'SOS - CHILDREN'S VILLAGE IN CROATIA' MARKS ITS EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY

ZAGREB, Feb 23 (Hina) - The association "SOS - Children's Village Croatia" marked its eighth anniversary on Wednesday. This association, that cares about orphans, is currently providing help for 108 kids in two children's villages in Croatia. In addition, it also cares for another 160 children via activities of the Social Centre and a kindergarten. In September it opens another two houses for the youth in Osijek and Zagreb. The association considers possibilities of setting up the third village of this kind in Croatia, in the coastal area. "SOS - Children's Village Croatia" is part of the world's non- governmental organisation for children and youth - SOS Kinderdorf International, that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999. An idea of establishing villages for fatherless and motherless children was initiated by Austrian Hermann Gmeiner. In 1949 he organised the first village of this kind in the Austrian town of Imst. The idea was accepted subsequently in 128 countries all over the world which have built 371 children' villages to date. A village consists of households where SOS mothers, who do not have their biological families, take care for a certain number of kids so that a family environment is created for upbringing those kids. In case that there are biological brothers and sisters in the village they are always within one household. (hina) jn ms