Sao Paulo, Brazil
Our third project in Brazil, ‘Ser Mulher’ (To Be a Woman) is based in the heart of downtown Sao Paulo, South/Central Brazil. The mission there is to promote education in the reproductive rights of young people, prioritizing work aimed at improving the life conditions of young girls, particularly those who are pregnant or who are already a mother, are extremely poor and may have lived on the streets. The project seeks to offer effective and appropriate social, psychological, legal and educational services to this target group of young girls. The fundamental approach is to empower them as individuals and in their family, help them break the cycle of poverty in which they live, and develop their sense of autonomy and citizenship in society.
The specific objectives of the project include offering workshops on subjects including menstruation, pregnancy, women’s health and the prevention of STDs and HIV/AIDS, rights of the child and adolescent and domestic violence.
Project Ser Mulher offers the education necessary for the young attendees (10-18 year olds) to understand the safe sex option and the project team focuses on the importance of the prevention of STDs and HIV/AIDS.
The young girls have ample opportunity to openly discuss and exchange their doubts, fears and experiences in a safe environment.
In many cases, the attendees are poor and with very low self-esteem and this often results in their having unsafe sex as they want to feel loved and sometimes have the intention of getting pregnant. In this way, they can then be a mother and thereby have a “role” in society.