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| A group of SOS Brazil children playing a game |
July 19, 2011: Debora, the youngest in a family of three girls living in Manaus, a city in the northern
Brazil rainforest, feels needed. While her mother works, Debora volunteers at an SOS Social Center run by
SOS Children’s Villages in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas Province.
At the SOS Social Center -- one component of the houses and facilities that make up the SOS Village -- 680 local kids from the area also attend preschool, freeing their moms to work. As the locale of a thriving rubber industry in the mid-1800s, Manaus used to be a prosperous city but its fortunes declined once Asia began producing rubber. Many of the area’s indigenous people struggle to make ends meet.
Debora helps small children at the SOS Social Center learn to read.
What Drives Debora
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| An SOS Mother with her two children |
Debora volunteers at the SOS Social Center not only because she believes that social work “is a beautiful and wonderful job” through which she can support families and children. The teen contributes her services because she wants to give back to the program that gave her own life structure and direction.
Several years ago, Debora’s mother Maria experienced difficulty after moving to Manaus. With three girls, then ages 9, 15, and 18, and no husband in the picture, Maria struggled to feed the family. Spotting Maria’s challenging situation, a neighbour told her about SOS Children’s Villages. The SOS Social Center, which also counsels adults and youth on jobs and health issues, took Debora under its wing.
Today, Debora plans to make social work her career. Meanwhile, she juggles her activities at the SOS social center with her studies, including an English course. She says she learned many things during her time at the center. She is now seizing the opportunity to encourage other teenagers through her experience. “I want them to have the same opportunities I was given to plan my future and put the plan into practice,” she says.
SOS Is a Safe Haven for Children and Youth
“The Social Center not only offered me an opportunity,” she says. “It is a safe haven. People here support me. It is like a second home.”
SOS Social Center staff and kids alike deeply appreciate volunteers. “On weekends, children ask for me. I feel recognized wherever I go,” beams Debora, who writes about her SOS volunteer work for her school newspaper.
Help bring security, health, and education to more children and young adults like Debora by making a donation to SOS Children's Villages. Make a difference in a child's life today!