India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the country has been transformed in recent years. However, almost 50% of children under the age of 3 are malnourished. There continues to be high incidence of child labour and out-of-school children, girls remaining particularly disadvantaged. Although the caste system has been officially abolished, religious and social barriers still influence everyday life.

The SOS Sponsor a Child programme has been running in India since 1963. Today there are 39 children’s villages, eight of which are for Tibetan refugee children, see here. As well as the communities where over 6,000 once-destitute children now have a permanent family home, over fifty SOS welfare, educational and medical facilities also provide assistance for people in the wider community.

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SPONSOR AN INDIAN CHILD IN ANY ONE OF THE 18 STATES BELOW.

Andhra Pradesh state – Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam
Assam state – Bhakatpara, Guwahati, Hojai
Bhopal state – Bhopal City
Delhi State – Bawana, Greenfields
Gujurat state – Ahmedabat, Bhuj
Haryana state – Faridabad
Jammu / Kashmir state – Jammu City
Karnataka state – Bangalore
Kerala state – Alwaye-Cochin, Trichur
Madras state – Chennai
Maharashtra state – Latur, Pune
Meghalaya state – Shillong
Orissa state – Bhubaneshwar
Punjab state – Rajpura, Rourkela
Rajasthan state – Jaipur
Uttarakhand state – Bhimtal
Uttar Pradesh state – Varanasi
West Bengal state – Kolkata

In addition to providing families for Indian orphaned and abandoned children, SOS manages over 50 social facilities providing education and medical assistance for the wider community.