WORLD Orphan Week (otherwise known as WOW) 2012 takes place during the second week in February and raising awareness for this cause is the world’s largest children’s charity, SOS Children’s Villages.

WOW was introduced in the United Kingdom in 2005. Since the inception of this event, SOS International has played a key role in raising awareness around the needs of orphaned and abandoned children around the world. SOS Children’s Villages South Africa spearheaded the introduction of WOW to the nation in 2009 and has played an important part in making every vulnerable, abandoned and orphaned child’s plight known.

“Sadly, society today has far too many people, mostly children and the youth who are unable to speak or fend for themselves. In South Africa, many have lost their families to diseases such as HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis; some are abandoned by family members who are no longer able to care for them due to extreme poverty; others are victims of domestic violence and crime,” said Mandy Spies, Corporate Fundraiser for SOS Children’s Village Port Elizabeth.

“The need for organisations and individuals alike to become involved has never been more urgent. The task is simply too great for any single government or organisation to tackle alone. Working together, however, we can achieve this.

“Our aim for 2012 is to get as many people as possible involved in achieving the common goal of assisting those youth and children without families,” said Spies.

With this in mind, SOS Children’s Village Port Elizabeth calls all companies, organisations, schools, communities and individuals in Nelson Mandela Bay to do something for ‘WOW’ to aid vulnerable, orphaned and abandoned children in February 2012. There are no limitations in terms of how to get involved!

“Any money raised for SOS Children’s Villages will go directly to supporting the 7300 children in our care, as well as toward our community programme known as the ‘SOS Family Strengthening Programme’ (a sustainable operation developed to support vulnerable children without removing them from their natural family environment),” explained Spies.