Nearly 30 years ago, Compassion began working in Brazil by partnering with local churches to reach poor children in their communities. Today, we serve more than 41,000 children through partnerships with 186 churches. With each new partnership, we are able to reach more children desperately hoping for a brighter future.
Home to seemingly endless natural resources and listed as one of the world’s emerging powers, Brazil has secured itself as a prominent and prosperous nation. When you look closer, however, you’ll see that poverty is one of the country’s biggest issues, affecting more than one in four people. Sadly, those most affected by extreme poverty are the children.
Approximately half a million children age 7 to 14 do not attend school, and for children age 15 to 17, this number jumps to nearly 6 million. A large portion of these children live in the northeast region of Brazil, one of the most impoverished and neglected areas of the country.
Violence also affects these vulnerable children. Homicide is listed as the number one cause of death among adolescents in Brazil. Preventable illness, such as waterborne and vector-borne disease also lead to premature death among children and adolescents.
Your gift is will help change this. You have made it possible to bring God’s love and Compassion’s work to children in need through a church plant and Child Development Center. We are excited to share this journey with you as we bring change to the children, their families and the entire community.
Quick Facts
- Nearly 65% of population is Roman Catholic
- 85% of the population live in urban areas
- Shares a border with all South American countries except Chile and Ecuador
- More than half of the amazon rainforest is in brazil (60%)
- Logging, mining, fishing and oil are Brazil’s leading industries