The curtains in the bedroom of two brothers in Children's Village São Paulo-Poá, Brazil.
Although he is only eight years old, Sergio has been expelled from school six times. He was an abandoned and neglected child, but today he is making good progress and is living a much happier childhood thanks to the support offered at SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio in Brazil.
- Lisa
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The curtains in the bedroom of two brothers in Children's Village São Paulo-Poá, Brazil.
Although he is only eight years old, Sergio has been expelled from school six times. He was an abandoned and neglected child, but today he is making good progress and is living a much happier childhood thanks to the support offered at SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio in Brazil.
Sergio was born to an unfortunate mother who became a drug user and developed serious psychological problems as a result. His father, an alcoholic, was very violent with his family.
Sergio and his three brothers were eventually rescued from abandonment and violence by the country's youth authorities. That was several years ago, but Sergio never saw his brothers again. He now lives with his grandmother, and three months ago he started participating in one of the family strengthening programmes offered by the new SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio in the region of Recife, located in the northeast of the country.
Sergio's grandmother told us about the first years she cared for with him: "When the boy arrived at my house, he had cigarette burns all over his body, and until he was three years old, he would get up in the middle of the night afraid and crying. He has been expelled from school six times because of his aggressive behaviour and his hyperactivity. I'm so glad we finally found professional help."
In the social centre, the team of educators see in him much more than his aggressive behaviour, which is now being treated by professionals there; they see his natural potential, which - according to the educators - has yet to be realised. Sergio's grandmother comments: "Sergio feels safe and welcome at the social centre and their activities for families and children [in the context of the family strengthening programme] have been fundamental in helping him start to overcome his difficulties."
"Very little time has passed, but Sergio has already started bonding with the educators. He is now learning to listen and accept affectionate treatment, but we understand that we will need to work with him for quite a long time," says one of the co-workers of the centre. "It is very easy for us to give him the support he needs. Sergio's parents surely did not receive much affection when they were small, and therefore did not know how to love their own children. In the family and community strengthening programme of SOS Children's Villages Brazil, we do exactly that: we support and give a friendly hand to de-structured families like Sergio's."
"Some years from now, we probably will not see much of Sergio. He will be a very different person from who he is now, but surely he will remember much of what he did and experienced at the social centre: his mischief, the games in the playground, the affectionate educators, and who knows what else. Nobody can ever take away from him all the care he received at the SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio."
For privacy reasons, we have changed the name of the child.
- Mary
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A family meal in the living room at Children's Village Irbid, Jordan.
Agheed is very excited about going to school; the fact that she is no longer in nursery school makes her feel grown up and mature. Meanwhile, Anood's new doll has become her inseparable companion and source of joy. Meeting the girls at SOS Children's Village Irbid in Jordan is lots of fun.
Learning ABC Agheed is the youngest child at Leena's house in the SOS Children's Village in Irbid, Northern Jordan. Although going to school means waking up at five in the morning for the six-year-old girl, Agheed enjoys the experience and is proud that she has made it to first grade.
"I like first grade more than nursery school, because we are learning ABC now. We are learning both the English and Arabic alphabets," says Agheed proudly. "I'm also happy to go to school because I haven't seen my best friend Leen all summer. We met in nursery and we play together all the time."
Graduating from nursery school has made Agheed feel like a grown-up. Despite enjoying the attention that she gets for being the youngest child at home, she has become eager for a baby to join their family. "I want a baby brother or sister to move in, so I can help take care of him or her the way my older siblings have always been taking care of me," she says shyly.
A very special doll It was love at first sight for Anood who also lives at SOS Children's Village Irbid: A few months ago, the nine-year-old girl received a baby doll as a gift from one of her sponsors.
Anood and her doll have become inseparable since. "Anood does not eat without feeding her doll," says her SOS mother, Najwa, with a chuckle during lunch, as she convinces her daughter to finish her plate before going to play. Next to Anood's plate is a tiny pink plate filled with yogurt and a small plastic fork to feed her doll. The dark girl with long brown hair races to complete her plate and then picks her doll to feed her. "She doesn't want to eat because she is full," Anood explains to her mother and siblings.
What's the name of the lovely little baby doll? "I call her Noor," Anood says shyly. The only time the girl is seen without Noor is when she is at school. "I can't take her to school, so I leave her sleeping in bed and mama takes care of her. The first thing I do when I come back home in the afternoon is check on her," she explains with a grin spread across her face.
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