Child Sponsorship Report 2010, from Assomada, Cape Verde

Please note: This report may have been written by someone whose first language is not English.  We have left it largely unedited, as this is how a sponsor would receive it.

Dear sponsors,

All children, youths, mothers and staff of SOS Children’s Village Assomada are sending warm greetings. We are pleased to share our main events of the past 6 months. Our wish is also to detail how your lovely friendship is improving the families and their lives at the Village.

Eight youths were resettled. Every participant in the ceremony could witness the strong emotion on the SOS mothers’ faces the day their children were officially departed. “An intense emotion, a mix of grief and happiness caused by the separation with the child, we’d risen since he or she was little.” said one of SOS mother. “We know life is hard and we want to protect them, on the other hand, we want them to succeed. This moment shows our hard work paid off.” continued another one.

Today, a total of 95 children and youth are under our care. They could enjoy participating in many activities over the past months. For instance, on Christmas Eve, December 24, the streets of Assomada, were filled with lots of animation and joy. During the Christmas parade, loaded by music, dance, poetry and plenty of animation in the streets, the children and people’s faces reflected a lot of enthusiasm. There was a great mobilization from the community, where people learnt more about our projects and supported the organization’s work through donations, which mainly went to the Family Strengthening Programme of Assomada. This community Programme is ran from the Village and supports 25 benefeciaries vulnerable families from the neighbouring rural areas.

Children also spent good moments during the Carnival period and particular the little ones. They were much involved in the community and in the public school celebrations. They were also worried to get their carnival fancy dresses in time and started begging and plaguing their mothers to buy the clothes week earlier.

Easter Sunday was also greatly celebrated. Some children went to the Easter mass with their SOS mothers while others celebrated the day with their biological family. In each family house, children and their mother gathered with relatives and friends around a special Easter meal. After lunch, the family houses got livelier. They played music, they danced and some children escaped their house to meet their other friends at the playground.

From 7 to 12 of April, 29 youths from the Youth House ‘Thomas da Cruz’ and 32 from Pupils Centre camped in the locality of Rincão, interior of Santa Catarina Municipality. Organized with a solidarity and pedagogical aim, this camping had for objectives to tighten up the partnership and friendship bond developed with the Cape Verde Army Forces Pupils Centre, to promote solidarity with the Rincão community and promote disciplinary rules to SOS youth. During this camp, several activities were carried out such as: discussions on drugs addiction, cleaning campaigns, painting of the houses of some of the needy families from the community and a guided visit of the natural park ‘Serra Malagueta’.

The 10th edition of “Infantile Games” has started in April. Carried out in partnership with Education and Sports Ministries, the first part of the games took place simultaneously in every Cape Verde Islands and gathered hundreds of participants aged 4 to 5 years old. The final will take place on 16 of June, Day of the African Child, on São Vicente Island. The character of this infantile game is more pedagogic and educative than competitive. The motto of this infantile game’s edition is: “It is through children, we build a developed, reliable and safe Cape Verde.” In total, 25 children from the SOS Nursery of Assomada took part in the first stage of the games.

The latest village activity was the mother’s day celebration, on May 9th. The youths honoured the SOS mothers with an afternoon tea prepared on their own. The SOS mothers were so touched, happy and surprised that some even cried. There was also entertainment activity performed by children, which included poems recital and dances among others. The Santa Catarina parish priest also ministered a talk on the theme, “Being a mother today”.

Family Strengthening Programme of Mindelo

After 2 years of operation, the Social Centre of Mindelo in São Vicente Island is keeping up its role, mainly supporting hundreds of families and children. At first, embraced a dozen of street boys in a small room in the city of Mindelo, today is helping 450 families in need in an appropriate home. The milestone for 2010 is to reach at least 700 beneficiaries. A beneficiary family of 7 members; mother, stepfather, three children, grandson and a mental disable nephew, is today 90% autonomy of the Programme. The mother has managed selling small business, the oldest daughter is employed, the remaining children are studying thanks to school fees payment and the mental disable nephew helped with a monthly income.

Family Strengthening Programme of Praia

The formerly “Brasil street children” are today “Communitarian Centre of Intervention children of Brasil residential quarter”, in Praia city. In earlier times, the most problematic quarter, has been seen nowadays with different eyes by the neighbouring community; a strong engagement has been developed; there are less street children to count and every child is officially registered. The children education is a key factor with a special regard in the prevention of school abandonment as well as trainings carried out to the 20 beneficiary families totalling 93 children.

We hope this short letter has given you a good insight on the life in our SOS Children’s Village of Assomada and would like to tell how grateful we are for your tremendous support. We want to emphasize, once again, that we count on you to be able to keep providing to all these young people a happy and normal life within their SOS families. Many thanks for making all this achievable. May God always bless you!

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Jandira Freire