Churches of St Peter & St Paul, Stokesley and St Martin, Seamer
USPG
USPG enables people to grow spiritually, to thrive physically and to have a voice in an unjust world. As an Anglican mission agency, they do this alongside churches and communities around the world, providing the resources -people, money and ideas - that they define as necessary to meet local needs.
By making regular donations to USPG, members of our congregation support the work of Stephen Taylor in Rio De Janeiro.
Dona Teresinha is one woman who is helping pioneer work among children and the elderly in the favela - the most marginalized part of the city - where much happens by necessity. This is her story.
We found the Anglican church through Nilton (the church’s pastoral assistant) at community group meetings in Cidade de Deus. We spoke to him of our great need for space to promote our work with small children, adolescents and older people. The name of our group is Social Works in Support of the Young and Elderly. We were working in the streets or the odd occasional backroom, as best we could.
But he immediately opened up the possibility of using space in the new project at the Anglican Church. Our aim is to create a meeting point between youths and older people through handicrafts, cultural and educational pursuits. There is often suspicion between these groups and it is forgotten how much the older ones have to offer the young and vice versa.
But our most urgent need was space for a crèche.
As soon as the opportunity arose to use the space in the church, I mobilised some friends and managed to get some donations for immediate needs – including a fridge and some suitable furniture, that is, desks and chairs for the little ones. We were blessed with the use of the cooker and kitchen of the church project and toilet facilities of the ex-school.
This meant that we were able to open our crèche in February this year. We were really responding to a need with this work. We have 70 children and a waiting list already. The most common need comes from single parents, including some men, who are lucky enough to have work. Among our parents are bus conductors, domestics, shop-assistants and one catador do lixo (someone who picks over the rubbish of others or picking up cans or cardboard in the streets).
To keep it running, we charge 30 reais (about £6) for the month for those who are with us for the whole day and 15 reais for the half-day. Half-day children are those from the pre-school group who have begun to go to school.
The children are cared for by four voluntary helpers: Michelle, Alessandra, Carla and Roselaine as well as those who look after the kitchen, Regina and Luiza. But our urgent needs remain food and help with expenses for the volunteers. They have their own needs.
Dona Teresinha takes care of children at the creche in Cidade de Deus.
To learn more about the work of USPG click on their logo. 