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| SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio in Recife |
Sergio was born to an unfortunate mother who became a drug user and developed serious psychological problems as a result. His father, an alcoholic, was very violent with his family.
Sergio and his three brothers were eventually rescued from abandonment and violence by the country's youth authorities. That was several years ago, but Sergio never saw his brothers again. He now lives with his grandmother, and three months ago he started participating in one of the family strengthening programmes offered by the new SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio in the region of Recife, located in the northeast of the country.
Sergio's grandmother told us about the first years she cared for with him: "When the boy arrived at my house, he had cigarette burns all over his body, and until he was three years old, he would get up in the middle of the night afraid and crying. He has been expelled from school six times because of his aggressive behaviour and his hyperactivity. I'm so glad we finally found professional help."
In the social centre, the team of educators see in him much more than his aggressive behaviour, which is now being treated by professionals there; they see his natural potential, which - according to the educators - has yet to be realised. Sergio's grandmother comments: "Sergio feels safe and welcome at the social centre and their activities for families and children [in the context of the family strengthening programme] have been fundamental in helping him start to overcome his difficulties."
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| Giggling and having fun at the social centre |
"Very little time has passed, but Sergio has already started bonding with the educators. He is now learning to listen and accept affectionate treatment, but we understand that we will need to work with him for quite a long time," says one of the co-workers of the centre. "It is very easy for us to give him the support he needs. Sergio's parents surely did not receive much affection when they were small, and therefore did not know how to love their own children. In the family and community strengthening programme of SOS Children's Villages Brazil, we do exactly that: we support and give a friendly hand to de-structured families like Sergio's."
"Some years from now, we probably will not see much of Sergio. He will be a very different person from who he is now, but surely he will remember much of what he did and experienced at the social centre: his mischief, the games in the playground, the affectionate educators, and who knows what else. Nobody can ever take away from him all the care he received at the SOS Social Centre Engenho do Meio."
For privacy reasons, we have changed the name of the child.