SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde for 23 years, and you have often visited humanitarian projects around the world. Which impressions do you bring home?

“Images of warm welcomes. Joyful images captured in SOS children’s villages. Images of mutual aid in the communities we support, particularly in West Africa. Sadly, there are also painful images, such as in Indonesia after the tsunami of Christmas 2004, in Haiti a few months after the earthquake of January 2010, and heart-breaking images in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon. From these missions, I return with an even greater motivation to continue the collaboration with our loyal partners in Luxembourg, and with the desire to find others by showing the importance and impact of our joint actions.”

This promotional article was written as part of the SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde’s membership with the Paperjam Club. If you too would like to join the Club, please contact us at .