In the southern state of Kerala, two SOS Children's Villages were built not far from each other at Trichur and Alwaye-Cochin. Kerala is a very fertile agricultural region, with a high unemployment rate all the same. Construction of SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin and its SOS Kindergarten started in 1989. The first children moved into their new homes in 1990. SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin consists of 15 family houses, staff accommodation, a multi-purpose hall, a sick bay, and the necessary administration and service area. At this SOS Children's Village, Christian, Hindu and Muslim children live together in peace. Behind each house, there is a small garden where vegetables and flowers can be grown. The children can get some exercise at the playground and sports field on the premises of the SOS Children's Village. In the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village, there is a market, a railway station and a bus stop. In the town of Alwaye, there are various schools and hospitals.
In 1994, an SOS Youth Facility was opened. Young people usually move from the SOS Children's Village to an SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, the young people develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.
The SOS Social Centre caters to the local community and offers family strengthening programmes. These programmes are intended to support families at risk of abandoning their children and to encourage families to stay together. SOS Children's Villages therefore works with local authorities and other service providers to support families and enable them to take good care of their children. The Alwaye-Cochin SOS Social Centre provides nutritional, educational and health support as well as vocational training, career counselling sessions and job placement support. Families are linked with existing self-help groups; if there is no group, a new one is formed. The SOS Social Centre also tries to raise awareness of hygiene and child rights and to improve people's parenting skills. At the affiliated day-care centre, young children of poor local families are looked after during the day so that their parents can go to work.
SOS Children's Village Alwaye-Cochin received the 1999 annual National Award of India for outstanding performance in the field of child development and welfare.