New Targets

Kids just being kids at the 5 day retreat

Last year for the ten months leading up to our trip, the team did all we could to raise over £10,500 - the money required for the renovation and extension of Casa Semear. We raised well over target and the money was put to great use. Sadly these funds don't last forever and more is always needed. This year the Big Live Show will be the main public fundraising event. Originally I hadn't set a target and thought it best to just wait and see what could be raised. However, as mentioned in my last post I'll be attending a camp during my trip this year and recent emails from Robert have indicated that  currently there are insufficient funds for the camp to go ahead. The trip costs about R$3000 which is around £1000. So, I have set this as the target for the Big Live Show this year.

Team Building

Why is this camp so important? For many different reasons. Firstly, it's a great opportunity for the Casa Semear staff to build up better relationships with the children and have quality time together. It will create great memories that will bond friendships between the children and strengthen the unity already being created at Casa Semear. Secondly, for the children it's a major event. With many of their families living on or below the bread-line and struggling to provide for their basic daily needs, trips and holidays are inevitably rare or impossible. Many of children live in a favela house which has two rooms. For some there are up to 8 people living in one room. Life at home is cramped and busy. Many of the children have responsibility for siblings or parents and some actually suffer abusive relationships within the home. This five day camp will provide the opportunity for them to get a break from home and from the city. They will be able to play in wide open spaces together and have a rest from the crowdedness of the favela. It is a week where they are guaranteed three meals a day and a good night's sleep. For kids in Scotland if that's all they were  offered I doubt many of them would take it - but for these children it can be one of the most exciting and special weeks of their year. We want to make it possible. Start praying people!

*A special THANKYOU!  to the KBC Ladies Fellowship who kindly gifted me £50 this week.*

Filling up the calander

So, while I've been busy over here trying to keep track of my flight details, (what a hassle - baggage limits are a nightmare)  my friends in Brazil have been busy making plans for how I'm going to spend my time there. As outlined below, my trip is developing in to three distinct time blocks.

Week One

Upon arrival I'll be met by my friend Sam who will be over in Brazil visiting family. He's bravely offered to meet me off the plan at 6am! I'll get to spend some time with him and his family there. However two days later it's off to camp! We'll be away at camp Monday 11th  - Friday 15th July. I'm SO excited about this. For children who spend every day living in poverty, often with a lot of responsibility and duty of care for parents or siblings, the chance to go away for five days with friends just to play and have fun - it's more than some of these kids can dream of. Family holidays are not an option when you struggle to meet your basic daily needs. To be part of a really special trip and to be part of the memories that will be created is a real privilege.

Week Two

Caio & Dot will depart for their  trip to Holland on the 18th July. Casa Semear will be closed until the 1st August and the Meikle family will get a long over-due vacation. I'll have a few days to myself (18th-25th) to settle in to Sao Paulo life and work on my Portuguese. Hopefully during this time I might also get to visit one of the Compassion centres in Sao Paulo. I'm currently a Compassion UK advocate and part of my work means I can visit these centres when I have the opportunity. I will hopefully also spend a day with the Meikles.

Week Three

During this week I'll pick up my contact with the ABBA team. I'll get to go out to the streets of Sao Paulo with Luke and see some of his work there. Luke's work involves getting to know some of the children who live on the city streets, particularly those in an area called "Crack Land" (I'm sure you can guess the reasons for the name). Many of the children living there are addicted to substance abuse and survive by getting involved in petty crime. The ABBA team help to trace the families of these children and, where possible,  reunite them. In some cases they bring the children to the rescue houses for rehabilitation and either work on reconnecting the original families or finding foster families. Luke's Sao Paulo Diary gives colourful insight into life for the street children.  I will also spend some time with Delton who's work is similar to Luke's. I'll get to work at Elohim for a couple of days - one of the rescue houses for the boys who come in from the streets.  Last year I briefly got to see round Elohim and meet some of the boys there but didn't get to invest much time in getting to know the staff or the residents.

Weeks Four - Seven 

Casa Semear will open again and my days will be spent there getting involved with the programmes for the children and the teenage girls. Hopefully the camp will have helped to build (and re-build) some good relationships with the kids already. No doubt I will also get roped into doing some more painting and plastering if it's required!

As I've said before, you can make plans but life in Brazil often doesn't stick to the plans  you make! My itinerary has a good variety of things for me to do - time to get better acquainted with the ABBA team, a chance to experience a range of places and projects and of course some time to relax and see a little more of Sao Paulo. 

In the mean time I'm still working towards the Big Live Show to raise some more funds for Casa Semear. Last year the Big Live Show raised around £1500 for Semear and took us over our £10,500 target. Not sure if I have a target this time around but as they say, every little helps! For more info drop me a comment or an email and I get back to you asap.