Projects in Brazil
All our youth initiatives in Brazil have one thing in common, namely that they aim for sustainable structural change. They support young people in urban areas who are making a stand against violence. They support youth groups in rural areas that are creating prospects for a sustainable life in the countryside with measures to protect the environment and an ecological approach to agriculture. We encourage young people in both urban and rural locations to get involved with committees and advisory councils, to practice networking, and to formulate constructive proposals for implementing policies.
Counteracting the migration of young people from rural to urban areas
Many young people in north-eastern Brazil feel that they have no chance of establishing lives for themselves in their native rural region. They either migrate in droves to the large cities or look for work helping with the harvest on large plantations, where they are likely to be exploited. Our partner organisation, Centro Sabiá, helps young people to develop prospects for a future in the countryside. Agroforst is an ecological method of agriculture that provides a sustainable starting point.
Youth in rural areas are adopting ecological farming methods
In Brazil, large numbers of youth whose families own small farms are leaving rural areas, because they don’t see any future in farming. Meanwhile, the government is backing large scale agribusiness – with fatal ecological and social consequences. Our partner organisation Agricultura Familiar e Agroecologia (ASPTA) teaches youth from small farming families in the state of Paraiba about ecological farming methods and is helping to strengthen their identity.
Black youth and political participation
In Salvador de Bahia, in north-eastern Brazil, young black people are strongly disadvantaged and exposed to extreme violence. Government measures for the prevention of violence fall short. Our partner organisation CIPO (Comunicacao Interativa) offers young people further training in the area of communications, and encourages them to stand up for their rights in the Suburbio slum area in Salvador de Bahia.
Ways to escape the spiral of violence
In Brazil, murder is the most common cause of death among adolescents. In the large city of Recife, some 600 adolescents are murdered every year. Our partner organisation Grupo Comunidade Assumindo Suas Crianças (GCASC) offers psychosocial support to mothers whose sons were murdered. Their fate serves as a basis to create awareness in the city district and form a culture of peace.
Basic information
Size: 8,5 Mio. km² (206 times Switzerland)
Population: 207,8 Mio. (24 times Switzerland)
Human Development Index: 0.754 (Rank 79 of 185 Countries)
Income distribution in %: 82,9 (0 = Equal distribution / 100% = one person owns everthing)
Share of population from 0 to 24 years: 40,3% (Switzerland: 26,5%)
Murder rate: 24,6 of 100 000 inhabitants (Switzerland: 0,6)
Key project area: Prevention of violence
Programme Coordinator
Annette Mokler
Programmcoordination Brazil, Western Sahara and Peru
061 335 91 53 | Annette.Mokler(a)terredeshommes.ch
