Dream, do something beautiful and leave a trace. It is my dream to write about international relations, foreign affairs and good news. Leave a trace is a source of inspiration to dream, to do something beautiful and to leave a trace in the world. I’m writing my first article for Leave a trace on Deivy Abreu and his dream project for the kids in Vista Alegre, Caracaraí in Brazil. It is a beautiful story, and it inspired me to write Leave a trace. 

_Dream💙

“If you get, give. If you learn, teach.”_Maya Angelou

Deivy was a kid with a dream. He was growing up in a very poor part of Manaus, capital of the Amazon state in Brazil. Deivy liked going to school and always dreamed about learning other languages and traveling the world. It was his dream to learn about the world, and to teach and inspire other kids one day. 

Deivy was one of the first children in his district to go to the university in Manaus, and he graduated with postgraduate diplomas. Even as a child he understood that school and an education would give him more possibilities in life. He had a dream, a vision and a little hope that things would become better for him. As a kid he did not feel inspired. He only had this feeling in his heart, telling him to dream and to try to make a difference. It was not easy for him to hope for a better life, though. There are many reasons to give up on your dreams. 

_The situation for children in Brazil

Brazil is for many children a difficult place to grow up in. In a recent report from July 2015, UNICEF studied the situation and development for children living in Brazil since the introduction of the Child and Adolescent Statute 25 years ago. The UNICEF report, ECA25 years – Improvements and Challenges for Childhood and Adolescence, found that the survival and development of many children in Brazil have improved since the introduction of the law in 1990. For example, 93 per cent of the children in Brazil from 4-17 years old go to school. This means that the number of Brazilian children without a basic education decreased from 20 to 7 per cent. The illiteracy rate among children in Brazil has fallen by almost 90 per cent, from 12,5 to 1,4 percent in the last twenty years. Unfortunately, the UNICEF report also found that:

• The number of homicides of children under the age of 19 in Brazil has increased in the last 20 years by 110 per cent.
• Indigenous children are twice as vulnerable as other children to die before the age of one. These children are also one of the most vulnerable in areas such as education.
• Over 3 million children still do not go to school, mostly from poor communities.
• Many mothers die from complications related to pregnancy and child birth.

( source: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_82554.html)

Child poverty, undernourishment, a lack of access to water, food, and good sanitation are common issues for children and families living in the favelas. Even though Brazil’s economy has grown in recent years, the living conditions for many families are still below the poverty line. The economic and social divide between the rich and poor families still persists. There are a lot of children and families living in poor conditions, especially in Northeast Brazil and in the city areas. In Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, for example, many children grow up in favelas or live on the streets. School, family and a caring community are essential for the kids’ survival. (source: SOS Children’s Villages International: http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/where-we-help/americas/brazil).

_Do something beautiful 🌺

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can choose to change the world.”_Nelson Mandela

Since 2009, Deivy has started a beautiful project for the kids in Vista Alegre, Caracaraí in Brazil.

What inspired you to do something beautiful and to leave a trace?

“I could never imagine myself having an opportunity in life and not being able to share. I am always thinking about the other on how I can learn and share as well. I did not have an inspiration when I was a kid, and to change your life and open your eyes and mind for having a better life is not an easy task. There was something there, in my heart, saying to keep on walking and I just followed it. And I ended up here with the decision to leave to a poor area to share and be an inspiration for the kids in Vista Alegre.” _Deivy Abreu

 After his studies in Brazil, he went to live in Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. His dream project for the kids in Vista Alegre has led him back to the Amazon. While living in the Netherlands, Deivy had come back to his mother in Brazil to start a movie project for the kids in Vista Alegre. The first movie session was in front of his mom’s place. The kids from the neigborhood all came to see an animation movie, and they drank lemonade and ate ice cream and popcorn. Deivy and his mom had collected toys and clothes to give to the kids, too.

“My mission in life is to inspire kids, and I chose Vista Alegre. Because they need a lot of attention in different areas. There are so many Deivys, Paulos and Anas out there, who just need a bit of motivation, a bit of a dream.”

For a few summers Deivy had come back to Brazil to organize a movie night for the kids in Vista Alegre. Each time he collected more clothes and toys for the kids in the Amazon that needed to be shipped from the Netherlands to Brazil. While Deivy, his mom and the volunteers invested a lot of love and hard work into the organization, Deivy knew his dream project was becoming bigger. He thought that it would be best to start investing in a place for the kids to go to the cinema. This was also because it was sometimes difficult to plan a movie night in the Amazon during the rainy season. It would become a safe haven for them, a place for the kids to play, paint, learn, and watch more animation movies. 

_Leave a trace 🍉

For Deivy his dream project became a significant priority in his life. Deivy felt that he could do more for the kids in the Amazon, if he lived in Brazil again. Eventually, he has made the decision to move back to the Amazon in November. Together with his mom he is on a mission to create a safe place for the kids in Vista Alegre to play, learn and watch movies. For the kids in the Amazon education is essential, and they need a place to learn and play. Because the rainy seasons lasts six months, they need a place indoors. The place will have a cinema, a learning center and a kids’ playground.

Deivy’s dream project to help and inspire the kids in the Amazon is a beautiful initiative to locally change the world. For the kids in Vista Alegre it is more than an animation movie. It is a beautiful place to play and learn, and the kids are being pampered with love, care and attention. They are getting new toys and clothes, sharing beautiful moments and creating memories. His dream project for the kids in Vista Alegre will help to build a home base for the kids and a caring community in a very poor neighborhood of the Amazon. Deivy is giving the kids in the Amazon a place to learn, play and be a kid. 

“Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” Walt Disney

What has been a lesson for you, something you would teach to the kids? 

“To dream, always. To learn on how to act and how to make things come true. To be humble and to help each other. Nobody is happy alone and together we can do much more”.

For his dream project for the kids in the Amazon, Deivy is collecting clothes, shoes, toys and donations. He is going to need 7000 euro to build the cinema for the kids in Vista Alegre.

For more information on Deivy’s dream project for the kids in Vista Alegre in Brazil and to send donations, please visit his site Kids from Vista Alegre, or contact Leave a trace on NB_communication@outlook.com.

 Written by Nicky Bianca von Harras, NB Communication, www.nickybiancacommunication.com

Published on Leave a trace, www.leafatrace.wordpress.com

Photos by Deivy Abreu, Kids from Vista Alegre.