School Uniform Project Boosts Brazilian Students' Pride

By Joseph Derr - Rotary International News

When we think of typical Rotary projects that promote literacy and education, donating books or tutoring children might come to mind. But Rotarians from Mexico and Brazil thought of school uniforms and gym shoes — and made a big difference in the lives of children from Tanabi, Brazil.

Since 2003, Tanabi Rotarians have volunteered as tutors at the Lar das Crianças (Children’s Home), an institution in Tanabi that provides free extracurricular programs for 150 children, ages 7–11, from low-income families. Most public schools in Brazil operate only for a half day, so at the Lar at-risk kids from low-income communities in Tanabi find a safe place to continue learning and playing while their caretaker works. The home offers before- and after-school activities, such as classes in music, dance, English, computer skills, and swimming, as well as provides nutritious meals.

While visiting the project on an Individual Grant, Ted Rose from the Rotary Club of Colima, Mexico, saw an opportunity to add to the project.

“I noticed that the children who came to the Lar were shabbily dressed, some more so than others,” says Rose, who came to Brazil on the invitation of Tanabi Rotarian Cândido Garcia Soler, a dentist who met Rose when he volunteered at Project Amigo in Colima in 1998.

“If all the children dressed alike, they would be on a more even footing with each other,” says Rose, who has volunteered at the project twice, including for two months in 2004.

In 2006, the Rotary clubs of Tanabi and Colima formed a partnership for a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant inviting the Rotary clubs of Pihuamo, Coquimatlán, and Villa de Álvarez, Mexico, to join them and the Rotary Club of Columbia Center, Washington, USA. With District Designated Funds and the matched grant, the total project funding of US$12,150 helped the clubs purchase uniforms for all of the children. In addition, each student received school supplies, gym shoes, swimsuits, and caps.

“Many of the students and teachers were very moved when they saw the packs, which because they received them in December, became almost like Christmas presents for the kids,” says Soler.

Tanabi Rotarians have seen the students’ interest in learning and participating in activities intensify after the packs unified them as a cohesive group. “The uniforms have not only leveled the playing field, they have hugely contributed to the children’s sense of self-worth and self-pride,” says Rose. 

It was also a boost for many of the Mexican clubs, for whom this was the first international project outside their local communities. The Tanabi Rotarians continue to host Rotarian tutor volunteers from overseas, fostering the language and geography skills of the Tanabi kids.