Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

WESTERN BUREAU:

President of SOS-Kin-derdorf International, Helmut Kutin, has called for adults to care for children as if they were their own, and "give them a sense of belonging".

Arguing that a sense of belonging is integral to the positive growth and development of children, Mr. Kutin charged all SOS caregivers to open their hearts to their wards.

"Around this world there are still too many children in want of love, care and, most of all, acceptance. There are too many countries where children have to experience killing, where there is nobody to care for them and nobody who wants them," he said.

"I have seen a lot of poverty in the last 40 years around the world. But the worst poverty is for a child not to belong to somebody, not to have somebody who cares for them."

Speaking prior to Wednesday's special presentation ceremony in which SOS Rings, the highest SOS Internationalhonours, were bestowed on 11 Jamaicans, Mr. Kutin encouraged the recipients to embark on a new spirit and vision by committing themselves to saving the adults of tomorrow from today.

'Children are our today'

"There is this brilliant saying around the world that 'Children are our future'. Children are our today. We cannot talk about children of our future if we are not doing something for them today," he stressed.

Mr. Kutin added: "The SOS ring is not only the highest distinction of the worldwide SOS Children's Village movement, but it is also to say I have decided to go together with these children in good days and in bad days, we want to share both because unless we are willing to share both we cannot make any achievement ... in many countries around the world young people find it very difficult today to cope and therefore we have to put in much more than ever before."

The SOS ring is presented to outstanding mothers in the organisation who have served for more than 10 years. The recipients are nominated by their peers and are reviewed by a committee of the Hermann Gmeiner Academy. Handcrafted in Austria, the gold ring bears the SOS insignia and can only be awarded by the president of SOS-Kinderdorf International.