Capitães de Areia

The Capitães de Areia Association in Brazil

Founding of the Association

The Brazilian folklore group Capitães de Areia was founded by Emmanoel Nascimento (known in Capoeira circles as “Mestre Emm”) on 14 January 1973 in Nanuque, Minas Gerais. For over 30 years he has developed his own unique Capoeira style, and he also created an impressive sports, educational, and cultural association, which is recognised at regional, national and international levels as a charitable non-profit organisation.

The Capitães de Areia association now has 10 branches in various provinces in Brazil, in Berlin (Germany), and also in Poznan (Poland).

The name is derived from the term for homeless children in Brazil, the ‘Captains of the Sands’, who live on the streets and beaches of Salvador da Bahia. Many of these children have been taken in and educated and trained by the association.

Captains of the Sands

Capoeira gives the homeless children a whole new perspective on life. The physical training improves their reactions and co-ordination and teaches them self-defence. Along with physical and mental training, we also aim to provide vocational skills, teach them about Brazilian culture and their historical roots and to support the ecological projects initiated by Nanuque resident Dr. Ivan Claret Marques Fonseca – winner of the environmental section of the United Nations 1990 “Global 500″ award.

The meaning of life

The association headquarters in Nanuque has become an important shelter for street children. These children have been abandoned by society and left to their own devices, but they find refuge in the centre, a place that shows them that life can also have a meaning.

Amongst other things the deprived children and teenagers acquire :

• continuous education
• social skills and general schooling
• self sufficiency skills, such as fishing and cultivation of fruit and vegetables
• a chance to learn sewing and shoe-making skills in the workshops
• free medical care
• reading and writing skills

Since the establishment of Capitães de Areia in 1973 our headquarters in Brazil are taking care of deprived and homeless children in ten orphanages situated in the poor city districts and village outskirts of Bahia, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.

In each of the children’s homes we offer around 180 children a new perspective to life with courses that teach responsibility, cultural awareness and ecological activities. With the support of Dr. Ivan Claret Marques Fonseca, winner of the UNO’s 1990 environmental award “Global 500, environmental protection, how to clean rivers (each year many help to collect rubbish), planting and cultivating medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables, and learning how to live self-sufficiently also became part of these courses.

We provide support for street children and those who live on the beaches – usually fishermen’s children whose only chance of survival is fishing (in many cases they don’t even have a fishing rod). The parents have absolutely no opportunity of sending their children to school or of buying schoolbooks. Many children have been taken in by our group and taught and trained.

All year round we collect clothes, toys and money for food with our projects. The proceeds are passed on to the children. Alone in Nanuque (with 60,000 inhabitants) there are 1,100 street children.

Capitães de Areia Brazil is a registered charitable non-profit organisation.

Financing

The Capitães de Areia in Nanuque is a self-financing association. Unfortunately its resources are very limited. Performances of Capoeira, folklore, African dance, Samba de Roda, Samba Reggae, Bahianian ballet and other musical or theatrical performances only raise small sums of money. This money is used for the maintenance of the children’s refuges. If there were more money available, adequate medical care could be provided for street children, together with proper shelter – so that they no longer have to spend the nights on the streets.

Please contact us if you want to know more about this project or wish to support us.

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