Healthy Homes for 20 families in Brazil

Dear donor,

I write today about the impact of your donation in restoring the physical health of a family benefited by Dara Institute.

Erik is a laughing 13-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy, seizures and hydrocephalus and requires special care. After many physiotherapy sessions, two surgeries and follow-up with a neuropediatrician, he is able to stand on his own and rehearse his first steps with the walker.

He lives with his mother and younger brother in a small house that needed serious repairs to decently house its inhabitants.

Erik's family was referred to Dara Institute due to their high degree of social vulnerability, observed after many hospitalizations in a referral hospital. With our support, his mother was able to get back on her feet, increase her monthly income and provide her family with the most essential items in the house.

However, her home was extremely unsanitary and inappropriate for a child in need of care. After an evaluation by our architect, an intervention work was started whose main objectives were: to treat the infiltrations that generated a lot of humidity and health problems and also to renew the electrical wiring.

Within a few days of completing the work, Erik's general health had improved significantly. The number of seizures decreased, so did the number of medical interventions.

We can say that Erik's house has become a home.

With great joy, we thank you again for your support!

Keep supporting us, together we can transform even more lives.

All the best,

Dara team

Dear donor,

I write today to tell the story of Érika, one of the mothers benefited by our "Family Action Plan" program. She receives Dara benefits in the areas of Health, Education, Citizenship, Housing and Income Generation and her life has been transformed.

 Érika is a single mother of 5 children, and her family lives in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. When she was eight months pregnant with her fourth child, Hugo, she was diagnosed with syphilis. Despite the treatment during pregnancy, her baby was diagnosed with neurosyphilis and needed medical follow-up until he was 2 years old, when he was discharged from his infectious disease specialist.

 Since his first months of life, Hugo had some respiratory diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis and bronchiolitis, in addition to severe allergic conditions. Doctors pointed to the precarious conditions of his home as one of the causes, especially due to humidity and mold.

 At Dara, in addition to the benefits of supplies and food card, Érika took courses in entrepreneurship and cooking, discovering a new profession. Through the teachings of the classes, she discovered herself an excellent cake baker, contributing to her family's income.

 With Dara's support, Érika and her family's house was renovated! We renovated the bathroom, which was not working, we changed the doors and windows, favoring ventilation, we redid the electrical network, and the walls were plastered and painted, reducing the humidity in the house. Also, we built a wall around the house, reinforcing the family's security.

 With these improvements in his home, Hugo's quality of life has improved and the number of hospitalizations has decreased!

 For the future, Érika has plans to put adequate flooring in the rooms and change the roof tiles, in addition to building a space to prepare and sell her delicious cakes.

 Your donation can make a difference in the reality of so many other families! Together we can fight poverty, donate!

 Best regards,

Dara Institute