The Association of Methodist Churches in Northeast Brazil works with the Alto da Bondade Day Care Center project in Recife where the late Disciples missionary, David Blackburn, served for two decades. The Association is at work today offering kindergarten and preschool to children, working with the Child Protection Council, encouraging parental and caregiver involvement, offering domestic violence prevention and counseling, referrals to health clinic and tutoring, and many other programs for children and their families.

Despite all these successes, the project also faces significant challenges. There is a lack of adequate space for activities and the space that is available needs a great deal of maintenance and repair. The hope is to construct new day-care facilities but this plan encounters the obstacle of an already difficult financial situation. 

In addition to constructing additional facilities, other plans for the future include developing community partnerships to share services and adding arts and music activities.

Neighborhood residents are served by the center and some families have had connections for many years. The mother of one of the students shares that she’s lived in the neighborhood for over 20 years. She, along with her family, helped in the construction of some of the existing facilities in 1987 by carrying bricks, offering water to the laborers, and even mixing concrete. She shares that having the project close to her home means a lot, not only for her, but for all mothers and fathers who do not have anyone with whom to leave their children when they go to work. She feels very secure leaving her daughter in their care and particularly appreciates the meals her child receives that she cannot always offer at home.

In addition to lessons like reading, the center also teaches children about God’s love for them. The center hopes this will serve as a source of strength and resilience against dangers that will face children as they get older, including temptations like drugs.

Examples of how gifts to the Alto da Bondade Day Care Center may be used:

• $50 could provide meals for a week
• $100 could help with building maintenance
• $170 could pay the staff for a week