Tamandaré city’s history greatly influences the current conditions in which its citizens live. Known for its beautiful beaches and for being a major tourist hub in the Northeast region of Brazil, the municipality manifests significant levels of social inequality. On one side, there are private beaches that carry the legacy of large landowning families in the region, and on the other, the history of a new city, with its emancipation dating back to 1995.
It was in this same year that the Tamandaré Project - (The Father Enzo Association) a partner of Happy Child International in Brazil, emerged with a mission to care for children and adolescents in situations of social vulnerability. For 29 years, the institution has been transforming the lives of hundreds of families through its work. An example of this is the story of José André, currently 30 years old, married, a father of two children, and working as a child protection officer. André recalls: “I joined the project when I was three years old and left at sixteen. I always attended activities there outside school hours. The project directly contributed to my ability to serve as a child protection officer.”
André's life was marked by many difficulties. The son of parents who strived to guide their three children on the right path, he remembers: “My father only studied up to the 8th grade and my mother up to the 4th grade. My mother was a cleaner and went to the beach to sell food and drinks. If it hadn’t been for the project's help, I would’ve had to help her on the beach.”
The institution functions as a daycare centre for children and offers vocational courses for adolescents, but more than activities, the project develops citizens. André says: “The project taught me to be a citizen, to love my neighbour, and it connected me with God. The project helps us see the potential in ourselves.”
Even after completing his time at the project, he continued to support the institution as a collaborator and volunteer. Nowadays, because of his public role, he gives lectures to families, children, and adolescents which help equip them when they face vulnerable situations. He comments: “My mission is to ensure the rights of children and adolescents, whether as a child protection officer or not. Now, while I am in this position, I consider myself a partner of the project.”
André's story is one of the hundreds of transformed lives that the Tamandaré Project can take credit for and he makes a point of highlighting this:“The Tamandaré Project has contributed in a very special way to society here, ensuring education, sports, leisure, and food.”
Today, José André’s life reflects the change he wants to see in the world, and this happens because of people who looked at a three-year-old child and decided to give him love and teach him the right path. Through similar examples and through projects like this one we will see change happen in the world.
Written by Eduarda Teixeira
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