Laughter and SMILES filled my visit to the SOS Children’s Village in Brazil. The children were very affectionate and curious and we all had a wonderful time with the clowns I brought along from Medicina Do Riso. The director, SOS staff, and SOS mothers welcomed me to the village and made me feel completely at home. I spoke in Spanish and the children in Portuguese, and although we did understand everything being said… everyone SMILES in the same language.
The SOS Children’s Village Poá was one of the first SOS Children’s Villages in Brazil. It opened in 1968 and located, about 35 kilometres from the centre of São Paulo. The Village is on a five-acre site in the middle of a vast fertile stretch of land.
An SOS Youth Facility in the city centre accommodates up to 18 youths from the SOS Children’s Village. Young people usually move from the SOS Children’s Village to an SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, the young people develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers. There is also an SOS Social Centre, which offers full day care for up to 200 pre-school children from the local community.
For more information about how you can help SOS Children’s Villages click HERE.
For more photos and video full of SMILES check out my Facebook page:
Yasmene Salhia Around the World
Hope you ‘like’ it!
Around the World in 80 Days 
Yasmene, congratulations. You are doing something really beatiful and the SMILES in the children’s faces are a very special reward! Thanks for bringing to the world this reallity.