The YouTube channel “Tapauá Belezas e Encantos”, by Robson Costa, a former student of the Hope Center and now renowned local photographer, publishes a documentary to celebrate the 25 years of this socio-educational project of the Augustinian Recollects.
Today we are going to visit the Hope Center, here in the municipality of Tapauá. This project of the Catholic Church aims to serve not only young Catholics but also young people from other religious denominations.
The Augustinian Recollect Miguel Ángel Peralta explains the origins of the Hope Center:
“The municipality of Tapauá and its Parish of Saint Rita are part of the Prelature of Labrea. In an assembly of the Prelature, in the 90s, they began to address an emerging problem: drugs and violence among adolescents. The Catholic church wondered how it could help address this problem.
For more than half the day the children were out of school, inactive, and fell into the worst pit: drugs and violence. Hope Centers emerged to respond to this free time and keep them away from the bad influences of the street.
It was an inspiration from God, He was the one who gave us the strength to start the Hope Center in Lábrea, which was the first, and then in Tapauá and Pauiní. These projects completely prevented teenagers from half of each day they did things that no one knew, their parents didn’t know where or with whom were…”
José is the current coordinator of the Tapauá Hope Center:
“With the coordination of the Pastoral Care for Minors, we serve 160 children out of 130 families in situations of vulnerability and social risk. We try to entertain children and adolescents when they are not in school through school reinforcement and workshops: crafts, sewing, crochet, music (keyboard and guitar), and computing.
In addition, every Friday sports activities are organized and we have a psychosocial sector (social worker and counselor) who assist beneficiaries and their families throughout the week.
Our project, open regime, is framed in basic social protection, strengthening ties with families and community participation in their set. Our main mission is based on three axes: protection, defense, and promotion of minors.
We work with people at social risk, with their beaten fundamental rights, without much hope. This is our target audience and we are looking to actively support these families to allow them to have a space to protect their sons and daughters.
These 25 years have been successful: many families and many people have changed their stories through the Center’s activities. It is not just an occupational issue, it is also about opening horizons, letting them know that they can go beyond what seemed like their everyday world was meant to be.
We have already had several beautiful stories of people who left here and managed to enter an academic or professional career, it is also a great joy for all of us who today can say that they are good people, good parents, good workers, who contribute to society.
The Hope Center is a blessing from God because it works directly against crime. This is especially the case for families that migrated from the jungle, from the rural environment, in search of a better life; but it turned out that in the city they found a reality very different from what they expected. How could they not support themselves, the adults returned to the rural area and left their children alone in the city, and then the real problems began for them.
These families are protected with our comprehensive education offering that covers all dimensions of the person: we believe that each young person, once he/she leaves, will make the right decisions for their life; having been with us they have avoided being at the mercy of crime and everything that destroys our youth.
Since its inception, the Hope Center has survived thanks to donations with the collaboration of the Augustinian-Recollect Family throughout the world.”
Lana has been the coordinator of one of the workshops since the beginning of the Center 25 years ago:
“We began our first activities in the house of the Oblate Sisters of the Assumption, then we occupied the catechism rooms until we got the current own facilities in the Saint Augustine neighborhood. I have two children, but at the Hope Center every year I add more than a hundred.
It is rewarding, I come every day, and I know that I cannot fail in my responsibility, these teenagers of today will be doctors, nurses, and university students, many of them already live
Sebastião was a student at the Hope Center and is now a professor of computing.
“I was a student until 2008 and today I cannot express the joy I feel teaching computer science. My gratitude is great, I try to help the guys. Yes, it’s worth it, sometimes you have to give up part of your personal life, There are also exhausting moments, but then you see the recognition of the beneficiaries, the fruits achieved, their gratitude…”.
Fray Juan José Guzmán, is an Augustinian Recollect and prior of the religious community that runs the Hope Center.
“Our biggest challenge is the protection and care of our children. we were born as a response to a precarious situation of lack of opportunities and social problems, but society has not yet managed to put an end to this. The response to such a challenge requires joint work.
It is also our challenge to create awareness in Tapauá society that everyone has to work to care for, protect, and create more opportunities for our youths. Resources have also been a great challenge: food, materials for teaching, and developing the talents of all our children and adolescents are not cheap.
Although sometimes we doubt if it was worth it, we realize how people change and have more opportunities, they develop their talents, and they shine by giving their best and this makes us feel that we have achieved the purpose.
We know not everyone will respond and take advantage of the opportunity, but if they manage by making a difference, that’s gratifying.”
Some of the beneficiaries of the Hope Center talk about their achievements:
Karina • “The Hope Center contributes a lot to my life, here they teach me what I don’t know, they help me be a more responsible girl and teach me to help others.”
Laura Victoria • “I have been at the Hope Center for three years, learned a lot, and evolved. When I entered, I barely knew how to read, but the school reinforcement and the workshops have taught me a lot. Now I know how to sew, craft, crochet, paint…
Fabio • When I started, they sent me to school reinforcement because I didn’t even know read well, and got low grades. I spent two years in school reinforcement and now I have good grades in language. I have already gone through the crafts workshop, then I knitted, I painted and now I’m learning to play the guitar. I already did a presentation on Mother’s Day and now we are rehearsing to make another public presentation in the square.
José Henrique • I have been at the Hope Center for three, or four years and I was in the workshops on sewing, guitar, computing, cooking, and now back to computing. I also went through the complementary workshops on Fridays: dance, capoeira, ping-pong, board games… Everything is very good for us, the students.
Henderson • I learned many things in this educational place that bring us a better future. I hope many guys come here and do things well, this is a very good place to learn to have a better future.
Flavio • The guitar workshop helps me in my life, I have already learned to play several songs. My biggest dream is to be a soccer player and the Hope Center contributes. It’s like a school that helps you personally.
Ruan • I am in the keyboard workshop, the Center contributes a lot to my life, here I can play soccer, something I love.
María Gabriela • I am in the guitar workshop and I have already learned to play the song “Janeiro, janeiro”. The teachers are great, here I can dance and play soccer, my dream of my future is to be a dancer.
Ana Sofía • I am in the crafts workshop making dolls and embroidered bottle fabrics. The Center helps me understand what is good and what is bad for me, It helps me play and dance, they are things I wouldn’t do if I weren’t here, I think it helps me. I would spend the day sleeping. I hope our teachers continue teaching us because we have a future ahead of us.
In a word, what would the Hope Center mean to you?
- Flavio: Learn.
- Karina: Love.
- Ana Sofía: Education.
- Laura Vitória: Understanding.
- Ruan: Hope.
- Henderson: Future.
- María Gabriela: Presence.
- Fábio Melo: Learning.
- José Henrique: Teachings.
