Programs
Three pillars. Prevention first. Alternative care as a last resort. Advocacy to change the conditions that create the need.
The organization works under the principle that every child deserves to grow up in a family. Its programmes are organized to make that a reality whenever possible.
1. Prevention
We strengthen families so that separation never happens.
We work with families in vulnerable situations using pedagogical tools, individual support, training and coordination with local networks. Prevention is always the first option.
Main tools
- Day-to-day pedagogical care
- Individual family support
- Training for families
- Coordination with local networks
Reach
~500 families served per year, in coordination with community networks across the country. The Ojoykére programme, launched in 2024, takes this work to vulnerable neighbourhoods in the metropolitan area of Asunción.
2. Alternative care
When prevention isn't enough, we provide family-style care.
When separation is unavoidable, we welcome the child into family-style houses with long-term caregivers. Each house has an SOS mother — a professional caregiver who raises the group of siblings as her own, maintaining real family routines.
Modalities
Family-style residential care
The village model — houses with an SOS mother and siblings living together, within the network of five villages in Paraguay.
Foster families
Children placed with certified external families who receive economic and technical support from the programme.
Extended-family care
Placement with the child's own family (aunts, grandparents, cousins) with professional accompaniment and material support.
Adoption advocacy
When legally appropriate and in the child's best interest, supporting the adoption process.
Guiding principle
Alternative care is always a last resort, aligned with the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Separation from family is only considered when remaining with the biological family puts the child's integrity at risk.
3. Advocacy
We push public policies that strengthen protection systems.
We work with the Paraguayan state, academia and international cooperation to strengthen the national child protection system. The organization not only serves children: it works to change the conditions that create the need.
Partners in this work
- Universidad de Comillas (Spain) — joint research on protection standards for Latin America.
- Secretaría Nacional de la Niñez (SNNA) and other Paraguayan state entities.
- SOS Children's Villages International — the global network present in 136 countries.
The organization also actively participates in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Paraguay and in monitoring public policies that affect children.