My first visit as executive manager of Operation Rescue
Last summer I was able to visit our daycare centre in Americana near São Paulo for the first time. It opened two years ago and I didn’t know what to expect. Americana is a well-structured small town and I wondered beforehand why the project location was not chosen in one of the large slums with up to 200,000 inhabitants in São Paulo.
Raquel, the manager, told us about various individual fates, but we only realized the misery that affects all the children when we walked through a slum close to our centre. The settlement consists only of wooden shacks with tin roofs and was built without permission on a steep piece of land owned by the city. It has been known for some time that the city could demolish the settlement and build on its land.
The inhabitants suffer from transmittable diseases because the dwellings cannot be heated and the hygienic conditions in the entire district are catastrophic in some cases without a canalization system. There are also mafia-like structures with their own laws and illegal activities. Raquel needed permission from the gang leader for our walk through the thin and steep alleyways and we had to be accompanied by a resident, a mother of children from Operation Rescue. As we were greeted warmly by everyone, I asked the mother why the gang leaders tolerate our work in this neighborhood and even send their children to our center. The answer touched me deeply. The parents know that at Operation Rescue their children are encouraged to strive for a different life and not to follow criminal paths themselves, and that is precisely why they send their children to us. Our work and the team is loved by the parents, as well as the values that are passed on to the children, because the parents do not want their children to follow the same path as them. They simply want them to have a better life.
It is estimated that up to 1000 children live in this neighborhood alone. The location of Operation Rescue is perfectly chosen and the work there is necessary, but instead of 60 – 80 children, we would like to be able to help at least twice as many in the next few years. This requires a second or larger centre, a bigger team – and we are more grateful than ever for your support!
Christian Baumann
Executive Director of Operation Rescue – Switzerland
