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| Sergio instructs SOS Youth in Brazil |
SOS Story: Twenty-five-year-old Sergio Bruno teaches 120 young people a year the information technology skills they need to find work in Brazil’s IT sector. But Sergio isn’t your average instructor and the program isn’t one he found by chance.
Since the age of eight, Sergio was raised by SOS Mothers at the SOS Children’s Village in Rio Bonito, a suburb south of São Paulo. Today he trains youth in the same SOS Village where he found a new home.
When Sergio arrived at SOS-Rio Bonito seventeen years ago, he had previously lived with a foster family as well as and experienced a range of institutional care.
“At first the design of the SOS family seemed strange to me because I had spent seven years of my life without a family structure. Suddenly I was faced with a mother and eight brothers,” he says.
Eventually, that same family-based home gave him the experiences “that prepared me for life,” he says. Today, he cherishes every moment spent with his SOS Mother, Liliana Leocádia, and his eight SOS brothers.
How an SOS Child is Giving Back
As a child at SOS-Rio Bonito, Sergio studied hard and got good grades at the local SOS school, one of the best in the region. Supported by an SOS-Brazil staff member who bet on his bright future, at sixteen Sergio attended an IT hardware training program. He then interned in the SOS-Brazil National Office. This opportunity helped deepen his IT knowledge and paved his way into the labor market.
Now, by teaching IT in a program at SOS-Rio Bonito called Connecting Futures, Sergio is a role model for other young people seeking to make a successful transition from SOS care to independence. He also plans to further his own IT training and certification.
“I always wanted to do something for SOS,” says Sergio. “As an instructor, I encourage the students to build their own success stories with professionalism and determination.”
SOS Helps Many Like Sergio Get Ahead
SOS-Rio Bonito is one of sixteen SOS Children’s Villages in Brazil. SOS also runs youth facilities to help young people like Sergio gain the life and jobs skills they need to move into adulthood. With the guidance of SOS staff, SOS youth learn to shoulder responsibility and make their own decisions. Many go on to higher education to later find rewarding careers and begin families of their own.
Make an investment in the future of an SOS child that will pay off just like it has for Sergio. Sponsor a child today.