Compassion Direct UK
supporting children in the streets, schools & shanties of South America
Fundacion Aprendiendo Artes y Oficios
A NEW PROJECT WITH A DIFFERENCE - Integral Education
Could you help us to reinforce a spirit of hope in Villa Lujan?
Young people & children, without family values, support or objectives for the future, their role models, alcoholic, violent, working on the streets, drugged or dealing in drugs, people desperate and without hope!
Villa Lujan, is a 25 year old shanty town in Quilmes in the southern conurbation of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina and is very little different to many thousands of other shanty areas in South America or other developing countries.
INTRODUCTION
FAAO (Fundacion Aprendiendo Artes y Officios) and Compassion Direct UK – No 1113505, have formed a partnership as we believe that we have a project model that will create significant changes in Villa Lujan.
FAAO has been given the use of a large building by Padre Luis Farinello of the Farinello Fundacion, where FAAO are beginning to create workshops focusing on the integral education of participating shanty dwellers. The building is in need of some renovation but has basic plumbing and drainage.
We have put together the plans and 5 year budget to create a project where participants will learn not only the skills of trade & life skills but will participate in daily sporting activities learn about health & environmental issues and are gently assessed, assisted and encouraged by psychologists who will advise us on their further requirements, so focusing upon the holistic needs of the individual over a 1-5 year period thus encouraging and equipping them for an independent and positive future.
All participants in the project will have received at least a basic education at the School on the Villa, but pupils expectations are low and the highest ambition they have for the future in this area of underemployment is to follow in the footsteps of their parents -working as Cartoneras, collecting rubbish from the streets to recycle, begging, prostitution or drug dealing consequently continuing the cycle of deprivation within which they currently exist, dependent upon the left over’s of society.
VILLA LUJAN
Home to about 4000 mainly Argentines and Paraguayans living on the margins of society Villa Lujan has all the usual shanty town problems of several large families with an average of 7 children per family sharing the same rickety homemade shanty structure on a rota basis, lack of sanitation, open drains full of waste where children play, paths that turn to mud in the winter and making them impassable, heaps of rubbish collected from the wealthier areas waiting to be recycled to earn a few extra pence but harbouring disease and encouraging vermin; Young girls working as maids until they reach puberty, when they often end up on the streets to earn a few pesos by selling their young bodies risking AIDS and other dangers. Drug Dealers selling hard drugs on and off the Villa and cheap and rapidly lethal Paco available to young residents to shields them from their grim reality.
There is a school in the Villa but there are few jobs for the children when they leave and little encouragement from uneducated and downtrodden parents for them to attend school to learn. There is a Comador –government sponsored eating area, which feeds up to 2000 children from the Villa each day. However, there is nowhere for the residents to learn the attitudinal skills necessary for them to realise that they can change their lives, make a living, to learn about the dignity of work and to give them the means to progress in their society with self respect. Young children usually follow the examples of their parents or older siblings, for them a life of drug dealing, theft, begging, violence and prostitution is the norm and the future currently holds few other opportunities.
Compassion Direct UK a UK registered charity, number 1113505 has been working in the area of Quilmes for the past 3 years assisting various small projects. We began working with The Fundacion de Padre Luis Farinello 2 years ago buying industrial sewing machines for a young people’s leather workshop & fires so that they could work in the winter.
Padre Farinello – Farinello Fundacion, has kindly offered the use of several unused buildings with water and drainage on the Villa to be renovated and turned into workshops to be used for the “holistic development of young adolescents”
To this end it has been necessary to create a new Foundation/Charity, FAAO (Fundacion Aprendiendo Artes y Oficios) and Compassion Direct UK has been asked to form a partnership with this group and assist them with funding and to participate in the management of the project.
Compassion Direct UK (CDUK) – Registered Charity no. 1113505
CDUK support children and families living in the streets, shanty towns and mountains of South America. We achieve our objectives by working with community groups and organisations that require external funding and support.
Where necessary CDUK create and support new initiatives to help families acquire the skills necessary for independent living.
CDUK aims to reduce our carbon footprint and promote good environmental practice in the UK and at our projects abroad. All CDUK projects are researched by UK trustees and funding is delivered directly to projects, bypassing other agencies. CDUK ensures that the money you give goes directly to those who need it most. We have no paid employees and are entirely dependent upon voluntary help and donations.
For information on our projects please go to our web pages on www.compassiondirect.co.uk
Project for which we are applying for part funding
FAAO (Fundacion Aprendiendo Artes y Officios) and CDUK have formed a partnership to create a project model that will generate significant changes in Villa Lujan, a 25 year old shanty town in Quilmes, south of Buenos Aires in Argentina, with a population of about 4000.
FAAO has been given the use of a large building by the Farinello Fundacion, where FAAO & CDUK are starting workshops focusing on the integral education of participating shanty dwellers. The building is in need of renovation but has basic plumbing and is dry. One room is currently functioning as a sewing workshop and we are renovating rooms for further workshops as funds become available.
We have put together the plans for a 3 – 5 year budget to create a project where participants can learn the skills of a trade & life skills, participate in daily sporting activities, learn about health & environmental issues, be assessed, assisted and encouraged by psychologists who will advise us on clients requirements, so focusing upon holistic needs including social, physical and psychological support, thus encouraging and equipping clients for an independent and positive future with qualifications for work. We have been assured by ‘A Labour Union’, that on completion of the workshops many participants will be considered for local jobs in the area.
All participants in the project will have received at least a basic education at the School on the Villa, where pupils expectations are low and the highest ambition they have for the future in this area of underemployment is to follow in the footsteps of their parents -working as Cartoneras, collecting rubbish from the streets to recycle, begging, prostitution or drug dealing consequently continuing the cycle of deprivation within which they currently exist. This new project aims to teach shanty dwellers the dignity of work and help to reform their attitudes to a society where they can participate equally.
We are requesting part funding to set up and staff the following 3 workshops. To be assisted by a psychologists who will assess client’s further needs for ancillary workshops
FAAO/CDUK PROJECT FIRST WORKSHOPS and their duration
Lathe Workshop -2 years.
Sewing & Design Workshop – 1 year.
Blacksmith’s workshop – 2 years.
Ancillary Workshops and Activities running alongside the above workshops
1. A Rolling Programme including, Advice and education on Violence, Anger Management, Sex, Alcohol, Aids/HIV, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Contraception, Health & Hygiene , the Protection of the Environment, Child Care & Parenting skills.
2. A Rolling Programme assisting with reading, writing and basic maths skills & budgeting
3. Daily Sports Participation will be available in football, net ball, gym, athletics, swimming etc. and competitions will be organised between workshops.
We would monitor and evaluate the success of the project by recording
a. The number and sex of participants in each project & their progress.
b. The length of time each client remains on the project and their areas of participation & any qualifications received by clients.
c. Re-entry of previous clients to different workshops
d. Evaluation questionnaires and Exit questionnaires to that we can improve and evolve the projects methods and plans for improvement
e. Regular staff meetings and staff supervision
f. A client suggestions scheme
g. Client dropout rate
h. Client participation in sporting activities and ancillary workshops
Sustainability of the Project -vital to ongoing success
Each workshop will have the dual function of training the participants and also encouraging them to find sales outlets for their products.
The Carpentry Workshop will produce tables, chairs, shelves etc. made to order and/or to be sold locally at fairs. The Art & Drawing Workshop will decorate boxes for confectionary, gifts etc to be sold locally and to tourists. The Sewing workshop will sell clothing to local outlets. The ‘Torneria’ will produce & rectify mechanical and spare parts for vehicles and construct springs for sale etc. The Blacksmiths workshop will make metal window grills and stairs. The Craft workshop will produce soap, candles and other items for sale.
Costs breakdown including core costs
Renovation and repair of ALL of the building that can be done in stages as the project evolves. $12,000 USD total requirement
Part funding $6000 USD
Machinery to set up the Lathe Workshop $8000 USD
Machinery to set up the Blacksmith’s workshop $4000 USD
Equipment for the Sewing & Design workshop we already have the machines $800 USD
Materials Required to run above workshops for 1 year $5000 USD
Teachers & Psychologist for 1 year for above workshops $6000 USD
Overheads - minimum $200 USD
Total Requested for part funding $30,000 USD
The above funding request does not take into account any payments to the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Representative of CDUK who are prepared to give their time free to set up and administer the project in the early stages.
For information we include below the initial costs required to set up further workshops these do not include salaries’, overheads and materials
To set up the Carpenters Workshop duration 2 years $4000 USD
To set up Art & Design Workshop duration 1 year $800 USD
To set up Theatre Workshop duration 1 year $500 USD
To set up Arts & Craft Workshop duration 3-9 months $500 USD
To set up the sports Programme - ongoing with projects $800 USD
Furniture & equipment for administrative office $1500 USD
Public Relations Opportunities available
On initial receipt of any funding grant, a photo-call could be arranged at the project with participants
Press Releases and photos to UK media would need to be discussed.
Press Releases to BA media to be discussed.
Ongoing press releases as project progresses creating angles as appropriate would need to be discussed.
Project participants could wear embossed cotton overalls with your company logo.
Exotix logo could be incorporated into our literature and websites as a funding agency.
If your company has a press department that is prepared to liaise with us and send out press releases to all
relevant media we are prepared to liaise otherwise, for professional regular distribution of press information
a Mediadisk UK license would be required which costs in the region of £3157.00 Sterling. Were we to
achieve funding for the Mediadisk UK then we would need a Media Cuttings Service so that we are able
to monitor our success and target and follow up interested parties.
We have now begun to apply for funding for this project and are looking to raise in excess of £50,000. for further details please get in touch with ros@compassiondirect.co.uk
For more information on FAAO go to http://www.fundacionfaao.org.ar/
