Brazil Day 7 orphanage
We started the day visiting an orphanage. There are 50 kids here from age 2 til 17. They are sent here by the government as a last resort. This is a last resort, after violence in the home, abuse and drugs in the home.
Each house is run by a member of staff called a mother who takes on the role of being their mother. It is difficult to get mothers as the job is underpaid due to a lack of funding, so the mothers that do the job do it out of love not for a career. Some have been here for 8 years some for one. Not all the mothers have a faith. Each home is ran in the way the mother chooses and the charity does not interfere.
The kids all go to school to learn. It is difficult in this culture to create aspirations within the young.
The government gives 15000 a year per child the organization spends 25000. A child in prison will have 100,000 spent, its injust.
They are planning to build a technology building on site to help create aspirations and help the young here achieve in life. To help then avoid becoming drug dealers or prostitutes. The school will have students from outside of the orphanage as well.
The founder really wants to give the children the best chance in life. They have extra support to help them keep up with the kids that have safe homes. This guy has a fathers heart for them.
At 15 the kids go to specialized schools which is the target for the work until then in supporting them.
Buy 2012 they will half enough room for 80 kids and be able to support them. They don’t have the money for this, but has the faith that the rest will come. They will start to build and trust God that the rest will come. This will cost around £16,000 each stage of the 2 stage of the building.
The first building we saw was a salon where 10 to 15 year olds come to learn.
The second was a kitchen specifically for training the young people to cook.
The founder has big dreams not just for the orphans but also the young. He wants the technology school to reach 400 students in 2 years time.
We saw the houses which were very clean, well organized and welcoming. The founder interacted with the kids like a father it was beautiful to see. Each house had 13 kids.
Clothes are donated to the orphanage. They have a shop they have allows 50 per child to get supplies, the money is specially printed for the site, like monopoly money, this teaches the children to value what they have and not take for granted what they have, this prepares them for the world when they move out. The mum watches over this.
The young people help administer the shop, They stock take, organize the shelves and ordering new stock.
They have helped over 350 orphans since starting 18 years ago. They have had adoptions take place both from Brazil, France and Italy. They would prefer Brazil but they rarely adopt older children.
A very moving day, a great example of selfless service, giving ones life for the benefit of others, reminds me of the sacrifice of Christ. Jesus said to find life we must lose it. What great joy you find when serving others for the greater good.
The founder with great joy spoke of the first orphan just graduating from university in chemical engineering. You saw the joy on both his and his wifes face.
They tried the foster system in Brazil but it did not work. They found the parents would fall in love with the child and would not want to give them back.
Before we left we did some face painting and played some children’s songs.
Another moment that has touched my heart.
