Porto Alegre: Associação Protetora da Infância - English

LEONARD MURIALDO INSTITUTE

ASSOCIATION FOR PROTECTING THE CHILDHOOD

1. CURRENT LEONARD MURIALDO INSTITUTE

 The Leonard Murialdo Institute - Association for protecting the Childhood is an entity that belongs to the Congregation of the Murialdo’s Josephites, whose foundation happened in Turin, Italy on the year I873. Today the Houses of the Murialdo’s Josephites are dispersed for nine states of Brazil (Bahia, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro, Federal district, Ceará, Rio Grande do Sul, Belém do Pará and São Luiz do Maranhão).

The Josephites are present in the “gaucho” capital since March 19, 1954, working in the periphery of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, but more specifically in the Morro da Cruz community. In their history they forged a big deal of experience in the field of social action and human promotion first of all with children, adolescents and impoverished youths. The institution has here and in other places formal and popular education and vocational training as its firm base.

   The Leonard Murialdo Institute develops its educational, social and cultural potential through its branch: the Association for Protecting the Childhood that was founded in 1965 and including:

1. Shrine São José of Murialdo

2. School São José of Murialdo

3. Murialdo Vocational Training

4. Murialdo Children and Youth Centre

5. Murialdo Children’s Education Centre

6. Murialdo Business Incubator

7. Ilê Ará Library

The Association for Protecting the Childhood counts on 63 professionals in the Murialdo Social Network and offers its service to people from childhood to third age in the Morro da Cruz community, periphery of Porto Alegre.

Vision:

 “To be a point of reference in promoting the life of children, adolescents, youth and their families, through integrated and sustainable projects, giving the chance of an integral formation allowing to live human and Christian values in the exercise of a full citizenship.”

Mission:

             “The Leonard Murialdo Institute, attentive to the signs of the times and working in the community, has its mission in living and pointing out the Christian values – God’ merciful love - waking up and enhancing the individual and collective potential of children, adolescents, youth and their families, promoting social development so that no one may get lost.”

Values:

- Integral formation;

- A well united family;

- Pedagogy of love - Education of the heart;

- Commitment to work and society;

- Formation of community Leaders;

- Promotion of citizenship;

- Attention to the signs of the times;

- Promotion and liberation of life;

- Collaboration and work in a network;

- Liberation of the last ones;

- God’s merciful love;

- Respect for the various cultures;

- Respect for the diversities.

            The Murialdo Social Network, present in the Eastern area of Porto Alegre, is an Institution characterized by the defence and conquest of the rights of children, adolescents, youths and families that are more vulnerable to the conditions and social problems. Based on the Pedagogy of Love and the Education of the Heart, the Institute develops several projects seeking to assist the residents of the Morro da Cruz and its surroundings. For such purpose, we today draw and carry out projects and actions intended to reduce the distance between the lived reality and the dreamed new world, through projects of Enlarged Community Action, as the Service of Socio-educational Care (SASE), the Infantile Education (nursery school), Educative Work, Young Apprentice, Community Library, Local Development through the Morro da Cruz Project for Life, Training and Vocational qualification of Youths and Adults and support to Groups for Creating Work and Income, besides the attention to the Old Age. We highlight the carried out activities:

2. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT IN THE INSTITUTION IN 2008

3. LEONARD MURIALDO INSTITUTE IN THE PAST

The first actions accomplished by the Josephites and their collaborators who dreamed about a progress social work, capable to allow the children, adolescents and youths a fuller life in the human and Christian dimension, through the school, sport, leisure, vocational training and general care.

In the SPORT theyhad as focus the respect to the coexistence norms and when the young wo/man was ready, s/he could begin other activities. Still today many former attendants, about 60 years old,recall with nostalgia the times in which there was not yet television and the sport in the weekends filled out the cheerful Sunday afternoons.

Access to EDUCATION, mainly for the impoverished children and youth, was guaranteed through the formation given in the São José of Murialdo School that at that time provided quality normal and vocational teaching. This way, in 1965 the Preschool, Primary and Secondary School were opened in the vicinity of the current S. José of Murialdo School. In 1969, it was made an extension at the Morro da Cruz with the creation of the Primary School Father Cornélio Todesco to increase the attendance of the community's student population.

When poverty is so much that it impedes an appropriate feeding, the first signs appear with HEALTH. The community didn't have access to preventive treatment and the immediate consequence was physical weakening and disease. Therefore, the Association for Protecting the Childhood built a clinic in an area of 800 square meters and started to hire doctors, nurses and attendants. The experience was so positive that it brought to an agreement with the Health Office of Rio Grande do Sul State, and the Murialdo Sanitary Unit was formed, a pilot and standard experience for the whole state and model for other states and even for other countries.

In 1975, this work was taken even more close to the impoverished population. A Health Centre was set up at the Morro da Cruz, in Fr. Cornelio Todesco School's building, in rooms given in by the institute that also paid the professionals working there. The agreement with the Health Office was extinguished in May 1996 when it began to function at its own building.

VOCATIONAL TEACHING. After the end of the agreement with the Murialdo Sanitary Unit (today located in Bento Gonçalves street, close to the PUCRS), the spaces were redirected for the adolescents and youth vocational qualification, in order that they could have access to their first job. The main courses given were: embroidery, stitching, cooking, typing, technical drawing, besides the classic courses like joinery, printing, binding and shoemaking, capable to favour employment.

Let us go to know a little of the activities carried out in the institutions making up the MURIALDO SOCIAL NETWORK AT Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul state.

Shrine São José of Murialdo - it is placed in Rua Vidal de Negreiros. n. 550. According to the tradition of the Catholic Church Saint Joseph is venerated as protector of the Family. Many are the gracess and blessings for the people invoking him. Saint Joseph’s Shrine is also known for the famous procession of the passion and death of Christ on Good Friday that takes place from 1960 with the participation of the population of the city and surroundings, passing more than 10.000 people.

The Colégio São José of Murialdo - It is placed in the Rua Vidal de Negreiros, n. 417. Faithful to its foundational commitment it offers Nursery Education, Primary and Secondary Teaching for the children of the families living in the community and the close neighbourhoods. These families choose the school for the methodology and philosophy of Educating the Heart. The school is a space with wide open area and an infrastructure that allows a good work with the entire educative family and has a good organization concerning equipments. Now seven hundred and eighteen students are studying there. It is being inaugurated a modern Hall for cultural and social activities for the school and community.

Center of Professional Formation Murialdo - In 1997 the institute renovated the building in Rua Vidal de Negreiros, n. 583, of 1.311,20 square meters, making possible the operation of the Vocational Training Centre. This work made available the space for restarting the activities in the field of the job training, this happened on the half of July 1998.

In 2001 another ward was restructured adding further 1.061,18 square meters. This way, there are 2.372.38 square meters of area built for carrying out activities in the social field and in vocational training.

The above mentioned centre has: a wide kitchen, equipped for courses, a half-industrial kitchen, dining hall for seventy people, library, wide living room, general office, workshops, a mini-auditorium for multiple use, bakery for courses, two computer rooms connected to the internet, electricity workshop equipped for wiring course, room equipped for course and production in cut and stitching, six rooms for technicians' use and direction, eight classrooms, wide courtyard and parking.

CONCLUSION:

The accomplishment of the mission is possible due the involvement of institutions, partner companies and people of good will. Here we conclude our article expressing our happiness in contributing to the path of social action of the Leonard Murialdo Institute, which tries to interact with and to assist the people living in a situation of social vulnerability, being one of our goals to look for improvements of lives, above all “The life of children, adolescents and youths as well as their families that live at the margin of the society.”

PORTO ALEGRE,

JANUARY 22, 2009.