Location: AEVAS Head Office

Website http://www.aevas.org.br

Association Evangelica of social action (AEVAS) is a local non-profit that’s aims to educate and support the less fortunate. I saw their headquarters, computer room, offices. Behind their front office they have a shop where they sell all kinds of things from clothes to cutlery. This shop is made up of donated items and is run and maintained by volunteers. The money raised by the shop goes towards different projects run by AEVAS.

AEVAS has many workshop rooms, however these workshops are run on the basis that they receive funding. If they do not, then that year they will not do the workshop, e.g. on year they may get funding for one work shop but not the other then the opposite the next year. They either must raise money or apply for government funding, they usually raise money concentrating on a specific project.

They have a computer room to teach computer skills, a kitchen to teach cooking and a carpentry workshop. This year they were able to get funding to run the carpentry workshop teenagers who apply go through an application screening to make sure they will stay the course and the course is open to the public from.  The workshop runs over 8 secession and each carpentry class is 3 hours. They start off at a very basic level and then in the end move on to making bird houses. The products they make in class are sold at local artisan fairs to raise money. Finally, the aim is when they finish the course they will be skilled and able to work in carpentry.

Location: Centro Comunitário Raio de Sol, AEVAS

Website: http://www.aevas.org.br

Together with a previous president of the Rotary Club I went to see Centro Comunitario Raio de Sol an AEVAS project. Here there is place for women who were abused to learn how to sow and make handycrafts.

There is also an area where disadvantaged children with different needs can learn. They use a xbox 360 together with a connect to learn cognitive skills, how to lose weight and hand eye co-ordination. The photo below shows an example of the room they learn in and the set up. As you can also see there is a teacher at all times guiding them through the process.

Centro Comunitario Raio de Sol also has many other courses or activities that cater to children or adults. They run adult courses that provide vocational training and financial advice. The children courses are things such as music classes, toy workshops and reading courses that utilize their library.

Location: Centro de Vivência Redentora

Website: http://www.fundacaosemear.org.br/menu/index/codigo/61/desc/programa-centro-de-vivencia-redentora

Centro de Vivência Redentora (CVR) is a centre started by Fundacao Semear, that tries to strengthen the bond of children and adolescents with the community. It is located in Vila Diehl and servers over 180 youths between 6 to 16 years of age. It offers the children in the community 10 different classes, art, ballet, singing, hip hop, jazz, judo, reading, theatre, computer skills and guitar. CVR also provides other services such as medical care, social and psychological assistance, food, book loans and more.

While visiting CVR I was able to see the skills the students had learnt at this after school activity center. They did a performance for me, show casing their guitar skills, dance skills and singing. It was fantastic.

 

I also got to see the recent project we helped them complete, renovating the multi-media room. It was great, we also helped them to equip it with 14 new up to date computers and desktops. The flooring and lighting were changed and a projector and projection screen was also installed. Previously, they used this room to teach adolescence how to write a CV and how to prepare for office work, now they can run this same programme on up to date computer. This room will also be used as part of the extra-curricular activities, for example if the children do a dance and it is filmed, they will be able to use these computers to watch the dance and edit it. They will also be able to use the computers to research new dance moves or routines.

 

Location: CECRIFE girls project, AEVAS

Website http://www.aevas.org.br

CECRIFE girls project (the shelter where some of the girls from Arte em Movimento live) is a girls shelter that aims to offer a better quality of life and safer life. Currently there are 13 girls there, last year there were 23 they have the capacity for 24 children. In special situations women can stay with their children there but usually they take girls and the girls need to leave by the time they are 18. They can be from age 0 to 18. The government usually refers these girls to this shelter. Now there is a new law that babies must stay there. Also soon the must be able to accept boys too.

 

The shelter is very close to a primary and middle school where the girls can study. At the shelter the girls learn cooking, computer science, and how to do housework among other things. They also learn how to sow and make handy crafts. These craft pieces are sold at fairs to generate income.

 

The shelter also has a psychologist where the girls can go and talk and either sort out their problems or problems they are having at the shelter with other girls. They are also able to be referred to a psychologist at the local hospital.

 

Location: IENH Projeto Arte em Movimento

Website: www.ienh.com.br

Ana from the Rotary club took me to IENH school to watch a performance by girls from Arte em Movimento. It is there 9year anniversary. This programme was started to help girls from low income families who have been abused or live in unstable homes to gain confidence and heal through music. There are around 40 girls who attend this programme from ages around 9 to 16. The programme has a few different teachers who teach the girls the instrument of their choice, violin, piano, recorder, singing and guitar. The teachers and students are extremely creative. The teachers create an environment to foster the girls creativity, confidence and self-love.

 

Location: Daicad, J. E Uriburu 4829. Fátima, Pilar. Prov. de Buenos Aires

Website: http://fundaciondaicad.org.ar

They educate autistic children from all ages starting at around 6 years old up to working age and try to help them to become more independent, happy and eventually find a job.

 

They teach all the normal subject such as, science, writing, maths e.c.t. They also teach skills such as asking for different things like food or to express how they are feeling that day. At the school, different activities allow them to practice carrying out normal daily tasks such as how to take the bus, put money onto their bus card or buy groceries. They also have cooking class. Finally, there is also a class that tries to teach them repetitive tasks such as packing so when they are able to work they are able to apply what they have learnt to a potential job.

 

As can be seen in the photo below, they were able to collaborate with Samsung and get equipped with a lot of their hardware and software. Technology has been extremely useful for teaching autistic children, it reduces their anxiety and can be customized to fit their needs.

Rocio Rego the President of the school wants to build an area where the older children can get prepare for what it’s like in the work force. One of the students at her school was able to find a paid job. Which is ultimately the aim of the school, have the children to be able to grow up to be educated and independent functioning citizens of society.