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Aleppo Qodsaya (Damascus) Capital: Damascus Area: 185,180 km² Population: 15.7 million (December 2000 est.) Ethnic groups: Arabs, Kurds, Armenians Official language(s): Arabic Religion(s): Sunni Muslim, Alawite, Druze, Christian, Jewish Currency: 1 Syrian pound = 100 piastres Our Facilities In October 1974, Mrs Helga Zündel, representative of SOS Children's Village International in the Middle East, introduced several public figures of Syria to the concept of SOS Children's Villages. In the following year already, a supporting committee was formed in order to further the realization of a SOS Children's Village project in Syria. In 1976, the Syrian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs put a site - located in Qodsaya - at the disposal of SOS Children's Villages International on which the construction of the SOS Children's Village Qodsaya started in 1978. After two years, the construction works were finished and the first children were able to move into their new homes in 1981. In 1992, a building site in Aleppo (northern Syria) was chosen for the construction of the second SOS Children's Village in Syria. The construction of this SOS project was begun in August 1996. In the very same year, a small SOS Social Centre was established. The main object of this Centre consists in providing single mothers and children in need with food. In addition, the Centre offers training courses for mothers and elder children which should enable them to support their own family financially. For the accommodation of SOS youths, retired SOS mothers and the SOS Coordination Office a building was purchased in Daraya, a suburb of Damascus. In 1998, the construction of SOS Children's Village Aleppo (Khan El Assal) was terminated. Shortly afterwards, the first children moved into the new family houses. Contact: Syrian Arab Association for SOS Children's Village P.O.Box 5567 Damascus Syria tel. +963-11-621 3551 fax +963-11-621 3550