Child sponsorship update from Rio Bonito, Brazil

Update for child sponsor supporters from the SOS Children's Village Rio Bonito, Brazil from Winter 2008.

SOS Children’s Village Rio Bonito has a great pleasure to inform you some news on our Family-Based Care and Community and Family Strengthening programmes.

In the Family-Based Care Programme, besides the usual celebrations (like Women’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day) we are legitimating new practices from our pilot project focused on integral rights-based vision.

One of our SOS families has moved to an outside-the-village house, living within the nearby community and they are already well-adjusted to their new home. Our integrated work with both programmes Family-based Care and Community and Family Strengthening is aligned to the perspective of an Integral Children’s-Right Approach through actions orientated to four basic components: children, women, families, and community.

Trying to create a democratic space, in which ideas can be shared and discussed, we do the Talking Circles where several issues of mutual interest are debated during all month long.

About 100 children and adolescents are taking part in NISC (Socio Cultural and Integration Centre), which aims to make children and adolescents be protagonists on their rights and duties within their families and communities. In July, as part of this movement, a group of youths renamed this project to JARC (Youths Conquering their Rights and Ransoming Culture). Idea came from a work done with them on ECA, stands for Children’s and Adolescents’ Act. After this work, first they came up with a rap song on this theme and after it, they did several performances in local events. Another issue worked with them was territoriality and belonging to a place, revitalising space through arts and Graffiti classes.

We have a considerable group of youths who got into the job market as apprentices. This experience will be very helpful to them to get their first jobs later.

A group of teenagers took part in solidary camp held by SOS Children’s Village Juiz de Fora, in February. Pororoca - the Tidal Bore Movement camp gathered together up to 50 teenagers from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais. During the event they were driven to think about their role within the society and their future life as an independent adult, talking about being sympathetic in a creative, participative, and collective way.

Working in partnership at Rio Bonito, Brazil

The whole SOS Village community welcomed the new Family-Based Care Director Mr. Rogério Lima de Aguiar, who came to join us in June, and Community and Family Strengthening Programme Director Mrs. Débora Santos De Conti, who started her activities in August.

In the second term, three of our teenagers traveled to south, more specifically to SOS Children’s Village Goioerê, based in Paraná State. There they took part in a discussion on “the youth role within society”, focusing on de-institutionalization. Activities done there aimed to make them aware in a level in which they could create/elaborate inside a network a proposal on Children’s and Adolescents’ Rights.

Another eminence in Judo is Diego, who has won several medals, like second place in the Metropolitan 1st Division Championship, third place in Paulistano Circuit, and third place in Paulista Championship for Black Belt, included he participated in two selective for South Championship and Pan Americano. Highlighting Vanderson, who has a huge gift for drawing and is a good assistant for his drawing teacher during the classes offered by Community and Family Strengthening Programme to local community.

The whole community has been preparing to do a big surprise for children on Children’s Day in October with a tournaments, barbecue, and toys distribution.

Currently Community and Family Strengthening Programme assists up to 800 children and adolescents through Rio Bonito Social Centre and 6 Community Centres. Cumona and Ceprocig Community Centres have got an agreement with FUNCAD to continue on giving assistance and counselling to children and families, besides pedagogical and administrative supports. Also we offer courses, lectures, workshops and vaccine campaigns for all community.

We thank you very much for your priceless help which means a lot for all those children and adolescents we assist.

Rogério Lima de Aguiar, Village Director; Débora Santos De Conti, Social Centre Director and Márcia Bertoletti, Sponsorship Department