In the year 1948 the first Capuchin Tertiary Sisters arrived in Brazil from Colombia. Due to the audacity and courage of these sisters, the Franciscan-Amigonian seed arrived in Brazilian lands and since the essence of the Amigonian Pedagogy, we have been keeping our eyes and actions always focused on the needs surrounding us, trying to enable effective responses to promote and to defend the rights of all but especially of people in situations of greater vulnerability.
Through this article, we like to share how Luis Amigó has inspired our work at the Frei Luis Amigó Educational Center (CEFLA), located since 2003 in the west of the city of São Paulo. This Educational Center purpose of is to take good care of children and adolescents from 6 to 14 years old, that are living in situations of social vulnerability in the marginal neighborhoods. Along these 18 year, we have helped people to build many stories of promotion of the dignity of the human being. At present we offer our service to 120 children and adolescents belonging to 92 families. According to our Charism, we try to put into practice our preferential option for the poorest and most needy people, putting effort into creating a living space where it is possible to strengthen the process of humanization, integral formation, participation and citizenship. We develop actions and activities that generate the force of leadership and autonomy, and based on their interests, demands and potential. The activities aim to strengthen the sense of belonging, to fashion the identity, to transmit social and cultural codes; they are activities of citizen participation developing the perception of social, economic, cultural, environmental and political reality, the appropriation of the citizen rights, the recognition of duties, cosmovision and positioning in public space.
The mission carried out in this work is based on the Amigonian pedagogical proposal, through its principles and values that are at the basis of our actions. Following in the footsteps of our Father Founder, we assume love as the essence that mobilizes our practice, a love that generates spaces of trust, acceptance, mercy, accompaniment, respect and humanity, a love that allows us to respond today to the challenges presented to us by an increasingly individualistic and meaningless community.
Our attention to the signs of the times and to the new social scenario made us live again the experience of Luis Amigó, our Founder and of our first Sisters at the beginning of the history of the Congregation; since 1885 they showed a clear attitude of sensitivity, trust in Providence, great love, compassion and generosity. They took up love as a decision, to the point of sacrificing their own life to alleviate the pain and loneliness of the orphans victims of the cholera pandemic.
The year 2019 marks the beginning of a difficult and challenging times for all humanity; we had to adjust ourselves to a new normality created by the Covid-19 pandemic. This drastic social change affected our work, we had to innovate our responses and to adapt our project in order to continue accompanying the growth and needs of children, adolescents and their families.
Motivated by the strength, zeal and missionary ardor of our Charism, we continued to take care of our students, families and community, being instruments of peace and hope in the midst of the great pain they had to face at that moment and to fulfill our mission offering alternatives for all realities. Those who had the possibility, received remote attention through virtual meetings, that allowed us to enter into their houses and not to lose our ties of union with them. We also tried to accompany those who could not have access to digital media, through primers and different materials. We also visited, in their homes, the families living in the most vulnerable situations and, when needed, we referred them to psychologists and social workers as well to the Basic Health Unit (UBS). The Institution, sensitive to the needs of families, favored the comprehensive care , listening to their experienced reality through phone calls, face-to-face visits specially in urgent cases, delivery of baskets containing food, hygiene items, cleaning materials and medicines, virtual meetings for recreational activities, spirituality and listening spaces; we also referred to the protection network the more complex situations helping them to access to the health services, community awareness campaign about COVID-19 and to sign them up so that everyone may have the right to vaccines and to the government financial support programs.
Specifically, the mission in this Project, puts into practice our Father Founder’s phrase: «In the union is the secret of strength» because the human quality of the care we offer is possible only thanks to the teamwork of educators and sisters, that contributes to transcend the difficulties and, day by day, it feeds the dream of collaborating in the humanization and promotion of our children and adolescents. Through a systematic training, the educators receive tools to know, deepen and apply the Amigonian Pedagogy proposal. Being an Amigonian educator is a demanding mission and because of that it is important to receive all the necessary elements to develop this profile.
The germination of the scattered seeds and the visibility of the fruits …
Through the following two testimonies, we present our appreciation and we offer some of the many fruits generated through our presence, always in communion with the community.
«CEFLA inspires me to be more supportive and careful in the small details that I would normally neglect. Since I am frequenting here since I was a little boy, it is quite familiar to the phrase» I give up my life for my sheep», and that caused in me a feeling of affection for what this phrases means, as well for what it represents for me. The experience I made in this place where I spent so much time and the people I met here helped me, over the years, to become better, encouraging me to solidarity and to return the good received in some way, whether in daily life or at work ”(Lincon is a former student and currently he works as a young apprentice).
“You exhale caring for one another as part of your lives. I could know the space and the love here overflowing, when, during many years, I participated in a treasure hunt as a member of the youth group of the São Matheus Parish. Once known the project here existing, I was sure that I would find here the support I always needed to make my son’s life healthier and happier. And since two years, most of the time during this pandemic, this love got wings and invaded our home through online encounters, basic baskets, material support, calls, posters, etc. Our gratitude is immense for its existence in our lives ”(Valéria Meira, mother of Arthur, 8 years old).
Sr. JULIANA FRANCISCA DO NASCIMENTO, TC