BACK TO PROJECT
In connection with the inauguration of Partex Brazil, Lööf Foundation and Partex staff took the opportunity to support a social project in the suburbs of Fortaleza. The day care center we visited was founded in 1991 by Mrs T in her house with 7 children. She lives in a very poor neighbourhood and felt she wanted to help. The project is financed by donations. The staff that work at projeto Joaozinho are volunteers and receive no money for their work. The government is not contributing.
The centre takes care of 185 very poor children, 1.5–14 years old. There is approx. 9 staff, Mrs Tânia, her husband, her2 daughters, the rest are volunteers. She pays EUR 240 for the rent of the premises. She needs to raise approx. EUR 900 every month to make it go around.
The unit that Lööf Foundation and the Partex staff visited takes care of 45 children between 7:00 and 16:00. The children are 2–5 years old. They get to take a shower in the morning, they have breakfast together, they also recieve lunch, and a snack. The older children spend half days here, after school. They do their homework and they get a snack at the centre.
If the projeto Joaozinho did not exist many of the children would be on the streets. Joaozinho is the only place to get food for some of the children. Medicine is provided and all of the children look healthy. Since the children come from a very poor area, their family situation is often troublesome. The mother is sometimes working, but the father is either an alcoholic, doing drugs or in jail. In the poor areas many people are alcoholics since cachaça (Brazilian spirit) is so cheap. In the poor areas there also exists a lot of drug dealing. Since the centre is dependent on donations, we brought lots of toys and also food – eggs, chicken, ham, cookies, chocolate milk, dishwashing liquid, floor cleaning soap, laundry soap, tooth brushes and tooth paste. They were very happy with our dontations and the kids played and played with the toys we brought – a very warm day in our hearts!
