SOS Children's Friendly Community Historical Overview

SOS Children's Village Croatia is categorized as a children's home whose primary goal is taking care of children without an adequate parental care or parents themselves. Moreover, it aims at providing children, regardless of their racial, national or religious affiliation, with affection and love in a safe family environment. In addition, SOS Children's Village is a non-governmental organization founded and provided for by the international organization SOS Kinderdorf International with the headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria. SOS Children's Village itself dates back to 1949 when Hermann Gmeiner opened the first such institution in Imst, Austria. Furthermore, SOS Children's Village Croatia has been active since February 25, 1992. It consists of two SOS Children's Villages, namely SOS Children's Village Lekenik and Ladimirevci, five SOS Youth facilities and one SOS Kindergarten. SOS Children's Village Ladimirevci was built in 1995 and has been active since 1997. It is composed of sixteen SOS houses providing for more than eighty children. Equally important, two SOS Youth facilities have been actively working in Osijek. This paper aims at providing historical overview of SOS Children's Village Ladimirevci, analyzing its organization, work methodology as well as its educational policies. For the purposes of this paper, SOS Children's Village pedagogical documentation and annual reports have been analyzed. Additionally, qualitative analyses of documents contents and quantitative analyzes regarding children's and educational activities' fluctuation have been used. The purpose of providing the historical overview of pedagogical documentation is to study fluctuation of children regarding time dimension together with the methods used for educational purposes. SOS Children's Village Ladimirevci has been widely known for looking after children without an adequate parental care or parents per se, creating safe family environment and giving affection and love to the aforementioned; hence, it undoubtedly deserves the attribute of the children's friendly community.