SÃO PAULO PROGRAMS – BRAZIL

OUR PROGRAMS IN BRAZIL

In 2000, His Eminence Jose Cardinal Falcao invited the Sisters of Mary to establish their first programs in Brazil, in his Brasilia archdiocese. There the Sisters opened up a medical clinic in 2002 and our Girlstown the following year.

Then in 2007, the Sisters of Mary received an area of 50 hectares from the city government of São Bernardo, in the state of São Paulo, which authorizes the Sisters to use the land for 99 years. The preparation of the land started in February 2008, followed by the construction which was completed on May 30, 2009. The blessing of the facilities took place on April 18, 2009.

However due to changes in regulations, the Sisters were unable to receive the authorization to operate the facility as a boarding school, and the campus was therefore converted into a a daycare center with a capacity for 150 children, age 3 to 5 years old. Our Day Care Center welcomes children from 8am to 5pm.

The Elementary School was subsequently opened in 2012, offering education to 260 children in grade 1 to 5. It operates in half-days to serve two groups of children (one from 7:30am to 12:30pm, the other from 1pm to 5:45pm), thus benefitting a greater number of poor families.

Both the Day Care Center and the Elementary School programs are currently operating at full capacity.

Meet Bryan, a student at São Bernardo.

SÃO PAULO FACILITY OVERVIEW

• One Day Care Center
• One Elementary School