Jacarepaguá

Country information

Jacarepaguá, one of the two SOS Children's Villages of Rio de Janeiro, the former capital of Brazil, was inaugurated in 1982. The SOS Children's Village is located in the suburb of Jacarepaguá, about 30 kilometres south of the city centre. The SOS Children's Village was built on a site of 2 hectares and comprises 14 family houses, a Village Director's house, a house for the staff, a dental surgery and offices for the administration, as well as a sewing room and a library. Sport fields are also at the children's disposal. Furthermore, there is an SOS Day Care Centre and a preparatory school. Local public schools are in the vicinity. In January 1992, a vocational training college was put in operation where young people from the SOS Children's Village and from the neighbourhood can be trained as electrician, carpenter or car mechanic. Five SOS Youth Houses where the adolescents are prepared to live a life on their own, are also part of the facilities of this SOS Children's Village. Efforts are made to reach self-sufficiency for the SOS Children's Village by growing vegetables. This has also proven itself an invaluable asset during the last food crisis in Rio de Janeiro.