Shelter of Friendship Association (Associacao Barraca de Amizade)
Brazil
Shelter of Friendship Association Program
The Shelter of Friendship provides a number of critical community services:
- Searches for street children in the city center by having circus performances like stilt walking. The goal is to reach out to the street children and let them know they find shelter with the Shelter of Friendship.
- Provides housing, counseling, academic tutoring, job training and performing arts lessons in dance, Capoeira and acrobatics to young boys and girls living on the street.
- Advocates for the rights of street children by working with other community based organization bring attention to the needs of street children.
Why the need?
The Northeastern region of Brazil is not only the poorest area in the country, but also the single largest pocket of poverty in Latin America. 47% of the population is living on less than $1 per day.
In Fortaleza, the community where the Shelter of Friendship works, poverty is aggravated by overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure, which has resulted in favelas (shanty towns).
Children who live in favelas are particularly vulnerable. The instability of life on the streets results in almost no possibility of enrolling in school and receiving an education. These children are easy targets for police brutality, sex trafficking, and other forms of mistreatment.
How Team Efforts Translate to Impact
All funds raised will support the Shelter of Friendship's street education program and the Shelter's expansion to reach adolescent girls living or working on the streets in Fortaleza who are victims of sexual exploitation.
How the Shelter of Friendship Association Creates Sustainable Global Change
Shelter of Friendship’s programs address an important problem in their community, boys and girls living on the street. The organization empowers street youth to get back into society as functional members of the community. They use local community members to facilitate traditional dance lessons and academic tutoring to provide alternatives to street life for boys and girls.
Global Projects
