Vientiane

Country information

The SOS Children's Village Vientiane is situated about 6 km from the centre of the capital, Vientiane, and only 25 km from the border crossing to Thailand. Vientiane has a population of approximately 460,000 and lies on the river Mekong, exactly opposite the Thai border town of Nongkhai where SOS established an SOS Children's Village in 1993. The surroundings of the SOS Children's Village are rural with rice-paddies and small houses. In the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village, there are several primary schools and a market. The children are brought up in the Buddhist tradition of the country. The SOS Children's Village Vientiane consists of 14 family houses, a Village Director's House, a community building and the necessary administrative buildings. There is an SOS Social Centre and an SOS Kindergarten, which is also open to children from the neighbourhood. Older children usually move to the SOS Youth Facility, where they are prepared for their independent lives. The SOS mothers and other staff for the SOS Children's Villages of the country are trained at the SOS Training Centre, which is affiliated to the SOS Children's Village.