Thursday, June 11, 2009
on wednesday afternoon we went to another favela, where we provide football training for about 30 boys on wednesday afternoons and saturday mornings, around 3 hours each time.
the coach, luis-claudio, and his assistant paulo were ´over the moon´ to be given the kit which we brought with us to give them, and they quickly prepared for a six-a-side game, which turned into 9-a-side as more boys arrived.
it was cold and wet there, so a few didn´t make it yesterday.
you can see that the goalkeeper has no shoes or boots - that is how he plays - many of the boys had no shoes or boots to wear, and the grass isn´t exactly wembley, as you can see. this piece of land has been ´cleared´ and two sets of goalposts erected. they would love to be able to level the ground (which floods when it rains hard) and keep it clear, with good grass ...
also the ball in the picture is the only ball they have to train and play with - for 30 youngsters!
becky has kindly bought a pair of gloves for the keeper, he is so thrilled to have them.
the feeling of achievement in bringing sport to these kids, who live in poverty and have nothing, and the look on their faces when they are presented with the equipment to help and encourage them, is amazing!
no trip to curitiba is complete without a visit to waldo´s burger bar, it´s the best!!
margaret holds court at the vila centre on wednesday morning, before tucking into a burger at waldo´s burger bar!!!
here is the promised picture of the new hairstyle, with the ´cabeleireiras´ !
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
We paid a quick visit to the fruit and veg market for a drink and some provisions, and later went off to eat at the ´Divino Mestre`charruscaria, where we managed a very pleasant meal!
Then we came back to Casa Branca to sample ´pinhao´which had been cooked for us (they are a bit like chestnuts) - and Tais and Gaby turned the sitting room into a hair salon for re-arranging Margaret´s hairstyle!! (picture to follow later!!)
Becky and Margaret spent Tuesday at the Vila Centre, working with Priscila, Karem, Dani and Rudy.
After the morning session, they enjoyed lunch of spaghetti bolognese cooked by Karem, before repeating it all again for the children who come in the afternoon.
Up to 100 children come in every day, normally more make it in the afternoon - when they get up/remember to come/have something to wear.
A long and exciting game of Uno was held, while the children loved getting hold of Becký´s camera and taking pictures of themselves with her!
Then it was down to the hard work of making decorations for the ´festa juninho´party next week
This family attends the Vila centre every afternoon - except the little boy on the left, who is still too young to come. Mother and Granny sort rubbish in their garden all day long, after Dad has brought it back from the city centre. They stand in front of their house. There are six children in this family.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
On Monday Becky, Bruna and Lucas cleaned and re-built the ´casinha´ - the little house - in which bruna just loves to play all kinds of imaginitive games ...
and completed it very quickly ...
most of the other children went to CAPSI, while tais did her homework at the table .....
darci cooked lunch of chicken, beans and rice ....
while our other team member washed, scrubbed and cleaned furniture for putting into casa branca.
Monday, June 08, 2009
After 4 days of sunny but very cold weather (especially at night) we have had a couple of days which have been quite pleasant, so visiting the ´feria hipie´on sunday to buy things for the cafe and shop which is run in the UK to help raise money for VfC (www.theparkonline.org) was avery pleasant and enjoyable four hours yesterday, and we got some very nice things to sell from the local artists and artisans ..
Today has started a bit overcast and misty ...
One of the boys proudly shows off his new football kit, which has been kindly donated by Drayton Youth FC - all your kit has gone, or will go, to children and teams in favelas where it will be so much appreciated. Thank you Drayton Youth!
Here is Mrs Green from England ´discussing´ Pinhao (the pine nut which is native to Parana and a local speciality) with the non-plussed stallholder at the fruit and veg market. The conversation ends with neither party being much the wiser!!
Behind her are at least seven types of banana - did you know that there are seven types of banana? - including the tiny miniature bananas which have a golden colour. The bananas here are sweet and delicious - they taste amazing when they are fresh from the tree!
Most mornings are spent doing the homework which has been set by the school, and then playing.
Here are Bruna and Gabi trying to get their work done so they can have an English ´lesson´with Margaret!!
The lego kits and pieces which we brought out with us have proved to be a very popular, and spare moments are spent building and playing creative games with lego.
The card game ´Uno´is also very popular, especially with Bruna and Jonny.
Becky and Margaret are learning to count up to 10 and also their colours in Brasilian Portuguese!
Becky helps herself to lunch -meat, rice, salad, potatoes, beans. We eat lunch with the children most days, at 12.30, before they all go off to their various schools. Some children go at 7.30 in the morning and are away all day, on some weekdays. They are getting special help at CAPSI, a school which specialises in assisting emotionally and pschologocally challenged children. We are this school´s biggest customer in this area! Most families send one or two kids to CAPSI, but we have 5 at different times through the week!
The directors of Dreamland (www.lojadreamland.com.br) have told us that they will donate clothes for children to Voice for Change (www.vfcbrasil.com) in future, when they re-stock at the end of the seasons, etc - and this will be so good, because it allows the children to feel so ´cool´- in brasilian ´legal´ - when they can wear the kind of clothes which others are wearing in school etc ..
This also fulfills part of our original vision, which we had 10 years ago that ´you should treat these children like you would treat your own children´
feel free to write to Jorge at Dreamland to thank him and encourage him at contato@lojadreamland.com.br
Saturday, June 06, 2009
The girls enjoyed a vast selection of tennis shoes at Dreamland - it was so hard to decide what they wanted, but they got there in the end!!
We had fantastic service from Dreamland again.
The first children to come to VfC 8 years ago (Jhonathan, Jhuliana and Carolinha) stand together in their new winter coats this morning.
My, how they have grown!
The VfC Brasil team pose for the camera following this afternoon´s meeting. The trustees and ´staff´all came together today for an envisioning time, which was very successful.
Tais and Gabriela. We are taking them shopping to buy them the same as the others - trainers, jeans and a winter coat, as they are a little older and they like their fashion and trying on their clothes at home. Tais told us she has never been shopping in her life before so you can image how excited these girls are. They have never chosen their own clothes before. These children have very little.
This is Juliana, Jonny, Bruna and Lucas with their new clothes on. Each child got excited and really liked what we brought for them. Carolina and Jhonathan were already in bed, so still more excitement and trying on comes tomorrow .
These ladies work at Dreamland, a clothing store, where we went to get six pairs of trainers, jeans and coats for each child. Hang on - we have eight children to kit out, but only six lots came back. We haven´t forgotten Tais and Gabriela! We are taking them shopping.
This is Jhonatan (Jonny) and Tais at school -they go to the school at the bottom of the road where they live. It takes two minutes to walk to school and they go every afternoon between 1.30 and 6.00pm.
The washing up in the kitchen, this happens after most meals as you can imagine washing up for 4 people is enough, but this household has to wash up for 10 people every meal time. Sometimes they will even have guest to lunch. So you can imagine what a lot of work goes on looking after 8 children 24 hours a day 7 days a week!
Keith, Bruna and Gabriela playing with the lego outside.
This is Carolina playing outside before Lunch.Friday, June 05, 2009
here are luiz-claudio and darci, with some of their ´family´- lucas, jhuliana, tais, jonni, gabi and bruna ...
until today we have known nothing about bruna, who has been with us for 9 months after being picked up in the middle reservation of a motorway, she was thrown out of a car and abandoned. she only knew her name, and nothing else. nobody has been able to identify her.
we thought that she was 5 years old, and today we have been told by the justice department who have been trying to find papers for her, that she will actually be 8 in november, as they have now found her birth certificate.
bruna was allowed to start school in february (for the first time) and she is loving every minute of her experience of learning .. she just can´t get enough knowledge, and is enjoying all she is discovering.
now the authorities will try to find her mother (no father is mentioned on her documents) and find out why she was literally ´thrown away´, until she was rescued by Voice for Change.
this is Tais, looking so different from when she first came to casa branca, after nursing her mother and looking after her brother. at 11 years old, Tais has had little in the way of a normal childhood, but has great potential for the future, and is really wanting to study and learn as much as she can now.
her mother died last year, and she has no other living relatives, except one who has said that she wants nothing to do with her.
children in our centre often have to take responsibility for their younger brothers and sisters - here is a family group preparing to go home
vila children enjoy a short break from their lessons, before being given their ´tea´and going home. constructive play like this helps them socialise and hone their motor skills.
life is hard for the children who come to our vila centre, as this little one contemplates .. who knows what? ... before she goes home.
The surprise birthday party for Margaret caused much excitement especially when she tried to blow out two sparklers helped, of course, by many willing "Puffers".
here´s keith with lucas, tais, jhonathan (jonni), gabrielle(gabi) and bruna, ready for going off to school on tuesday lunchtime .. these children go to school from 1 to 6 pm each day, to 3 different schools.
lucas is holding the latest addition to the family, a kitten named ´mee´!!
