Capoeira Feminista

Project

Capoeira Feminista

Location

Recife, Brazil

Target

This group targets the “City of Lost Children”, a community close to Recife, Brazil. It is an underserved community with high levels of poverty and drug trafficking. There is no accessible public health care, libraries, playgrounds, or community centers.

Impact

Former street youth who grew up in the community have developed a peer teaching project that focuses on empowerment through art. On the streets, they teach four classes a week, including Capoeira, hip-hop, visual art, music, circus and skateboarding, reaching over 400 children a month. Thus, their classes create a positive environment for children, building peace amongst rivals, and ensuring that children get healthy snacks.

To create a safe space at all times of day, they hope to install outdoor public lighting and build a cover for the only recreational space: a concrete soccer rectangle. Their future goal is to build an art school/community center for children and youth. It should have a community kitchen to prepare hot lunches for kids and families, a food bank, a library, free internet access with computers, dance/movement/art studio, small cafe and retail store to teach employment skills and generate income and educational courses.