“We just have to remain positive,” said Ana, in portuguese, with a tone that indicated that she was doing exactly that, but unable to fully. Throughout our entire conversation, her voice exuded a forced hopefulness with clear undertones of worry and distress. Ana is the manager at Associacao Filhos do Ceu, an organization in Arraial D’Ajuda, Bahia, that has been closed for 42 days.
Arraial D’Ajuda is a small touristic town with a beautiful beach, and cobble streets filled with stores and restaurants. It is also a town filled with poverty, hunger and large shanty towns that are close to the tourists, but not so close that it would bother them. The organization is located in the part unseen by the tourists and focuses on giving kids food as well as a place to stay after school whilst their parents work. At the organization, the kids have an opportunity to play games, plant in their small garden, get help with homework, or complete any other activity volunteers come up with. The organization gives children opportunities and keeps them off the streets where they could otherwise be getting involved with drugs or prostitution. However, during this pandemic, there is no way the organization can assure that.
“The majority of the kids have no idea what is going on. When I do visit, they want to come hug me, but I have to tell them that they can’t. I have to tell them and their parents to wear masks and to stay at home,” said Ana. But home is not a comfortable place for most of the kids.
“The kids end up staying in the streets because their houses are so small that there is no way their families can all fit at the same time,” said Ana. She shared that for one of the families, one small room had to be shared by 12 family members. With such small houses and no online school, the kids have no option other than going into the streets and finding friends especially if their parents are also physically abusive at home.
The organization has been telling the parents to be patient with their children, keep calm and to explain to them what is happening. In a recent facebook post, they wrote, “The kids without being able to leave home, without going outside and without school, have double the energy. That’s why we ask you to be calm. Take deep breaths. Have patience. Don’t be violent with your children. It is not their fault (and not yours, either), and most times, they can’t understand what is happening.”
The kids, however, aren’t all that Ana worries about. She also has her employees to worry about. Those that cooked the kids’ foods, taught them dances, organized their small library, and made sure the organization was there the next day. Many of the employers live in the same shanty town as the kids and face the same hardships. Last week, Ana had to suspend all the workers’ contracts and let them know that they will not be continuing work for the time being. She shared that many of them believed Ana was firing them and could not understand why that was. “I confess that it is very sad. Our own employees are suffering,” said Ana.
But Ana still manages to help out the community. With no functioning organization, Ana, together with other managers, have teamed up with larger organizations to deliver baskets of food, hygiene products, and other necessities. They started out delivering only to families of the kids that attend the organization, but have now grown to supply to 1140 families in the neighborhood. “We should always do our part,” said Ana.
Although the situation is not looking quite so sunny, there is still hope the organization will return. The kids will once again play games, run around, and learn. “We need to think that the organization will return, that the kids will return and that the employers will return,” said Ana.
I had the privilege of working at the organization last summer with my mom and developed connections with many of the kids that came to the organization each day. A majority of them suffered abuse at home and relied heavily on the organization to keep them going. I refuse to let myself think of what they may be living through now as I am afraid it will bring me too much sadness. However, I must think like Ana. I must remain positive and believe that the organization will return someday no matter how far away that day may be.
