KIDS Support Groups in Brazil

"Bate papo" means "chat" in Brazilian. The project Chat belongs to the daily projects of Blue Cross in Brazil. The project consists of a variety of activities, which focus not only on playing together but also on talking to the children. Conversation and affection help the children to deal with their situation of addicted parents and the related difficulties. 

The project often takes place on the football pitch. Before or after the training and football match, the leaders sit in a circle with the kids and talk about topics that concern them. Other activities include group games, handicrafts, acrobatics or making music together. The kids are listened to during the snack and between the game units and are assured that they are supported and beloved.  

The leaders of the Kids Support Groups also meet regularly to share their experiences and to find new ways together how their work can touch children's hearts in the long run.  

Help with your donations that children have someone to "chat" with about the situation at home. Thank you very much!

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The Blue Cross Kids support groups are:
Weekly meetings in drug-free, socio-interactive, playful spaces, monitoring, support and prevention, based on the vision of an integral human being. Values, aimed at children from contexts of use and abuse of psychoactive substances and the fragility and vulnerability of families in society.

On Mother's Day, the Blue Cross in Brazil has launched campaigns to make mothers aware of the harmful consequences of alcohol on their children. 

In Brazil, over 15% of women drink during pregnancy. Heavy drinking during pregnancy can lead to spontaneous abortion or a number of disabilities known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, of which fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe. Children with this condition are born with characteristic physical and mental defects, including small statures, as well as with small heads and brains.

There is no cure. Treatment focuses on mental health and medical services to cope with the resulting lifelong disabilities, which include learning difficulties, behavioural problems, language, delayed social or motor skills, memory disorders and attention deficits (WHO 2011). 

A mother tells how she and her husband, through the Blue Cross campaign in Brazil, decided not to consume alcohol and to lead a healthier life:

In my family there are various family members who have problematic relationship with alcohol (alcohol abuse) and I understood that this is not a healthy environment for children to grow up with. So with my husband we decided to change our consumption habits in relation to alcohol once we had children. (Kátia M., Blumenau, Brazil)

Help to further implement such campaigns and promote the children's groups in Brazil and the cooperation with their mothers!

Thank you very much!