Provide Foster Families in Brazil

Dear Donor,

We share with you news about the project that has contributed to the full development of babies and young children who need to be separated from their biological families due to a court decision.

Our project offers family foster care to children between the ages of 0 and 6, who have had their rights violated in some way. In its seven years of existence, our project has taken in 104 children. The context of foster care is temporary and we try to minimize the impacts that institutionalization can cause in the lives of these young children. When they are in foster family care, their development is greater and the family environment, combined with the care of adults who are prepared to receive them, makes all the difference in this very difficult moment of their lives.

We work to protect children and to strengthen their biological families, which are also marked by countless forms of violence. This work is possible thanks to people like you, who believe in humanity and in overcoming situations of abandonment and neglect. Today we will share the story of a mother assisted by our project who, even after losing custody of her children, has been able to give new meaning to her own life, and her child´s life and rewrite their own story.

Inspiring stories

At 48 years of age, Carla lived on the streets for over thirty years. During this period she gave birth to eight children. Three were taken away from her while still in the maternity hospital, and others were taken in without her being able to understand why. She never knew the fate of any of them. During the fostering of her ninth child, Carla was heard in her pain, and over months of work and support, she has been able to rescue and record her own story in an album. In the narrative she created, she chose to recover the stories lived with the parents of each child. Supported by the team, she created her "healing story", recorded in a booklet in which the character is a mother rabbit who loses her babies in a very dangerous forest.

For each of the rabbit puppies, Carla created and performed a farewell ritual. For one she offered a prayer, for another a balloon filled with messages, for a third she wishes to plant a tree. She symbolized each loss that burned like an open wound that, little by little, she was able to elaborate her grief. At this point, Carla is already aware that she will not be able to regain custody of her ninth child, but faced with the elaboration of the loss, a choice was produced. Something has moved from the inevitable repetition: she no longer lives on the street and holds a job that brings her dignity and pride.

Thank you for your generosity.

Our best wishes,

Instituto Fazendo História