The number of street children in Brazil is estimated at 12 million (UNICEF). State homes and protection centers are overflowing. The NGO SAMMA (Sociedade de Apoio a Meninos, Meninas e Adolecentes) has built and example of helping street children who fall between the cracks of the social net of the state.

“Past 14 or 15 years of age, » explains Rosemeire (Rosie) Nascimento, a Brazilian psychologist, « the children are no longer accepted in the shelters and other institutions. They then end up in prison… or worse.”
 
Rosie is a psychologist at the hospital at the University of Sao Paulo, the largest hospital in Latin America with and average of 40,000 patients per day. Besides her full-time job, Rosie heads up SAMMA, an organization whose objective is to recuperate the hardest cases of street children.

“These kids are excluded from being citizens, have no access to education, no family and no love,” says Rosie. “Our main objectif is to guaranty their right to be citizens”.

Rafaël (please see his article) is a kid who could never get used to the state institutions. “I took a lot of drugs and in the shelters, if they found drugs you were kicked out right away,” remembers Rafaël. “When I came to SAMMA, I was still taking drugs, but Rosie told me she wanted me to stay. It was the first time I felt like someone cared for me. It was difficult to quite drugs, but I did it!”
 
SAMMA is supported in part by “Street Children Sao Paulo”, an ONG based in Luxembourg. In 1988, Chrëscht Cornette, from Luxembourg, went to work in Sao Paulo as an architect, but when he saw so many poor children in the streets, he couldn’t just stand by.

Chrëscht was able to find a house in the center of the city to start taking care of some children. In 2002, a Brasilian family donated a small farm house outside the megacity.

“We can now get the kids away from drugs and bad influences,” explains Chrëscht. With almost 10 acres (4 hectares) of land, the kids have a real get-away from the city. A soccer field (essential in Brazil!) streches out behind a small garden of banana trees and all kinds of vegetables. The children are strictly controlled by two social workers.

“What is different in our approach,” continues Chràescht, “is that the kids can stay as long as they like at the house, like in a real family.” The combined efforts of the professionals at SAMMA and the members of “Streetchildren” have changed lives.

“Seeing them today, you wouldn’t guess some of these kids sold drugs and have been arrested for armed robbery,” exclaims Chrëscht.

Twelve children, between the ages of 9 and 17 live in the country house. Rosie knows them all well and follows their psychological evolution. “We establish them in a routine and all of them must participate in household chores.”

When they reach the age of 18, they can move to the house in the city, learn a trade or continue their studies. They have to live in community and take on responsibilities.

Wesley, 18 years old, was in the streets at the age of four. He just made the move to the city house. “I am studying now,” declares Wesley, who has done prison time twice for armed robbery and drug trafficking… when he was twelve. “I want to find a good job and my biggest dream is to have a real family one day.”

“SAMMA is my mother,” says Anna with built up emotion (see her article). “SAMMA is the mother I never had.”