ICYE STEP / CASA MADRE GIOVANNA 2017

The project Casa Madre Giovanna was born in 1995 with the objective of receive and support children who used to stay on the streets of Campo da Tuca District, a poor area with many social problems such as child work, adolescent pregnancy, and drug abuse. The project has grown considerably since then and counts with a new and better structure since 2000. Nowadays, it receives about 90 children from 6 to 15 years old, divided into three age groups and coming from families under risk (drug addiction, miss of male figures at home, strong poverty, etc). The mission of the social project is to help the children from the local community to develop skills, knowledge, and values and to give them the change for a better future. The idea is to avoid children staying on the streets, to stimulate their awareness, responsibility and will to get over the limits of their family situation; they are unruly but sweet and love needy. The educators try to encourage the skills and interests of the kids through different activities, such as educational and pedagogical activities, music and art workshops, simple informatics, sports, lectures and debates (about social themes, drugs, sexuality, health, etc.), Capoeira and dance, English lessons and the promotion of activities for their inclusion in the community. The volunteers will help the educators with the activities previously mentioned They will participate in the games and sports with the entire group They will have to stay sometimes just with a small group of kids, helping them in some specific activities (reading, start to write, homework, etc.) Proposing some new workshops: story telling, simple music, arts, English lessons, sports, etc. They will also help in the kitchen or with administrative work, if necessary, or visit the families of the children at home.