Brazil: Guainumbi
Healthy food for young people and adults with disabilities at Guainumbi
Since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, Brazil has been suffering from excessive increases in food prices. This is particularly noticeable in families who were already experiencing financial difficulties before the pandemic. Especially in the families of the 108 people who regularly come to Guainumbi. At Guainumbi, in addition to classes and social activities, people get healthy meals and receive food baskets for their families. Guainumbi tries to offer people a healthy diet under the premises of anthroposophy. The monthly amount Guainumbi receives from social welfare is not enough to support all the students and their families. They have additional monthly expenses of about 800 Euros.
Faced with this situation, Guainumbi asks for financial support for the food budget of the students in their care, their families and some people from the community who eat with Guainumbi every day. In order to counteract hunger and to ensure that all students can continue to participate in daily classes, Guainumbi needs about 9,600 euros for this in 2023.
About the project
The Associação Beneficente Guainumbi was founded in February 2001 to help people with disabilities based on curative education and social therapy. It was born out of the initiative of a social therapist who lived and worked in German CAMPHILL communities for six years. In Brazil, he implemented, coordinated and managed a project for people with disabilities at the Monte Azul Community Association until he founded Guainumbi.
He started the new project with 13 young people and adults with intellectual disabilities. Today, the Associação Beneficente Guainumbi cares for 108 people with intellectual and multiple disabilities aged 15 and older who live in the slums near this facility. At Guainumbi, they can participate in therapeutic workshops in woodworking, baking, weaving, handicrafts and (vegetable) gardening. In addition, the 108 families of people with disabilities receive psychosocial support, e.g. through home visits, the provision of a support network and the distribution of food baskets.
Currently, Guainumbi has started another programme through a partnership with São Paulo Social Welfare. This programme aims to provide psychological, legal and social support to 160 women, children, youth and homeless people living in situations of extreme social vulnerability, as well as victims of domestic, physical, psychological and/or sexual violence.
What is the money needed for?
Since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, Brazil has suffered from excessive increases in food prices. Many people experience misery and hunger. Especially low-income families, particularly those of the people served in Guainumbi suffer a lot under these circumstances.
For this, Guainumbi has agreements with the municipalities of São Paulo. The association monthly receives about 1,500 euros from the city council for social assistance, but actually, they need about 2,300 euros a month to cover the basic needs of a healthy diet for 108 young people and adults with disabilities and their families. To make up the shortfall of about 800 euros per month, the organisation organises bingos, festive events and they ask supermarkets for food. Still, they do not have enough funds so they had to start receiving fewer people, which is terrible because many people depend on the food provided to them at Guainumbi.
The goal is to raise enough funds to meet the current food needs, ensure that students can attend classes every day and to provide them with good physical, cognitive and mental development and reduce the hunger index. Not only for the students themselves, but also for their families and people from the community.
The second constant priority relates to a salary adjustment for staff members who currently have a very low salary. Currently, three socio-educational counsellors and two educators work 40 hours a week to look after over 100 young people and adults. Guainumbi's wish is to be able to contribute a value of about 100 Euros as a monthly bonus to these professionals who dedicate themselves to Guainumbi with love and passion. That would amount to 1,200 euros a year.
