Yes to Life! Help Vulnerable Kids Stay Drug-Free

Hello supporters. Thank you so much for believing in Yes to Life! Your support is critical — especially now. Why? Yes to Life has two locations, and one of them (in the Marrocos neighborhood of Fortaleza) is struggling with funding. We have a government contract that is a big source of funding, which runs out at the end of July. As we work to find a sustainable alternative, your donations will help us keep critical programming going in the meantime. 

The Yes to Life program is a vital afterschool program. If not for the program, the kids we serve would be at home alone or in the streets, exposed to negative influences such as drugs, gangs, and working the streets to make money for their families. At Yes to Life, we let kids be kids — they eat nutritious meals and snacks, play games and sports, make friends, and do fun and educational activities in a safe and supportive environment. Let's keep it going!

As a result of the program, we are seeing: better academic performance, better behavior, more politness and less cursing, and less food insecurity. 

We not only support the kids in the program, but their family members, too. In the past few months, for example, we offered social-therapeutic support to the kids' families, who are often struggling with poverty, violence, and other difficulties.

Thank you again for your support.

Muito obrigada,

Natasha (Development Volunteer)

Mitakuye Oyasin
Îandé Memé Maranongara
Somos Todos Parentes
We Are All Related

Links:

• Our Instagram

Hello supporters!

Welcome to our first report. We will be using these reports to give you updates on what we’re doing and the power of your donations.

Yes to Life supports 120 kids every day, with a morning and afternoon group at two different locations. We provide a safe space for kids to be when they’re not in school, so they’re not tempted by the dangers of the street, particularly drugs.

In the past few months, the kids have been really busy! They’ve done artwork and gone on field trips including to a theater and an acquarium. Yes to Life participants also got to celebrate Children’s Day (a holiday in Brazil) by going to a kids entertainment center with trampolines, a bounce house, slides, obstacle courses, popcorn machines, and more. One of the participants, Laysa, couldn’t hold back her joy at being in this fun-filled place. “It’s really cool. There’s all kinds of toys here that I really love and I’m enjoying it.”

By creating a safe environment for kids to thrive in, Yes to Life helps youth:

• Improve in school
• Improve their motor skills
• Improve their behavior
• Improve their communication skills – replacing cursing (unfortunately common) with words of kindness and consideration like “thank you,” “sorry,” “excuse me,” and “please”
• Be nutritionally secure. A lot of participants come from families where enough food and healthy food is not guaranteed. Yes to Life provides participants with healthy meals to fuel their minds and bodies.

Yes to Life not only supports the kids in the program, but their family members as well. At the end of last year, we provided their families with socio-therapeutic support by giving them access to the various adult services that the Mental Health Movement offers.

Thank you for helping us break the cycle of poverty and violence that can lead kids into using drugs. You are funding new life paths where every kid gets to say Yes to Life!

Obrigada (thank you),

Natasha (Development Volunteer)

Mitakuye Oyasin
Îandé Memé Maranongara
Somos Todos Parentes
We Are All Related