Brazil Benevides
The SAD 2BRBN – Brazil Benevides project was launched in 1992 thanks to the collaboration between AFN and NAC, a Brazilian non-profit association based in the city of Benevides, Pará. The NAC was established as a civil and legal entity in 1987 to support both the Fiore nursery school and the Acolhida after-school program, founded by the local Focolare in the late 80s. The goal of the association is the construction of a more just society, aimed first and foremost at the needs of those who live in conditions of extreme poverty. The SAD program supports the Acolhida project, which has now become a social and educational centre that aims to contribute to the integral development of vulnerable minors in the area, through actions in the training and psychological field of children and young people and the social accompaniment of their families.
The SAD programme supports the Acolhida project, which has now become a social and educational centre that aims to contribute to the comprehensive development of vulnerable children in the area through educational and psychological support for children and young people and social support for their families.
DEFINITION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONTEXT
Brazil’s GDP has grown in recent years, driven by private consumption, still supported by a strong labour market, social benefits, and an export-friendly external environment. Poverty also declined in 2023, driven by better economic conditions and social protection policies. However, the Human Development Index (HDI) remains below pre-pandemic levels, and the country’s position has worsened, falling from 87th place in 2021 to 89th. The main reason is deep economic and social inequality: racial and gender discrimination persists as a systemic barrier that limits the opportunities of many individuals and families to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Afro-Brazilians and indigenous people in particular, have less access to good-quality schools and health services than whites, and women face job discrimination that limits their earning potential. As far as education is concerned, according to UNICEF, in 2020 more than 5 million girls and boys aged 6-17 did not have access to education in Brazil; of these, more than 40% were children aged 6 to 10. Inequality on an ethnic basis emerges from the data relating to the state of Pará, a region that, in addition to having a population of almost 70% dark, is home to the third largest indigenous community in the North. It should also be added that the regional economy is largely based on the extractive sector, which by its definition does not involve an equal distribution of resources. In the municipality of Benevides, for example, there is a high concentration of income among classes, higher than the state average: here, where the predominant formal occupations are in cleaning, teaching and agriculture, the average wage (R$ 2,400) is much lower than the national average (R$ 3,400). The inadequacy of public investment in social welfare limits access to basic rights, and results in low schooling, lack of sanitation and precarious housing, especially at the expense of the most vulnerable social groups, such as blacks, indigenous people and single mothers.
GEOGRAPHIC POSITION
Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world in terms of land area. Therefore, despite being the seventh most populous country in the world, with its 220 million inhabitants, its population density is low: most Brazilians are concentrated along the coast, while the hinterland is relatively sparsely inhabited, mainly due to the presence of the Amazon rainforest. It is characterized by a multi-ethnic society, formed by the descendants of Europeans, indigenous, Africans and Asians. 50% of the population belongs to the middle class, 40% to the poor class, and the remaining 10% are rich or millionaires. The state of Pará is located in the northern region of the country and is the second largest unit of the federation. It has about eight million inhabitants, and its economy is driven by the extractive, mining and vegetable sectors.
Benevides, known as the “Cradle of Freedom” for having led the way in the liberation of slaves, is a municipality integrated into the Metropolitan Region of Belém (capital of Pará). Its population of about 63 thousand people is made up of various ethnic groups. The insufficiency of public policies creates precariousness of housing, sanitation and quality of teaching, increasing the social risk to which minors are exposed.
COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT
The project takes place at the Acolhida social and educational centre, which belongs to the Focolare Movement and includes: 8 rooms (coordination room, dental office, psycho-social room, rooms for group activities, dance room, computer room and storage), three bathrooms, and an outdoor area with 1 porch, 1 kitchen, a storage room, 1 open sports field, 1 five-a-side football pitch and 2 bathrooms.
The staff consists of 09 people, namely: a secretary in charge of administration, a social worker, a music educator, a sports and martial arts educator, a computer educator, an English language educator, a kitchen and cleaning employee, a social service educator who also does school reinforcement, a pedagogue. In particular, the English-speaking educator and the pedagogue carry out this service voluntarily.
ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES IMPLEMENTED
Reinforcement courses in Portuguese and mathematics for 109 minors, Monday to Thursday
Multidisciplinary workshops (martial arts, music, sport, computer science) from Monday to Thursday
Social accompaniment for 80 families, through home visits and coordination with the social services of the Municipality
Dental sessions for 109 minors
Environmental education sessions for 109 minors
Care of the community gardens located at the Acolhida after-school program
Distribution of two meals and snacks a day to 109 minors
BENEFICIARIES
The direct beneficiaries are 109 minors, between 7 and 17 years old. The selection process of beneficiaries involves the assessment of their social vulnerability by a social worker, through the administration of an individual questionnaire and home visits. Other direct beneficiaries of the project are the family members of these minors, about 80 families.
The indirect beneficiary is the entire community of Benevides.
ACTIONS
- Support at a Distance
It is an ongoing commitment to support an educational, health and nutritional program aimed entirely at the individual minor and his family, both of which are part of the AFN project.
- Support for the project
This is an ongoing commitment to support an educational, health and nutritional program aimed at the entire group of minors and their families who are part of the AFN project.
- Donations
These are payments on a free basis and amount, in support of an educational, health and nutritional program aimed at the entire group of minors and their families who are part of the AFN project.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Distance support for a child. Contact the coordinators in your country for confirmation of the annual amount and payment details.
Reason for payment: ‘New long-distance support for Benevides, Brazil’ and, for subsequent payments, ‘renewal of long-distance support for Benevides, Brazil’.
- Contact the coordinators in your country for confirmation of the annual amount and payment details.
Reason for payment: ‘New support for the Brazil Benevides project’ and, for subsequent payments, ‘renewal of support for the Brazil Benevides project’.
- Donations – Reason for payment: “Donation for the Benevides project in Brazil”