Building a future for 200 youths in Sao Paulo

Although we have not yet completed all the construction work, Arca has become very lively again with the return of the 130 children.

Smiles are back with the resumption of activities: dance, music, capoeira, arts, rugby. The children are eager to speak and to forget the long months isolated at home. 

Thanks to your help, we have built new classrooms and we have recruited 2 new educators, Camila and Taina, to split our big number of children into small groups. These educators understand the specificities of Arca's children because they too are from the community. They are graduates in pedagogy and like Rose, who is 54 years old and has just finished her degree, they are a symbol of tenacity, willpower and of how the opportunity to study can really change the lives of people in the favela.

The computer room is still to come but we already know that it will be ready in January. "Se Deus quiser", as we say in Brazil!

Finally, we want to share with you the immense joy we had in organizing an outing for the children in early November. It was the first field trip outside the favela for 2 years! The children took a bus early to exit Sao Paulo megalopolis and to reach an amusement park at the edge of the forest. What a day! The weather was perfect and the children and teenagers really enjoyed being outside and discovering different kind of attractions. When they came back at night, they had a lot of stories to tell to their families. 

It is all these daily or extraordinary joys that we want to share with you because it is you who make them possible!

Continue to support Arca and spread the word about our project and together, let's prepare a wonderful Christmas for Arca's children.