Child sponsorship update from São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil from Winter 2007/2008.

It is a great pleasure to us bring you some news about the development of SOS Children’s Village of São Bernardo do Campo so far. At the right moment we assist 83 children and youths (between 4 and 24 years old) within our 8 SOS-houses.
We started 2007 with one of our SOS mothers retiring after 19 years of dedication to children from SOS Children. Due to the strong affective bond between her and her children and adolescents, she decided to adopt them. Supporting the family’s decision and notice financial difficulties that they could face, our Village will help them until they can get their independence as a family.

Soon after that another child was adopted, but this time by a baptism godmother who was following child’s development since she was 3 years old. It was a very touching for the child gets the news she will be adopted on her 10 years old birthday. Today she says she is a luck girl for having got two mothers. She still comes to visit her SOS mother for whom she looks up to a lot.

As a mother’s heart is always a big place, SOS mother Sebastiana, after Patricia adoption, welcomed another child named Viviane who is already fully well-adjusted to her new SOS family.

Thinking on a better quality of life for children and adolescents, in the beginning of this month we hired a pedagogical assistant who has been developing many activities focusing on themes related to the SOS mothers needs, providing them new learning and change of experiences. Herewith they are more integrated and secures about their mission of raising a family.

Our adolescents are conquering their spaces in the job market. Washington and Maria José have started in the PEAT - Programe de Educação para o Trabalho (Programme of education for labour); and Rogério, Angélica, and Jéssica are working as probationers for the Municipal city hall.

Supporting children and communities at São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil

Nowadays we have 25 children from Community and Family Strengthening Programme carry on to take part in the Joaninha Project held by Ballet Stagium, one of the most famous dance companies in Brazil. Children’s group first presentation to a big audience happened on the opening day of the Tempo and Movimentos Convention that was a celebration to the 40th anniversary of SOS Children Brazil. It was a great pleasure to us can share the success of our children with so many SOS Children’s Village co-workers from many states of Brazil. Between these children, 6 of them have been highlighted: Diego, Ronaldo, Brenda, Henrique, Evelin, and Jonas. Now they are doing performances in schools and events.

Also during this convention it was proposed to the participants a mini-convention in each village. Here in São Bernando do Campo we did it on August 03rd. Each and every one of our co-workers enthusiastically took part in this event where they had opportunity to discuss many themes. Day was closed with the participation of our guests of honor: our children. Their glittering eyes when they saw the anniversary cake was profoundly touching.

After this mini-convention, both programmes of São Bernardo do Campo, SOS Children’s Village and Social Centre, have been working very close, so many activities are been discussed and developed together, for instance the celebration of Health’s Day which was held at the Social Centre with the cooperation of all co-workers and opened to the local community, our SOS mothers, children, and adolescentes.

Sonho de Criança Day-Care was reopened after six months closed for refurbishing. Now assisted children have more comfort and safety. Also we could increase the number of beneficiaries, assisting more 20 children besides the regular ones. This refurbish was possible due to partnerships that helped us to offer a better and larger place for the children.
Also we have established three new partnerships with the Community Centres of Rafá, Creche Fraterno, and Raios de Sol, showing that our work has been spread to other points of the city.

Work done by the embroiderer’s mothers has been growing, too. By this time we have 18 women who are organizing and taking capacitation courses to, within the near future, open a cooperative society for needlewomen. One of our SOS houses that was closed has been assigned to needlewomen’s group, this way they can develop their work and improve the family income. Giving their first step, they are making embroidery services for a local clothing company. Other courses will be offered for women to be able to do an income-generating activity, like painting and furniture restoration.

At the Social Centre, a confectionary and appetizer course are been offered to those ones who wants to increase the family-income.

Currently Community and Family Strengthening Programme assists 519 children and 348 families within Social Centre and Community Centres. Many activities and courses have been offered during this year trying to improve beneficiaries’ quality of life.

Event in the year at São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil

In August, city’s anniversary month, children and adolescents assisted by our programme had the opportunity to know about the origins of the city and our neighbourhood. We ended August with an exhibition of recycled objects.

Nowadays world is concerned about environment, so as our children and adolescents who has discussed with the educators about this theme and has already organised two green-day-parades. Some mothers supported the parades taking part in, collecting the waste from the streets, helping to reduce the pollution impact in this area. Everybody was so excited that they were constantly asking the pedagogical assistant when the next one will happen.

Every two years we have a Conference on Children’s and Adolescents’ Rights, time to discuss the kind of assistance has been given to them in each city. One of our educators and one of our teenagers took part in this discussion. Also the social centre director addressed a lecture on National Plan on Community and Family Based Care, a national reading of the Children and Adolescents Act - ECA (Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente do Brasil) -, it has been understood that “every child needs to live together with her/his biological family”.

Our children and teenagers, concerned about their own future, are making the difference in society taking part in this kind of discussion which makes us very proud of them.
Concluding, we would like to express our most deeply gratefulness for your generosity and important support, you make part of all our victories.

Enéas Palmeira Machado, Village Director; Eliane Reis, Social Centre Director & Elena Soboleff, Sponsorship Department