The doctor said, “If you are going to work in the cortiços you must get Tetanus shots because of the risk of
infection.” This was the doctor’s advice to the team working in the inner city
slums or cortiços of São Paulo, Brazil.
The Province of São Paulo mounted an outreach program to serve the poor
and abandoned living in sub-standard or abandoned buildings in the Center of
São Paulo.
The team is made up of a full time social worker, a professional in education
and various Oblates. Visits are made daily to the families to listen, to
discover their needs and to help them seek solutions.
The team has been successful in obtaining an agreement with one of São
Paulo’s leading hospitals to provide preventive health care mothers and
children in thirty families. They have also been able to place a number of
children back in school and obtain jobs for a number of the unemployed. There
are weekly group meetings for mothers; professionals from different fields are
invited to speak to them. So far, health care providers have come as well as a
psychologist who comes on a regular basis. The mothers requested a lawyer to
give orientation on the rights of tenants and this was done. A Center for Human
Rights continues to monitor the rights of the people in this area.
We asked the young people what they would like and to our surprise, they
asked for classes in English! Bro.
Geraldo, omi, is providing this for them.
There are also moments of prayer and study. Every week there is a Bible
study group open to those interested. There are moments of celebration:
Christmas, other holidays and birthdays, even bus trips to different places of
interest.
One of the mothers summed it up best. She said, “What is most important
for us is that you are interested in us and care about us because nobody else
does.” What better way to witness to the
Gospel?
I believe that
the Founder is smiling on this Oblate initiative. (Fr. Peter CURRAN)
