The newly elected President of SOS Children’s Villages International, Siddhartha Kaul, has outlined an ambitious plan that provides a loving home for one million at-risk children.

“For SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka Siddhartha Kaul is a very special name as in March 1981 he began work as the Project Director in Sri Lanka. He set up the office of SOS Children’s Village International in Sri Lanka at Mount Lavinia (a suburb of Colombo).

Siddhartha Kaul speaking in General Assembly of SOS Children’s Villages

“The global economic downturn has impacted on the organisation, however the plight of children across the world is not limited to economic matters,” said Mr Kaul. Speaking after his election at the General Assembly of SOS Children’s Village International, President Siddhartha Kaul, 57, also demonstrated the scale of his commitment to the federation of 133 countries and territories.

“Together we will strive to do what is possible to provide a caring family environment for one million children by the end of the decade, keeping in mind that quality supersedes quantity. We promised one million children and this is a promise we aim to keep. To achieve it, is a major task, in today’s difficult environment. For 63 years, supporters have responded to our work with tremendous faith and we seek their continued help.” SOS Children’s Villages currently provides a loving home to some 370,000 children. In addition to this, in excess of one million children and adults are supported through the provision of a variety of services.

His predecessor and mentor, Helmut Kutin described the Indian born President as “an organiser, a realistic thinker in matters of economics and someone who appreciates the value of diversity”. This was evident when Mr Kaul supervised the highly successful SOS Emergency Relief and Reconstruction Programme that followed Asia’s tsunami in 2004.

In Sri Lanka SOS Children’s Villages provided houses and means of livelihood to people who lost everything to deadly waves of tsunami.

More than 600 new houses were built in Komari alone. Social facilities for kindergartens, schools, health centres and advice points were also set up in the small fishing village on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. A state-run school that devastated was rebuild in kalmunai.

His father, J.N. Kaul, a social worker, co-founded SOS Children’s Villages India and subsequently lived with his family in Greenfields - the first of the country’s 39 villages. As he spent much of his youth there, Siddhartha became affectionately referred to as the Bhaiya (elder brother).

He saw how families flourish in supportive communities. This prompted him as a student to lead summer camps and provide his peers with tuition in languages and math. His understanding of the needs of children, young adults and mothers was evident to both Hermann Gmeiner and Helmut Kutin with whom he became acquainted.

After studying architecture and liberal arts, Siddhartha Kaul was persuaded to become the director of an SOS Children’s Village.

“He respects all religions and has a great understanding of people,”says former President Kutin. He recognised and nurtured the talent that led Mr Kaul to the most senior positions within SOS Children’s Villages elsewhere in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Cambodia. Until his election as president, he was in charge of Asian continent as Deputy Secretary General.

SOS Children’s Villages President Siddhartha Kaul has today confirmed that he recognises the complexity of issues facing at-risk children and families. “Regardless of whether they are in Sri Lanka, Serbia or Spain, every child who becomes a successful young person brings us closer to our mission. We work directly with every individual child; this is the uniqueness of our organisation” he said.

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