In 1994, the two SOS Children's Villages run by the Tibetan Homes Foundation at Mussoorie had reached the limits of their capacity. Therefore it was decided to build a new SOS Children's Village near the city of Dehradun, which is about 50 km from Mussoorie. The site is located at the small town of Rajpur 10 km from Dehradun. The Tibetan community there had already established a school run by the Tibetan Homes Foundation. The town of Rajpur lies in the foothills of the Garhwal mountain range. SOS Children's Village Dehradun consists of 14 family houses, co-worker residences and the necessary administration and service area.
The smaller children attend the SOS Kindergarten, which is also open to children from the neighbourhood. The children are taught according to the Montessori method with strong emphasis on Tibetan language and culture. The already existing eight-grade school was upgraded to upper secondary level (twelve grades). It consists of 45 classrooms, laboratories and a multi-purpose hall. Youngsters can train for various jobs at the large SOS Vocational Training Centre: there is a technical school, metal work and commercial training. The centre has 22 classrooms, eight workshops, laboratories and boarding facilities.
SOS Children's Village Dehradun includes an SOS Youth Facility. Young people usually move from the SOS Children's Village to the 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.