By Cressida Evans | Volunteer Consultant
Dear Friends and Supporters
Today we have another success story for you, only possible because of your amazing donations – the First Literary Fair at the Cordoaria Quilombo: an exchange of knowledge and ancestry!
I just wanted to thank for the invitation to Eliza Dias (de AzevedoMunicipal school) for an incredible afternoon bursting with learning… When we got back to the school, some children’s parents were waiting for them at the gate and they ran over, books in hand, shouting “Mum, it was great!”
But what most captured my attention was the mother of an autistic boy (who needs level 3 support), who came up to me and said: “Teacher, he has never come out [of school] like this, look at his happy face!”
Thank you so much. These are moments that mark our history and ensure that education is truly inclusive. You can always count on me!” School Coordinator.
The First Literary Fair at the Cordoaria Quilombo (FLQC) took place on 29 November and included an extensive program, a whole day of activities celebrating black culture.
There were creative writing workshops, Abayomi doll making, sensory experiences with herbs, storytelling, capoeira and gastronomy.
The activity was run by Associação Viva a Vida through its Afroteca Muvuca Community Library, where more than 100 quilombo children spent the morning creating memories. In the afternoon we received visits from more than 100 children from local public schools, while the evening program was aimed at adults, the highlight being a roundtable debate about young black people.
Other moments full of joy were shared with the launch of the book “Incredible little black girls and boys,” a collection of 30 stories featuring black protagonists, organized by writer Marcos Cajé and published by Themba Editora. Writer and arts educator Regina Luz, the Afroteca Muvuca’s kind godmother, presented her story Kiana, which is published in the collection.
Lots of workshops, storytelling, culture and poetry with former participant Thiago, capoeira with Mestre Pica-Pau, from the Aquilombar Capoeira group, and percussion from the Tambores de Cordoaria drumming group. Gastronomy also had its place, with the traditional beiju pancakes made by the Cordoaria Beijuzeiras as well as fantastic celebrations of the black aesthetic.
Another noteworthy activity was a presentation by researchers Marcos Paulo Oliveira and Lucas Barbosa, PhD students at the Federal University of Bahia, of their article “Favela Vive? Diagnosis of the mental health of socio-racially vulnerable students,” based on research undertaken in partnership with the Superintendency for Policies on Drugs and Vulnerable Groups (SUPRAD) and the Department of Welfare and Social Development (SEADES).
The study was undertaken in the public schools of Camaçari and addressed the difficulties young people face in the school environment, as well as proposing new ways forward in dialogue about the needs of black youth. Évelin Salles, Viva a Vida Coordinator
More than 200 children participated in a range of workshops;
Participating in the Literary Fair is important for writers, as we cherish the hope of reaching children and their families. We need our literature to reach them, in order to emphasize the importance of African culture in the development of our society. We pursue aim this using literature as an instrument against racial prejudice and discrimination, a vile situation that persists in many contexts. I feel represented in this project and hope our city takes a critical look at events such as these! Regina Luz, writer
I – AFROTECA MUVUCA COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Regular workshops: activities in our multiuse space, with its ethnic and racial literature, continue, with workshops for quilombola children grounded in anti-racist education and constructed according to Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture Law 10.639/2003.
We ran 21 workshops for 50 children from the infant class (2-5 years old) using the books: Which color is mine?, Lulu loves the library and From my window. Seventy children from Elementary 1 (6-12 years old) attended 107 workshops, accessing literature through the books: The skin I have, The boy who heard everything he saw, Sona: African tales, What makes us human, Me and my place, Yes my mother is black, Dandara and the lost princess, Tibi: so many people! My mother’s braids, Themba and Cora’s hair.
These workshops in multicultural and ethno-racial activities with 120 children achieved the following results:
We rounded off the year with the Literary Fair.
II – YOUNG PEOPLE:
1. The Favela Lives Project: A research project into mental health, harm reduction and young people, in which 400 public high school students from Bahia’s public education network were interviewed.
The project culminated in training with the Tupinambá indigenous community of Abrantes; the production of printed advisory material for young people; the distribution of harm reduction kits and the publication of the article: “Favela Vive? Diagnosis of the mental health of socio-racially vulnerable students.”
The project was funded by the Superintendency for Policies on Drugs and Vulnerable Groups (SUPRAD) and the Department of Welfare and Social Development (SEADES). Read the article (in Portuguese) here: https://ongvivaavida.wixsite.com/vivaavida/relatorios
2.+ Criativos: As discussed in our last report, we ended the year pleased to have implementedayouth empowerment and quilombola community leadership program, aimed at training new female leaders in the territory. The focus is on the women who have helped to construct the quilombo, and addresses issues such as democracy, identity, gender and community activities. This was a pilot project working with five quilombola girls, we hope to be able to expand it further.
III – CAMPAIGNS:
Being able to rely on individual donations, international campaigns and/or fundraising platforms has, as always, made a difference to our annual budget. And this means YOU, so HUGE THANKS and appreciation from the team and all the community!
Between November and December, we took part in two major initiatives that brought in funds, visibility, followers and hope!
GlobalGiving, which supports us all year round, also provides us with tools to help us raise funds on Giving Tuesday, the day of global solidarity, and matches the amounts raised. Many thanks to all who supported us on the day!
And to round off the year, we held a Christmas and New Year's campaign, which helped us get approach new donors and raised funds, which will be used in our 2025 projects.
IV – VISITS
Funders in the field: In order to bring its employees closer to the local communities it supports, one of our partners/funders, the private-sector company Indorama, located in the municipality's petrochemical hub, organized a day of exchange and experience in the Cordoaria Quilombo, in partnership with the Afroteca Muvuca. Volunteers/employees told stories to the children, undertook some planting and finally visited the oldest griô storyteller in the quilombo, Mr Dadu. It was a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge and bring funders closer to the organization and community.
We’d like to thank everyone involved and to underline our commitment to continue creating shared value for local communities. Together, we can reimagine a better, more sustainable and connected world. Amanda - Indorama
V – ADVOCACY
Regional
Viva a Vida helped found, and is now Deputy Director of the Forum for Social Organizations on the Camaçari Coast, which was designed to strengthen the social institutions along the municipality's coastline (which is often overlooked by the municipal center), with bimonthly meetings for collective dialogue.
Meetings are itinerant and one has already taken place in the Cordoaria Quilombo, where PLAN International Brazil talked about safeguarding. @forumorlacamacari
Global
We continue to participate in the global leadership group, the Global Fund for Children’s CEO Circle, discussing new social intervention tools for vulnerable groups and territories. This has recently focused on new ways to think about the world of philanthropy, helping to draft an article about the benefits of flexible funding. For more information see: https://globalfundforchildren.org/story/why-flexible-funding-is-at-the-center-of-gfcs-approach-to-philanthropy/
By Cressida Evans | Volunteer Consultant
By Cressida Evans | Volunteer Consultant
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