A big thank you to Burnley FC
This week we had the pleasure to receive Andy Mitchell, physiotherapist for Burnley FC 2004-2010 at Project Reaching Lives in São Gonçalo. Andy has been collecting donations from the players throughout the 2009/2010 season and came to Rio de Janeiro to see where the money was to be used.
Andy worked on the reconstruction of the project with the Irish navy and helped out with the children on their visit to the Irish navy ship L.E.Niamh. We are very grateful to Andy and Burnley FC for all their hardwork and generosity.
All aboard, the Irish Navy has arrived!
This week, Project Reaching Lives in São Gonçalo received a team from the Irish Navy ship L.E. Niamh, as well a physiotherapist Andy Mitchell visiting from the UK, who helped finish the roof of the new building in the sweltering heat.
On Tuesday the Irish Navy held a reception for twenty of the children from the project, onboard the L.E.Niamh. The kids received toys and clothes and whilst their requests of going for a spin in the lifeboats weren’t met, the day was a wonderful experience for children who have never left their neighbourhood!
We are extremely grateful to the generosity the L.E.Niamh, the Irish Embassy, the Naval Association in Dublin and the Bantry Bay Harbour Commissioners in Cork for their contribution to making Project Reaching Lives a better place for the children.
Homeless Child UK
We are delighted to say that we are now officially registered as a charity in the United Kingdom. Homeless Child was registered in Ireland in 2001 and in Brazil in 2006 as Associação Criança sem Lar. Homeless Child UK is now registered with the Charity Commission in the United Kingdom, charity number #1135530.
Now UK taxpayers can help support our projects in Rio de Janeiro by making a gift aid donation. Donations made by UK taxpayers mean we can reclaim an extra 25% in tax on every donation. To find out more please drop us a line or you can donate directly at our page on Charity Giving.co.uk
State of the art centre to include creche
The Ministry of Education has just approved plans for the building of a creche as part of our state of the art project for at-risk children in Rio de Janeiro. The project is dedicated to improving the lives of those driven to the streets due to dysfunctional families, poverty and neglect. The Mulryan Family Foundation Centre will give these children a home, an education, love and the chance to make a different future for themselves and their families.
In an area which lacks recreational and educational facilities the Centre will also serve impoverished families within the surrounding communities. The creche can cater for up to 230 children from within the project and the local area. This will set the kids on the right path to education while enabling the parents to work whilst the children are in our care. We have partnered with the government for them to operate the creche once it is opened.
The sports, arts and vocational training facilities will also be accessible to youths from the local area. In the longer term we aim to improve health services to the community. For further information on the new project and how it is developing please contact us for a brochure at contact@homelesschild.ie
Official charity of Ireland v Brazil match
The Republic of Ireland face Brazil on the 2nd of March at the Emirates Stadium in London for the Brazilian players’ last chance to stake their claim for a place in the world cup squad in South Africa.
We are very happy to announce that we have been chosen as the official charity for the match and will be carrying out a bucket collection before the game. Whilst the match is a friendly, Brazilian coach Dunga is treating the game as crucial in his decisions as to who will be going to the World Cup and has announced a 22 player squad which includes Adriano, Kaka and Robinho. The game is sure to be a cracker so we hope to see you there!
Ticket information available at Arsenal.com.
New arrivals for the Creche Comunitária
We are very pleased to announce that 23 of the children at the Creche Comunitária in Maré have now finished at the creche and moved on to start school so we have 23 new children starting creche this year.
In the meantime, the process for the new three storey building funded by the Ministry of Education is running smoothly with the land being transferred from federal government to the city council so planning can get underway.
We continue to support the creche with the staffing costs and overheads to care for the 45 children in their care.
Reaching Lives is having its finishing touches
The Reaching Lives project in São Gonçalo is nearing completion after some major renovations. We have finally completed the structure of the new building, and need to complete the installations on the land to get the creche open for the children.
The focus has always been on providing a safe building with more capacity for children to replace the dangerously structured creche that existed before. The creche is currently taking place in the local church with some new volunteers adding to the excitement of the new year. We hope to have the children in their new much improved surroundings by the start of April.
Flooding affects Criança do Brasil
Since October the summer floods have badly affected our partner project Criança do Brasil in Vila Alzira in Duque da Caxias. The community has been developed for years on marshland and so when the heavy rains arrive, they inevitably destroy the community. The government are in the process of dredging the nearby river and are now at the stage where they need to work in the area of Vila Alzira.
The residents of the community, the students of the creche, members of the church and youths involved in our programs have all been advised that they will need to leave the community in the near future. Everyone will receive financial compensation for the displacement. We are really pleased that the government has taken the initiative to move the community that has lost so much, so many times over this summer period of heavy rains.
Our efforts are now focused on moving the creche in Morro do Paraiso to a new safer building and providing the children with the right environment to start their education. The new building will be finished by March 2010.
Land chosen for village of childrens homes
Homeless Child has been finalising an agreement by the city council in Rio de Janeiro to go ahead with a village of childrens homes and community centre in Guaratiba, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro.
The project is part of a joint partnership with the Ministry of Social Assistance and Director of Human Rights to develop a long term strategy for caring for street children in Rio de Janeiro.
The project will be structured to include care for children with disabilities and will offer support to the children within the project, their families and the local community.
Finding a name for our new project
Urgent work will begin on finding a name for our new state of the art project being designed in Guaratiba, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro.
The Mulryan Family Foundation Centre is a mouthful in english let alone in portuguese, so the task will be handed to the local community to come up with something that first off, will be easy to say, but most importantly which captures the essence of the project: to provide shelter, care and love for all children living on the streets as well as support them and their families to improve their lives.
This project will provide children, their families and the local comunity the tools to access a brighter future. More on this as it happens……
Homeless Child believes that no child should live in poverty. Every day, children die on the streets in Rio de Janeiro from crack addiction, violence and abuse. Our charity makes a real difference in the lives of Rio's street children. 
