Project Spotlight
In defense of the rightsof children andyouthliving on the streetsof Fortaleza
Associação Barraca da Amizade
Fortaleza, Ceará
A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006, 2008 and 2011
What your gift makes possible
- US$ 308.00 (R$ 545) to fund housing for one at-risk youth
- US$ 2,712 (R$ 4,800) to build a video library for the organization
- US$ 5,876 (R$ 10,400) to renovate the home care facility
- U$ 25,989 (R$ 46,000) to purchase a vehicle to transport at-risk youth
Fortaleza, like other cities in Brazil, has a high rate of at-risk youth who live on the streets and suffer from sexual exploitation.
Barraca da Amizade Association was founded in 1987 in Fortaleza, Ceará. The Association assists at-risk youth who live on the streets, offering them alternatives to reclaim their self-esteem, values, and rights, so they can be reintegrated into society. Barraca da Amizade was established by a circus group, which to this day, is involved with the Association’s activities. Barraca also offers the youngsters with a wide range of workshops such as paper recycling, painting, graffiti, as well as sports activities, after school tutoring and computer classes. It provides counseling services to the young patients, their families, and schools.
Working as the Association’s Education Coordinator, Franklin brings to the organization his experience working as a social educatorwith young people who suffer from sexual exploitation. He believes that this is his calling and he believes that the Association’s mission and his are intertwined. Along with Barraca’s staff, his goal is to serve the most vulnerable young boys and girls of Fortaleza.
Since 2008, Barraca da Amizade has worked with more than 1000 children and youth. As a result, 155 children and adolescents were taken off the streets, 56 of them have returned to their families, 128 were back in school, 246 received professional training, and 101 were removed from the risk of sexual exploitation.
To learn more about Barraca da Amizade, please visit: http://facebook.com/people/Barraca-da-Amizade/100002214265479
