voice for change quick hit diaries

The team arrived home on Tuesday afternoon, safe and sound, after a journey which involved a two and a half hour bus ride through Sao Paulo's rush hour (the hora de hush) on Monday afternoon, arriving after the gates had closed for their international flight, and being allowed through and onto the plane only because the flight's crew had been held up in the same traffic jam, making them arrive at the same time as our team ... what a coincidence!

Then all flights out of Amsterdam were delayed by snow (after two weeks of warm temperatures this is quite a shock to the system!) - so they inally arrived home about an hour and a half late, but not really very rested!

It's all in a day's work for a Voice for Change quick Hit team!!

Many congratulations to all the team for your hard work, dedication and commitment to achieve an astounding feat, laying so much concrete, building a new working area, mending the old roof, and putting up a new safety net for the play area - really remarkable and exhausting, and the children in the favela will appreciate it all for many years to come. Thanks Adam, Andy, Ann, Ben, Ellie, Karen, Katy, Steph and Steve - and well done again!

Thanks too, to the Brasilian team for looking after everyone so well, and for all the love and care you give to the children you look after every day of your lives!

If you would like to go to Brazil with Voice for Change and experience for yourself first-hand some of the life-changing times which this team has been through, please contact us at keith@vfcbrasil.com for more information.

If you would like to support this project financially, please go to www.vfcbrasil.com and give now to Voice for Change and the work we do in South America.

We shall be taking on 5 new children in our home at casa Branca next week, so please keep coming back to the blog, where we will keep you updated and post information about the new VfC family as soon as possible.

We have heard from our children who left us in February - they have moved house to a larger home, and hope to move again soon, to better housing in a city about 30 minutes drive away. They are all doing well, and their father is looking after them well too.

Saturday Sunday

We spent the weekend with the families and children from the two houses. Saturday began with a trip to the zoo which was enjoyed by all. The afternoon was a little delayed while we spent a couple of hours fixing the van, but with the repair done we set of for a little village on the river.

Today we visited a street market which was unlike any market I have seen. The stalls were packed and varied and everything you could possible need or want was on sale! The highlight for me and a surprise for us all was the classic car show that took place along one of the streets. The afternoon centered around a big BBQ at the house we have called home for the last few weeks! The food was plenty full, varied and tasty. I think sitting down and relaxing made most of us realize just how tired we all were.

This evening we went to one of the local churches and shared communion with them. Although we understood little of the dialect the words, joy, enthusiasm and a little help were translation enough for us all to enjoy the experience.

Friday 21st

Our last working day and the culmination of two weeks hard work. We finished tiling the roof and hanging the netting around the sports area. That left us only two small jobs......well not small at all really and that didn't include cleaning up and returning the tools!

So Steve and Jackson looked at the leaking roof and the rest of us swept the concrete pads in preparation to hang a net under the new roof to protect the tiles from wayward footballs.

The net went up quickly and without a hitch which was a touch unusual to be honest. So we have finished the project as promised and came back to hot showers and the promise of a good meal out.

I feel we must mention Andy who built two of the best rubbish retaining systems from the array of left over wood. Some how none of us got a good picture of it. So if you are interested you will just have to volunteer to come out on a quick hit team and see them for yourselves.

Team, you are amazing and we are all so proud of you!

Well done and thank you from everyone at Voice for Change in Brazil, Canada and the UK - in fact all over the world!

This new building is going to be so helpful to our work in the favela, and we are deeply grateful to you for your hard work and fantastic effort these past two weeks ...

Enjoy the Easter weekend and have a good trip back to the UK on Monday/Tuesday.

give everyone a big hug from us!
keith and denise

Thursday 20th

Today was hot and sunny and hot and wet. The team divided into three parts two outside and one in. The first team continued with the baton and tile laying. I am sure you have all guessed what we are building! :-) while the second team started to prepare the netting to go around the non roofed area (we hope this will help keep the balls inside the compound). Meanwhile inside a project called Easter Isle was underway. Various stations that recreated parts of the easter story were constructed and the children traveled through the last hours of Jesus life.

Rain did stop play both inside and out as a fast moving but heavy thunderstorm battered Curitiba, fortunately for us it was lunch time so we ate our sandwiches and watched the bolts of lighting streak down from the sky.

After lunch work carried on as if nothing had happened. By knock off we had completed all the tasks we had planned, and tomorrow should be a full day that sees all of our work completed in good order and on time! We aim to please

Wednesday 19th

The children from the villa all visited the museum today, so we took advantage of their absence and laid another six cubic meters of concrete. We also unloaded all the roof tiles and laid up half of the batons needed to start laying them.

While the batons went up the rest of the team began preparing for the easter story which will be presented to the children tomorrow.

As the days pass by and the work rate remains high the fatigue is starting to set in, but when duty calls the team rises to the challenge. The tile lorry pulled out of the drive as the cement lorry rolled in but we still managed to unload it in the same time of 1 hour 45 we managed last week!

Tuesday 18th

Today was hard work as we split the team. Ellie, and Katy spent the the morning working with Darla, Priscilla and the kids making twister and scoobies. Anne and Karen split themselves in two and divided their time between that and the continuing construction outside. (Has anyone guesed what we are building yet). However the activities culminated in the creation of easter biscuits, but they were so popular that they were all eaten before any of us could get a picture. :-)

Outside it was business as usual. We lifted the cross members into place and drove metal bars into the ends to hold them in place. It was hard work and today saw the first really hot day but both inside and out things went according to plan. Which to be fair surprised us all!

The chance to spend some time with the kids was fantastic and it made everyone more determined to finish the project!

Monday 17th

So much has happened since the last Blogging. On Thursday night we visited Casa Dourada and had a fantastic time with the family. The food was amazing and the company even better. I think it left a mark on us all. Friday was a 'finish up and tidy up' day and by lunchtime we were ready to depart for our well-earned rest on the coast!

Today was always going to be a hard day but after the weekend we were ready for the challenge. Two 9 metre poles were lifted into place atop the 6 posts raised last week. This was no mean feat without a crane, but not to be beaten we worked together and by 18.30 both beams were fixed in place. This is the latest we have ever left, and the change in the favela was remarkable. There was a buzz of activity and seemed that much more daunting in the fading light.

After a long hard day it was good to have time enough to take Tuim out for a birthday meal. We can not say how old she was as that would be rude, but for those of you that know her we are sure you wish her and Jackson well!

The team has worked really hard this week, and the project seems to be right on schedule, thanks to all their effort through the autumn sun and rain!

This project is going to make a big difference to our ability to deliver a quality education and personal skills programme in vila Uniao, and everyone at Voice for Change is really grateful to the UK and Brasilian teams -you are amazing - and to all the donors and sponsors who provided the funds to make this project possible - without you, none of this is possible.

If you would like to be part of a future team, or if you can help us with a donation please feel free to contact us or find our more from the website www.vfcbrasil.com at any time. We will be delighted to hear from you.

If you have always wanted to run a marathon, why not join our November 2008 team which will be taking part in the Curitiba marathon, from 15 November ... it will be a team with a difference!

Our teams always get to experience a little Brasilian culture and geography, and after their hard physical week's work, they will go today for a visit to Cananeia, the first place where settlers landed in Brasil over 200 years ago. They will trek through the Atlantic rainforest, swim in the waterfall pool in the forest, and visit the nature reserves of Cardoso Island, where they will learn more about the way that Brasil has developed and why it is like it is today.

They will travel via the notorious BR116 road, which runs from Igaucu Falls to Sao Paulo, the road which delivers goods to the whole of southern South America, a road which is about to begin a programme of improvements which will bring it into the 21st century. They will see some of the spectacular green vistas of this beautiful country, and understand more about the differences between the rich and the poor in the 5th largest country of the world, struggling to sort out its economy and infrastructure, against a background of corruption, and vitality ....

Our team will return to Curitiba on Sunday, ready for another week of very hard labour against the clock of the airline schedules .. let's hope they get a good rest, and see lots of golfinos, iguanas, parrots and alligators to give them a really rich experience!!

Thursday 13th

The day did not start off as planned. Heavy rain caused the concrete lorry to arrive a little late, about 3 hours late!! Andy used the delay to make some benches to go onto the new pads and the rest of us prayed for the rain to abate!

When the mini mix finally arrived it was all hands to the pump. We had one hour to hand barrow 6 cubic meters of concrete into place. With our prayers answered we began in the dry but by the one hour point we had moved only 3.5 cubic meters. Fortunately for us the driver offered to stay on site until all the cement had been poured free of charge!!!

I have to say it was great to see the team working together on a single task. Nobody shirked the hot dirty work , and male or female everybody laid hands on barrow and shovel. A special mention must go to Steph Rayner who controlled the flow from the mini mix shoot with precision providing us with steady and manageable loads.










We won't be blogging again about the vila work until Monday night as we are going away for the weekend!

authors footnote: you may be wondering what we are trying to build out here and to be honest at times so are we. You will all have to wait with bated breath to see the finished article, or keep watching the pictures on the blog and see if you can guess................ "Do you know what it is yet?"

Wednesday 12th

A long day which consisted of a great deal of shoveling as we moved the sand, cement and gravel into the community center and began mixing the concrete for the six support pilers. With a great deal of help from some of the locals and the oldest JCB in the known world we lifted the supports into position and then lowered then into the holes which after last nights storm were full of water.

The last part of the day was spent preparing three large bays for a ready-mix concrete pour first thing tomorrow morning.

All in all a busy day but very rewarding and with the posts in place the project is really starting to take shape!







Adam Baker the knot man :-)

Tuesday 10th March

Today we broke ground at the site. Things started off well and the words "we will be finished by Friday!" were banded about. A short time later Steve dug through the water main and flooded the site and Ben and I uncovered some old foundations right where the main supports were supposed to go! Still even the best laid plans never survive the first contact !!!! and in the best British style we maintained a stiff upper lip and modified our plan Y to plan Z.

By the end of the day the six holes for the supports had been bored out , the timber was moved into position and the area to be concreted was cleared and shuttered.

All in all a hot hard day, but well worth the effort.

Adam the hole borer! :-)

Monday 10th March.

Not so early start after yesterday, once sorted, refreshed and a quick game of basketball with Samwell and Pedro we visted the second childrens home Casa Dorada. Back for a quick lunch and off to see Darla and Priscilla at the Villa. No children this afternoon but plenty of planning and torrential rain. Sampled a local delicacy of sugar cane on the way home. Real work starts tomorrow.

Sunday 9th March

"Ground Hog Day" here we are again, Norwich airport at 5.15am. Check in went smoothly considering the amount of luggage. Flights 1 & 2 on time, movies made twelve hours more bearable. Arrived in Brazil still three more stages to go, an entertaining taxi ride across Sao Paulo in what seemed like the rush hour dispite it being Sunday evening. Made it with time to spare for the Gol flight, then sat on runway for what felt like an eternity. Landed in Curitiba to be met by friendly faces and a VW camper van, only took 24 hours (and two takes) to get here. Moved in to Casa Branca and all slept very well.

Saturday 8th March

Arrived at Norwich Airport at 5.15am and tried to book in but KLM had cancelled our flight to Brazil and put us on different flights for Saturday and Sunday. After some help from the Airport Manager and his staff we were all booked on the Sunday flights. Our only problem was that our interal flight needed to be changed and on a Sunday this did not fly. After some time on the internet we manged to rebook a flight from the 2nd Airport in Sao Paulo.
Although an anticlimax for all, at least we where not stranded in Amsterdam.

The team finally left the UK at 6.25 this morning and safely left Amsterdam, arriving Sao Paulo about now, the time this is being written.

They will go through Customs and passport control to be allowed to enter Brazil, and then they will catch a bus or taxis to cross the second largest city in the world, to get to Congonhas airport in downtown S Paulo, where the Gol flight leaves for Curitiba at 8.30 pm.

The flight should be one hour, and so the team will arrive at 9.30 local time, to be met by Val and Jackson, and taken to casa Branca for a well-earned shower and sleep!!

Work on the favela project, rebuilding part of the roof, is scheduled to start tomorrow morning, so we will await the next blog to see if they can get up and start on time!

The team's flight from Amsterdam was cancelled this morning, after they arrived at Norwich airport at 5 am to take off for the trip to Brazil, so they are all back at home now, hoping to start the trip all over again on Sunday!

We have re-booked all the flights and connections, and they will cross Sao Paulo on Sunday evening to go to the city airport (Congonhas) to fly to Curitiba at 8.30 pm, arriving 9.30 pm (12.30 am Monday UK time!)

Our next team from the UK is going to Brasil on Saturday this week - Steve and Ann Rayner, with Ben and Katy, Steph, Karen Evans, Adam Baker and Ellie Bush ... all from Norwich. They have a great task ahead of them, to try to build a new classroom at the favela centre in just 2 weeks ... but they are up for the challenge! They will be blogging here each day, so you can follow their progress, and get more reports on how the street children of Brazil are doing, by logging on every day, and supporting the team!