In 2008 I met a family from Brazil when they came to volunteer and support Leeds for one year. They freely gave their time to work alongside volunteers at KidzKlub Leeds. I want to honour this family by raising money for the work they are currently doing in Belo Horizonte, in the Favela called Washington Pirés which is 25yrs old with about 7,000 people living in poverty. This Favela, like many, has been consistently forgotten by the authorities & has few services or facilities. There is now a church in the Favela which is led by a man called Elias, and they are working towards making a difference in the community with very little resources. A lady called Bernie Fell, who is from Leeds, has set up a working group to hopefully fundraise and take teams out on a regular basis in Brazil. She has given her job up in the UK to commit to this project.
During this month she has had meetings with Mayors, Civil Police bosses, Military Police Commanders, Politicians, including a very high up human rights politician. The other day she addressed a whole local Parliament. She has also visited prisons, food banks, schools, businesses and other things.
The church at the moment has a project for the community which includes football (for both boys & girls), ballet, music lessons & computer studies. They are also helping the community with prison visiting, food & clothes donations, medical help amongst many other needed areas. Drugs & gangs are rife in the Favela, fortunately Elias from the Church has the respect as a man who is helping the community. They also have plans to set up a Kidz Klub eventually, should funds permit.
I plan to hold the fundraising event on the 13th May, at a local Baptist Church. My vision for the evening is as follows:
· to sell tickets at £18
· to deliver a dance performance
· to serve Brazilian food
· to raise awareness of Brazil, the local projects and the difficulties faced by those living there
· to entertain a promise auction
Look forward to seeing you there,
Anja - 07955612636
