Surkhet

Country information

Nepal's fifth SOS Children's Village started its operation in 1988. It is situated in a small valley in the west of the country, about 700 km from the capital, Kathmandu. Since the road from the valley to the nearest town of Nepalgunj is only passable in dry weather, the SOS Children's Village is rather cut off from the outside world. The SOS Children's Village Surkhet consists of 14 family houses, the Village Director's house and an administrative building. There is an SOS Social Centre for Mother and Child with a day-care centre, where children from the neighbourhood are looked after while their parents are at work. The SOS Secondary School was opened in 1986. Children from the neighbourhood can attend this school together with the SOS children. This makes life easier for the local population while it helps SOS children integrate into society later on. An SOS Youth House was established in Nepalgunj, which is about 55 km south of Surkhet, in 1995. Older children from the SOS Children's Village can move to the SOS Youth House while they are still doing their education or training. This is their first step towards independence. An SOS Medical Centre was built next to the SOS Youth House in 1999. There the local population can seek medical attention.