As part of its activities, SOS Children’s Villages builds family for children in need within SOS children’s villages. It struggles at the same time for the welfare and the insertion of these children in the society.

The admission in SOS Children’s Villages is free. Thanks to the inquiries conducted by government social promotion centers and by the social department of SOS Children’s Villages, Children in need are identified for admission. For any request of admission, please get in touch with the social department of the SOS Children's Villages.
The admission’s criteria are:

• Complete orphan (father and mother deceased)
•  Half-orphan (one parent deceased and the other one is destitute)
• Abandoned children (without any familial references)
• Children who are victims of social exclusions (habits, customs, beliefs)

SOS Children’s Villages supports the development of neighbouring communities by the creation of educational (kindergartens, primary schools, art school), social and medical facilities.

SOS villages are only intended for children in need, whereas educational, social and health facilities are also meant for local communities. Thus, community children are urged to attend SOS kindergartens and primary schools which are model schools in Benin.

The Hermann Gmeiner Arts and Crafts Secondary School in Abomey-Calavi is the only reference as regard art training in Benin.

The SOS art school is meant for children who have terminated primary school and for artists who want to retrain in the art domain.

The SOS social centre, Abomey Calavi, and the SOS medical and social center, Dassa, cater for the medical and social needs of SOS beneficiaries as well as nearby communities.