SIRPHA

SIRPHA seeks to build a more sustainable society by integrating the lives of the wealthy and the poor through public education, direct services, and fundraising techniques that are intentionally designed to foster relationships between poor and wealthy students. SIRPHA began in 1973 as a group of volunteers who wanted to help people with leprosy — a disease which has been wiped out in many parts of the world but which still exists in Brazil. Identifying homelessness as the greatest difficulty facing lepers, SIRPHA focused on helping displaced lepers. With donations, they built shelters to provide housing. Since then the organization has expanded the services it provides to the lepers and has also diversified its program areas in order to help other disadvantaged populations, including the children of lepers, the disabled, the poor, and alcoholics.

The main activities of the organization include: services to the poor; vocational training; continued education; disease prevention and basic health; bio-physical and social development programs; and other services to the community including an education center for adult and elderly education and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). SIRPHA is strategically pairing private schools (whose student population tends to be wealthy) and favela schools. Children from the private schools are asked to become "members" of Children's Solidarity through a financial donation. As a "member," they take on responsibility for a child in the favela school. This responsibility is heightened as the children continue to contribute financially and are accountable for monitoring the management of the resources they donate. This allows them to see the results achieved through their donation and raise the level of their involvement. Currently, there are three private schools involved in the partnership, with relationships between 312 students. Through this arrangement, SIRPHA expects to raise R$8,000.00. This money will be invested in the program to assist their clients.