Rio Carnival and Community Project
Quest4Change seeks to "Relieve financial hardship and poverty in disadvantaged groups, especially children."
Since 2006 Quest4Change have been working with the Mangueira Social Project during their particularly busy Rio carnival period. During this time we provide extra man power and financial support for Tia Neuma and Casa Lar de Mangueira, a home for orphaned and abandoned boys with special needs.
What the problem? The Tia Neuma School is for gifted children of the Mangueira favela, the school provides the 
children with opportunities they would otherwise miss out on as a result of living in a favela. Our volunteers help out at the school during the busy carnival period, helping the children prepare for this event which is the highlight of their year. The main focus of this project however is the Casa Lar home for boys with physical and mental disabilities. Casa Lar is underfunded, understaffed and
over stretched. They lack essentials,
such as food, clean sheets, staff (there are only 2 full time members of staff
looking after 17 boys) transport to school and as a result their quality of
life is poor.
How Quest4Change helps: Quest4Change has been supporting Casa Lar for the last 5 years, providing volunteer's to support the core staff. By providing essential funds of over £6,000 a year Q4C helps to pay for basics such as food, transport and trips helping improve the boy's quality of life.
Latest News:
It's never been easy for the boys at Casa Lar, but in 2009 following a cut of government funding things were in a very precarious state. The regular workers are not getting paid, but the main consequence was that the boys of Casa Lar were not getting the care they should be and their basic were needs are not being met. Quest4Change has been working hard to address these issues.
We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to our urgent appeal for the boys of Casa Lar. The money donated has been used to keep the home open whilst we search for long term funding. Your support has made a real difference to Daniel, Junior and all the boys of Casa Lar.
We would particularly like to Thank Mr and Mrs White and the Marr-Munning trust for their support.
Achievements Overview (Updated December 2009)
- Provided 1000s of hours of care and support for the disabled boys of Casa Lar
- Supported the boys to live as independent lives as possible, helping them with dressing, personal hygiene, tidying their rooms and shopping.
- Funded and created a sensory room for the boys
- Taught English at Casa Lar.
- Provided 1000s of hours assistance in sports and arts classes at Tia Neuma school
- Donated clothes, medicines, beds and cooking equipment for Casa Lar
- Supported local children to attend in Rio Carnival from Tia Neuma and Casa Lar.
- Co-ordinated days out for disadvantaged children to the Zoo, Swimming pool, Beach, Cinema and Parks.
- Designed and made carnival costumes with children from Tia Neuma Infant School
- Designed a programme of environmental education activities with children from the school
- Wrote, instructed and performed a play about the environment alongside school children
- Designed and delivered arts and craft activities with the boys from Casa Lar.
How you can help:
Be a Secret Millionaire for this project,
don't worry, you don't have to be an actual Millionaire to help out. Essential:
Hygienic supplies, nappies sheets and other essentials for one boy £10 Tasty:
£30 will help feed a boy for 3 months.
Teaching: £40 will pay for five
boys to get to school for a month.
Support £50 will help support
one of the boys at Casa Lar for a month. E-mail Heather to find out more.
Quest4Change works on this project with the Mangueira Social project supporting the United Nations Development Goal 1 - Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
Watch the boys practicing for Carnival earlier this year
Raise money for Quest4Change online
