Making Friends

Galenga: a descriptor for women with fair skin and blue eyes in NE Brazil/ my new nickname…

People from Brazil could be from anywhere, because that’s exactly where they’re from. There’s an amazing confluence of people, especially in Recife, from ports all over the world who made the city their home over generations.

But I seem to stick-out like a sore thumb.

As I jumped on the bus yesterday, I heard the bus driver shout in Portuguese “Who’s the galenga with?” Everyone looked at me, and then my Brazilian friend. Today as I met the children at Espaço da Criança the first thing I heard was, “Oi galenga!”

I’m sure it will grow on me…

Today also marked the official kick-off of the project. I met with Nubia and Rafael from Espaço da Criança; Philippa and Michael from TIE; and the students from Ae!, the Agency I’ll be working with over the month. Besides their patience with my (lack of) Portuguese, I was impressed by the empathy and passion shown. If we could bottle good intentions then our job would be done.

It was very moving hearing Nubia talk about how Espaço da Criança was founded 22 years ago by her mother — she came back to Recife after years of living in Brasilia, the purpose-built capital in the interior of the country, and was appalled by the conditions many families were living in. She subsequently invested everything she had to build the charity, all while knowing that she had terminal cancer.  Nubia described her anger and frustration at the time — she couldn’t understand why her mum would push-on with the charity knowing she was going to die. Her mother said: If it comes to nothing then it was just my dream; if it becomes someone else’s dream after mine then it truly was God’s will.

Faith is an important part of Espaço da Criança and the lives of the children and families. This evening the organization hosted a soup night for the mums and kids they work with. The local pastors were also present to help. Together they talked with the families about the recent fire in the faveals that had affected them all directly and indirectly. They specifically spoke about the donations that had come in from local individuals and organizations – some welcome, others telling… For example soiled furniture and clothes that were given, leading one mother to ask “Is that what they think we’re worth? Do they think that we only deserve their rubbish?”

The truth is that the local organizations and community often don’t see the value of Espaço da Criança and the individuals they serve, which is part of what we’re trying to solve for in this project. Our task is to help create new partnerships for the NGO with local companies; helping them to maintain funding beyond December. We have to make our would-be partners part of the bigger mission and legacy set in place by Nubia’s mother. Today, we laid out the pathway to get there… It’s certainly going to be a hectic month.