Pearls on the Streets of Recife

Brazil Street Children Sponsors & Donors

Aidé waits outside her hut for the arrival of the team of staff who pick her and other children up from the slum every week to take them to the children's program. For the nine-year-old, it is the best day of the week. Together with six other children and adults, she lives in a hut made from scrap wood. In the rainy season, only a muddy path leads to the hut.

When the nearby river rises, Aidé is ankle-deep in water. She loves coming to the as yet unrenovated house where the workshops of TOS Ministries International take place. Compared to her hut, it is a castle. Aidé always asks if she can use the sanitary facilities. There is no “quiet place” in her hut where you could close a door. Although the house's toilet does not yet have a fixed flush, using a toilet bowl is already a luxury. After this first visit, Aidé takes part in the painting workshop.

Recently, she painted a person holding a bleeding knife. A member of staff struck up a conversation with her about it. When asked if this was someone in particular, Aidé replied that this injured person could be any one of them in the slum. Deeply moved by Aidé's harrowing everyday reality, a lengthy conversation began in which the employee was able to comfort, advise and help.

So far, we have been able to rent a small house in which we can currently hold all workshops and programs. We also use the open space of a nearby property for outdoor activities. As all of the existing plots in Recife's city center are quite small, we would like to buy these two plots as a first step, as they are close to each other and would complement each other very well in terms of their use. They are meant to be places that offer children from the poor neighborhoods and from the streets a refuge from the downward spiral of their circumstances: Places where they can encounter the love of God, experience values and orientation, and gain prospects for their future through creative and educational activities. 

It is intended to be a place where children can experience joy again, where open educational and creative programs are offered for children from poor neighbourhoods and from the streets, and which becomes a light in the darkness for people. Community work, neighborhood festivals and church services will take place here. 

Later, an apartment for employees with a room for the first children will also be built. Once we have purchased the property, we want to start repairing and renovating the entire site straight away.