Key Challenges in Brazil & Our Response
It’s true that Brazil is known for its beautiful landscape that features dense rainforests, rolling grasslands and sandy coasts. But Brazil is also home to many children who suffer the consequences of poverty.
Child Exploitation
Children living in poverty are especially vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation. This can take many forms, from neglect and forced child labor to sexual abuse, child trafficking, gang violence and domestic violence. In Brazil, on average, 6,970 children suffer violence that leads to death each year.
Our Response: Protecting Children and Their Rights
At Compassion, child protection is our top priority. To protect these little ones, we provide age-appropriate training to every child we serve, teaching them how to stand up for their rights. We also provide training to our staff, leaders and volunteers so they know the signs of abuse and how to respond quickly.
Children in the Compassion program spend at least 220 hours per year at their child development centers. Here, they are cared for by safe adults who have the knowledge and resources needed to protect them.
Dangerous Remote Areas
Some areas throughout Latin America, including in Brazil, are remote and hard to reach. Children in these areas face the same dangers of poverty, yet they often do so alone, without basic services and support.
Remote areas near the Amazon, for example, lack access to services like clean water, medical care and nearby schools for education.
Our Response: Reaching Underserved Children
We partner with local churches who have hearts for reaching these remote areas. With these churches, we’re reaching children who were previously underserved, providing for their right-now needs (food, medical care and clean water) as well as for their long-term needs (education, mentorship and income generation opportunities).
A group of children smile and cheer while holding Brazilian flags.
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A boy smiles while playing with bubbles.
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Children play at the wall at their child development center.
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A teenage boy teaches from his Bible at soccer practice.
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A group of students practice karate.
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A young boy smiles at a goat sitting on his shoulders.
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A group of girls hold musical instruments at their child development center.
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A girl who received help to fight scoliosis stands in the street with her mother and sister.
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