SOS Children's Villages school one of the winners of Zayed Future Energy Prize

Dubai, UAE, January 20, 2016: 

SOS Children’s Villages International is proud to receive the Zayed Future Energy Prize, African Global High Schools award given yesterday to SOS HG Sheikh Secondary School in Somaliland.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico presented the award to a student representative from the school during the Zayed Future Energy Prize ceremony held in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday. 

The nomination was through the support of former students, school management and teachers who applied for the prize and had the support of the school and management. 

“We are happy that one of our SOS Children’s Villages programs is the winner of this prestigious award. Education is key for development and as an organization we believe in sustainable solutions,” said Nicole Nassar, Managing Director of the Gulf Area Office. 

The SOS HG Sheikh Secondary School is situated in Sheikh town in Somaliland which is three hours’ drive from the capital, Hargeisa. It has 300 students inside the school campus and boarding houses therefor the students, teachers and administration.

The school was built in the 1950s with the objective of training student for leadership roles. The school was closed with the fall of the central government in 1991 and was reopened in 2002 under the supervision of SOS Children's Village in Somaliland as one of many programmes for orphans and vulnerable children in the country and the region. 

About SOS Children’s Villages 
SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, social development organization that provides family-based care for children in 134 countries and territories and that advocates the concerns, rights and needs of children. Approximately 78,000 children and young people live in 560 SOS Children's Villages. More than 206,100 children and youths in educational programs worldwide. Moreover, SOS Children's Villages provides families with material, psychological and social support. 479 family strengthening programmes worldwide, reaching about 400,000 children and adults to help families stay together.

79 SOS Medical centres offering more than 845,200 single services help families stay healthy. In times of crisis and disaster, SOS Children's Villages helps through emergency relief programmes. More than 789,500 single services have been provided through 21 SOS Emergency Relief Programmes.

In the late 1990s, SOS Children's Villages implement an SOS Children's Village in Somaliland. SOS Children's Villages has also been running an SOS Family Strengthening Programme to enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their family to grow up within their own family. At present, SOS Children's Villages is supporting Somaliland children and young people by providing day care, education and medical assistance. Children, whose families can no longer take care of them, can find a loving home in one of the SOS families.
 
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico presents the Zayed Future Energy Prize African Global High Schools award to a student representative from SOS HG Sheikh Secondary School Somaliland.