Helping Children who Live in a Difficult Social Environment
Project location: Brazil, Fortaleza
Project start date: July 2010 -
Project end date: July 2011
Project number: 2010-34
Beneficiary: Associação Beneficente dos Agostinianos Recoletos de Fortaleza
This project, co-financed by the Nando Peretti Foundation, will help children and teenagers who are in a critical living and social situation. Some are living in the suburbs and are constantly at risk of abuse and sexual exploitation. In these areas there are many problems such as drug traffic, alcoholism, murder and child labor is the primary source of family income.
School in Brasil is mandatory for children from seven till fourteen years of age. However, in public schools, many children are unable to receive standard education. This project aims to stimulate students to learn, and to offer children an opportunity to improve their skills through games too.
Through this project ABARF of Agustinian Recolect of Fortaleza aims at providing children in difficult living conditions a place to develop and grow as normal persons.
Education and play will be the tools to achieve a harmonious growth and to create a comfortable future.
In 2009 ABARF built a refuge to receive girls from seven till fifteen who were victims of abuse and sexual exploitation. It was inaugurated in August 2009 and it received fourteen girls.
Besides, ABARF created other educational projects for children to nourish them and to stimulate cleanliness in a poor city neighbourhood of Fortaleza.
ABARF relies on professional people and many volunteers. It is part of a network of organizations named CEU (www.ceufortaleza.com.br).
To fulfill this plan ABARF opened two buildings in 2009.
1) The first refuge takes in children and teenagers from seven till fifteen years old. All of them are victims of sexual abuse or in risk of sexual abuse. The girls/teenagers are taken temporally away from their abusers and they are protected inside the "Lar Santa Mónica" refuge. Here, ABARF tries to fulfill all their necessities: medical, social welfare, and psychological treatment.
2) The second refuge is the Educational Centre in "Carlito Pamplona". Carlito Pamplona is a neighborhood with a lot of needs. The Educational Centre is situated inside this neighborhood. ABARF tries to help children with pedagogical supports: lecture, writing and recreational activities. There is a family and dentist doctor to take care of the children. ABARF offers to all these children a daily meal.
"Lar Santa Monica" now hosts 14 girls and 200 children. "Carlito Pamplona" hosts 50 boys and girls who receive direct help and other 300 children who are indirectly helped too.
The project will be implemented as follows:
a) ABARF will provide a pedagogic professional operator in charge of coordinating all activities in both Centres: LAR SANTA MONICA and CARLITO PAMPLONA. She will help children two hours in the morning from Monday to Saturday in CARLITO PAMPLONA and four hours from Monday to Saturday in LAR SANTA MONICA.
b) Professional operators and volunteers will pay personal attention to each boy and girl in both places. This pedagogic team will incentive the participation of the children through events like games, competitions, workshops, etc.
c) Children will receive help to complete school tasks. They will take part in workshops and will participate in reading contests. Using new technologies they will work on the artistic aspects: music (School of dance), cinema (movies of educational content twice a week), design (learning to paint and making Christmas cards) and sports activities (karate, basket...).
ABARF expects that children from seven to sixteen years of age will learn the basic writing and reading skills in one year.
ABARF expects to achieve the aim of social risk prevention by taking the children out of the streets and providing them healthy educational spaces and artistic attention.
The children and teenagers who take part to the project will extend the positive outcome to their family environments and also to their school, where they will have improved their overall scholastic achievements.
[2012-038]
Year II
This project received a grant from the Nando Peretti Foundation for another year, namely 2012-2013.
