December 2007 — Oliver Schrott Kommu­nika­tion is providing regular support for SOS- Kinder­dorf Gabu in Guinea-Bissau. The agency wants to offer the chil­dren’s home enduring secu­rity with this long-term commit­ment, ensuring the continued exis­tence and further expan­sion of the facility.

Guinea-Bissau is on the west coast of Africa, and is one of the world’s poorest coun­tries. Over 65 percent of its 1.4 million inhab­i­tants exist below the poverty line, and one in ten adults is HIV posi­tive. The result is a horri­fy­ingly high number of orphans. Average life expectancy is only around 46 years, which is also partially due to the high infant mortality rate of 108 dead babies per 1,000 newborns.

Around 100 chil­dren live in ten family-style houses at the SOS-Kinder­dorf Gabu, one of only three facil­i­ties of this type in Guinea-Bissau. The village includes a kinder­garten for 100 and an elemen­tary school for 300 chil­dren. The schools are also avail­able for use by local inhab­i­tants.

Over the last nine years, Oliver Schrott Kommu­nika­tion has supported aid programs in Kosovo, South Africa, Sudan, Pakistan and Palestine.