I am back in the office this week after my incredible adventure to Brazil with the Bobby Moore Fund. The experience was emotionally and physically challenging but very rewarding.
The village of Forte is more remote than I had anticipated. After a three-hour drive from Brasilia it took another two and a half hours bumping down a dirt track to reach the camp that was to become our home for ten days. Set beautifully against a range of hills, the village is large enough to warrant a shop, restaurant and bar as well as the school, but almost half of the houses are crumbling and neglected as many people have moved away to get a better education for their family. It was immediately obvious that the school’s renovation would not only help the children, but also have a wider impact on the community as a whole.
An investment programme, accelerated by the imminent arrival of the Bobby Moore Fund volunteers, meant that the school had recently been extended to create four new classrooms. The additional buildings were however still just bare brick with rubble floors and very little natural light, making them almost unusable. Our aim was to lay solid floors, fit additional windows, plaster the new classrooms and paint throughout the school - inside and out - as well as create some colourful murals.
This huge task was made very difficult by the searing 39 degrees Celsius heat which made every job from sieving mountains of sand, mixing concrete by hand and plastering wall after wall, an endurance effort. The hard work took its toll on some with a few suffering very badly and requiring drips to re-hydrate after severe stomach cramps and dehydration. I was lucky enough not to be ill but it was very difficult to see the other volunteers suffer. It was remarkable how quickly we became close to the other team members who, just a few days before, we had met for the first time at Heathrow airport. Camping in close proximity with very limited facilities certainly helps you to get to know each other quickly – for better and worse! Seriously though, without the support and friendship of the other 29 volunteers the project would not have been so successful, rewarding or enjoyable.
All our hardships were however made worthwhile when it came to the school handover ceremony on our last day. The education minister for the region, as well as more importantly, the children and teachers were delighted with the school’s transformation. We had turned the dark and dingy rooms into pleasant learning environments and given the whole building a fresh new look. The school can now accommodate more children over a greater age range enabling more families to remain in the local area, which will have a far reaching and significant impact on the region as a whole.
The cultural exchange with the people of Forte was also very rewarding. The villagers gave musical and dance displays and invited us to join in which was great fun, if a little embarrassing as our wooden western dancing efforts did not live up to the cool samba steps they effortlessly performed around the camp fire! We redeemed ourselves, with the children at least, by presenting a few small gifts and teaching them some traditional British games. It was lovely to cross language boundaries through simple activities such as bubble blowing, Frisbee throwing, skipping and, of course, football.
Finally, I would once again like to express my thanks to everyone who supported me through my fundraising - the Brazilian Carnival Event and the Just Giving site. I have seen for myself that our generosity has helped a very worthy cause that will continue to have an impact for years to come. I hope that through this blog and the photos attached, you are also able to understand and share in the success of the project and understand what we have achieved.
Thank you
Sarah
