June 10 2008
Foundation stone laying at SOS Children's Village in Democratic Republic of Congo
6th June 2008 marked an important step forward for SOS Children's Villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as it celebrated the cornerstone laying ceremony for the third SOS Children's Village of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa.
Among the guests of the official ceremony was also the international football star and Belgian national team player Vincent Kompany. Vincent Kompany is FIFA/SOS Ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He played a great role in raising funds for the construction of the SOS Children's Village of Kinshasa.
Many children in the Democratic Republic of Congo do not have the possibility to grow up in a carefree family environment where they can go to school on a regular basis or to have access to health care. The high poverty of the families forces children to take care of themselves and often drives them onto streets. Some of the children even turn to child prostitution which has become a big problem in Kinshasa and its surrounding areas.
SOS Children's Village Kinshasa will be located in Bingi Bingi, at about 70kms from the town centre. It will include 15 family houses and will have an accommodation capacity of at least 150 children, a Kindergarten, an SOS Hermann Gmeiner primary school and a social and medical centre.