The high rate of drug abuse, gang activity and prostitution means children from the Jandira suburb of São Paolo in Brazil are at greater risk of homelessness than in many areas. Casa Familia & Vida aims to provide a permanent home and give the youngsters – often victims of violence – a safe house and a chance to live out their dreams.
The project has become a big, loving ‘family’, offering community, educational and social services and helping parents to raise their children with dignity.
Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes São Paolo has supported the scheme for many years, and turned to the Community Program when a new community center was needed. The financial assistance given enabled the purchase of equipment, materials and furniture, helping the center realize its main objective – to stimulate self-support through the provision of job training in areas such as IT, hairdressing and craftsmanship.
Car Refinishes employees have been hands-on at the project since its inception – a commitment deeply appreciated by all involved at the center. Carolina Monteiro and Anderson Vieira are two Car Refinishes volunteers involved with Casa Familia & Vida.
They explain why they got involved. “I was invited to participate in my role as assistant to the Human Resources Manager,” says Carolina. “I’d only been at Car Refinishes for a couple of months and didn’t really know the project. I’ve been involved for some time now, on the administrative side.”
Carolina continues: “The biggest challenge has been to keep the project focused. Your natural inclination is to try and do everything at once to make it as successful as possible. Through our campaigns, I’ve learned people want to help but don’t know how – in Human Resources, we can provide real direction.”
Anderson adds: “We already knew of Casa Familia before the Community Program started. When the idea came for the community center, our volunteer group thought the program would be a great way of contributing further.”
“The biggest challenge has been hearing the story of each child I’ve talked to. It’s not easy to hear how sad life can be, but at the same time it’s rewarding to be able to help. By being part of this, I’ve learned there really is something we can do for those in need.”
The prize money will go towards Serra Branca, a small city in one of the poorest areas of Brazil. Restructuring of the markethall is one of the many measures to develop the local and regional economy. The Akzo Nobel prize money will be used to rebuild the roof; replacing the current roof with one made from environmentally friendly material.