Education Brazil Project #51465

Building a future for 300 youths in Sao Paulo

by Arca de Noe de Apoio Social

Building a future for 300 youths in Sao Paulo

Project Report | Sep 22, 2026
From skills to spaces: key milestones in S1 2026

By Lucie | Project Leader

25 years for Arca

Celebrating 25 years of impact: all aboard the #Embarquei movement!

The first half of 2026 marked a historic milestone for Arca: our 25th anniversary! Twenty-five years of dedication, community support, and empowerments in the Vila Prudente community. Under our jubilee campaign motto #Embarquei ("I'm on board!"), we celebrated organizational maturity while strengthening our routes for the future alongside our students, families, team, and global supporters.

Here is a glimpse of what your support made possible during these remarkable six months.

Stories of empowerment: the "25 years iconic bag"

To celebrate our jubilee through creative economy, our Arca do Fazer workshop launched the « Bolsa Organizadora Icônica » (Iconic Organizer Bag). Designed and handcrafted entirely by women from our community using zero-waste pre-orders, this multifunctional bag represents real income generation and dignity. Every purchase directly supports our social and educational activities. The launch campaign itself was a beautiful act of solidarity: professional volunteers converted our sports court into a studio, working under the curious, smiling eyes of our children.

A home for new beginnings: rehabilitation of "Salão do Povo"

One of our biggest dreams advanced significantly this semester: the technical planning and fundraising for the restoration of « Salão do Povo » (the Community Hall), a historic 150m² three-story building. Once fully renovated, it will unify Arca do Fazer (our sewing workshop), Arca do Crescer (with one extra-classroom), and our bakery training lab into a vibrant center for vocational training, job creation, and community development. Thanks to technical networks, individual donors, and key corporate partners, we are building a safe, sustainable space where new opportunities can bloom!

Real impact: from training to employment & higher education

Education creates clear pathways to freedom, and this semester brought incredible stories of success:

143 New Graduates: We closed the semester celebrating 143 youth and adults who completed technical and vocational courses through Arca do Crescer in fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Marketing, English, Logistics, Baking, Residential Electrical, and Professional Mentorship.
Formal Employment: Through our Geração Futuro program (Next Generation Program) in partnership with Instituto Renault and SENAI-SP, 9 young adults secured formal employment with Renault Brazil!
A Journey of Resilience: We proudly celebrated Rose-Bertha, a young Haitian woman who joined Arca in 2019 speaking very little Portuguese. Supported by our Mulheres em Retomada initiative (Women in Resumption Initiative), she overcome every barrier and just earned her degree in Occupational Therapy from UNIFESP, one of Brazil’s top public universities!

All of this is possible thanks to you !

Arca Key Figures 2025

40 employees, 65% are women, 52.5% grew up or still live in the Vila Prudente slum
246 volunteers in the various activities of Arca, both in Brazil and abroad, including volunteers from Arca France

Arca do Saber:

130 children and adolescents served
83% average attendance at activities
2,142 hours of cultural, sports, and educational workshops: capoeira, languages, digital citizenship, dance, judo, circus arts, percussion, visual arts, rugby and beach tennis
102 families directly supported by the social services team
68,100 meals provided, including breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks

Arca do Crescer:

455 students directly impacted, including 175 public school students
36 free vocational courses
67% of young people found job opportunities
355 psychological counseling sessions conducted

25 years iconic bag

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May 31, 2026
Latest news from Arca's general assembly

By Emmanuelle and Mayara | Project Leaders

Carnival 2026 at Arca do Saber

Our association's general meeting took place last week. It was an opportunity to review our mission and our 2025 figures.

For 25 years, Arca has been driving transformation in the Vila Prudente favela in São Paulo, operating on the belief that breaking cycles of vulnerability requires long-term presence and continuity. Our work spans all life stages — from childhood through adulthood — through two core programs:

Arca do Saber, which offers children and teenagers a safe space for learning, culture, and community,

and Arca do Crescer, which provides young adults with vocational training, mentorship, and pathways to financial independence.

To support this mission sustainably, Arca runs two self-financing social businesses — Le Pain and l'Atelié Arca do Fazer that also serve as vibrant spaces for training, work, and productive inclusion.
Our work originates from the community and remains deeply connected to it. We work within the Vila Prudente favela, recognizing its challenges, but also its potential, talents, and care networks.

ARCA Key Figures 2025

40 employees, 65% are women, 52.5% grew up or still live in the Vila Prudente slum

246 volunteers in the various activities of Arca, both in Brazil and abroad, including volunteers from Arca France

ARCA do Saber:
130 children and adolescents served
83% average attendance at activities
2,142 hours of cultural, sports, and educational workshops: capoeira, languages, digital citizenship, dance, judo, circus arts, percussion, visual arts, rugby and beach tennis
102 families directly supported by the social services team
68,100 meals provided, including breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks

ARCA do Crescer:
455 students directly impacted, including 175 public school students

36 free vocational courses
67% of young people found job opportunities
355 psychological counseling sessions conducted

All of this is possible thanks to you !

Day camp at Timbalaya for Arca do Saber children

Graduation ceremony for Arca do Crescer students

Links:

Link to Arca 2025 activity report in Portuguese

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Feb 1, 2026
Arca: 25 years of transforming lives!

By Emmanuelle and Mayara | Project leaders

Mirella giving her wonderful farewell speech

In 2026, our association will celebrate 25 years of operation of its children's center, Arca do Saber and 9 years since the opening of its vocational training center, Arca do Crescer.

As the entire Arca team gears up for the new school year in Brazil, we would like to share with you what drives our mission. Here are the figures: 130 children aged 6 to 15 were taken in, and 455 people over the age of 15 received vocational training at AdC in 2025. But beyond the numbers, there are the touching words of Mirella, who in December, at the end-of-year party, paid a heartfelt tribute to Arca do Saber for the years she had spent there.

“I would like to honor Arca do Saber, a place that was my home for nine years. Today, I am closing a chapter that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Arca do Saber became part of who I am — for nine years, I was welcomed, guided, held, and so often saved.

It’s hard to find words for all the moments I’ve lived here, all the people I’ve encountered, and everything that has shaped the person I have become.

Here, I met people who became my family — people who could see in me what I couldn’t see myself, people who reached out when I didn’t have the strength to ask for help, people who believed in me.

I want to express my gratitude for every smile, every lesson, every moment of learning, and every gesture of affection I received here.

For nine years, Arca was not just a place, a schedule, or a routine. It was a part of me — a place that taught me strength and patience, that taught me respect, friendship, and self-respect, a place where I could be myself even on my hardest days. I want to hold on to all these memories, like a film I can replay whenever I need to. Thank you for welcoming me for so long, for helping me grow, for being part of my story, my journey, and my life. Thank you for being my home for nine years".

As you can imagine, the entire Arca do Saber team was in tears after this magnificent expression of gratitude.Thank you, Mirella, we know that your journey with our association is not over as you will continue studying vocational training at ADC

And Thank You to all of you who, through your donations, are enabling the children of Arca to build their future.

Mirella with her educator and friends

Arca do Crescer students at graduation ceremony

Links:

Mirella's testimony during Arca do Saber Xmas celebration

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