EduAction - Maracanaú

So the real reason I´m in Brazil, is to take part in a nationwide education project that is present in 5 cities across Brazil; Porto Alegre, São José dos Campos, Soracaba, Recife and now... Maracanaú, Ceará. It is a Corporate Responsability iniciative financed by the steel manufacturing giant Gerdau that aims to bring the themes Multiculturalism, Sustainability, Social Responsability and Entrepreneurism to Brazilian public schools. 


The Brazilian school system is divided between public and private schools. Suffice to say that those who attend public schools have much poorer chances in life. Many only send their children because they are guaranteed to receive a meal there. Their parents work long hours and they have little hope of breaking out of their cycle, their city. So we bring the world to them. We open their eyes to a whole range of issues they never thought they could be a part of. And they absolutely love it!

Maracanaú is 16km from central Fortaleza and often described as it´s poor relation. The urbanization of the capital spread and many industries built factories in Maracanaú, resulting in a huge concentration of inhabitants in an area poorly equipped to deal with the demands for healthcare, housing and infrastructure. Today there are an estimated 17,318 families living in poverty in Maracanaú. 


Considering my culture shock when I came to Fortaleza, Maracanaú was even further off my radar. Dusty plains stretch out for miles, cows meander along dirt tracks, the higgeldy piggeldy houses are bolted shut with wrought iron gates... it´s not the safest place to hang about. But the schools are alive, like little pockets of activity in a strangely deserted neighbourhood.

I was pretty nervous of them at first... I had visions of classrooms that were falling apart, kids running riot and being disinterested in anything I had to say. But I couldn´t have been more wrong! The schools seem to be the pride of the town. Their means are small, but the local government seems to be doing its best to provide these schools with the basics, and even a little more. Most of the schools have a little library in which we teach, with a working projector or DVD player, so the subjects we teach can really come to life.


What struck me most is the pleasant atmosphere the schools have. Everywhere you look there is a mural to welcome you to the school...

or an inspirational phrase....

The school uniform is a simple but effective...

... and the kids are immaculately behaved! Lets hope it stays that way...


I´m working with two fantastic boys, one from Argentina and one from Colombia. Our first lesson was a presentation of our cultures, followed by a discussion of what culture means to them. We talked about their culture and they produced some beautiful collages of which they were all very proud.

The funniest thing is how they treat us like celebrities... we´ve actually given out autographs! It´s customary for younger children to call their teachers "Tia" and "Tio" (Aunty and Uncle) which is pretty adorable. They want to hang about at the end chatting and taking photos, asking us all about our countries (Do you have computers in Argentina?). Some even attend the class again because they thought it was so much fun. 


I needn´t have worried whether this project would really make a difference. After only a few days I can see that we have bought something new and exciting into their lives. Even when my alarm goes off at 5.45am and I struggle to open my eyes, the thought of spending the day with such delightful children gets me out of bed and onto that yellow bus to Maracanaú.