Brazil

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Brazil to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 35,000 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Brazil. Highlights include:

• Improving healthcare access for women, children, and their surrounding communities.
• Providing health services to children and their families along the Amazon River regions with partners such as local churches and the ministry of health.
• Offering microloans, business skills training and information on how to access markets to help communities increase their incomes and reduce poverty.
• Training youth leaders in the education and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
• Helping young mothers living on the street gain access to medical care and social services. Providing health education and vocational training.
• Working with youth networks to promote advocacy.

In 1961, World Vision began working in Brazil through child sponsorship at the Nosso Lar children’s boarding home in São Paulo. Since then, some major accomplishments include:

• Funding orphanages during the 1960s.
• Providing food and medical care to children and expectant mothers, offering healthcare classes, and helping families affected by drought to resettle in the 1970s.
• Distributing supplementary water and food to families affected by drought during the early 1980s.
• Improving a shelter for people living with HIV and AIDS and offering skills training for illiterate and unemployed women during the late 1980s.
• Providing relief supplies to people affected by natural disasters since the 1990s.
• Encouraging economic growth in communities through microloans and business training since the 1990s and into the 21st century.

Geography and people

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world in both area and population, and borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Located in eastern South America, Brazil has an Atlantic coastline of more than 4,600 miles.

The diverse climate includes hot rainforests, arid plateaus, and temperate mountains with snowfall. Water flows through tributaries to the Amazon River, which carries one-fifth of the world’s volume of fresh water.

Natural resources include gold, iron ore, nickel, platinum, tin, petroleum, hydropower, and timber. Brazil is a major producer of coffee and soybeans.

The people of Brazil are culturally and racially diverse, tracing their roots to Portuguese colonists, African slaves, and indigenous tribes. More than half of Brazilians are of European descent, while nearly 40 percent are a mixture of white, black, and Amerindian. The official language is Portuguese, but Brazilians may also speak Italian, German, Japanese, and English.

Brazilians value their diverse culture, as well as their ability to find inventive solutions to problems.

History

Brazil is the only Latin American country that derives its language and culture from Portugal, which began colonization of the area in 1532. After Brazil declared independence in 1822, an empire governed the region until 1889 when an era of military rule began.

A succession of civilian presidents ruled in the 20th century until another military administration took over. In 1985, the military government stepped down amid several protests. A new constitution went into effect in 1988, reestablishing democracy and providing for a directly elected president.

Recent presidents have focused on industrial and agricultural development. Brazil’s wide range of natural resources and a large workforce continue to encourage economic growth in the 21st century.

Please pray for:

People recovering from floods and other natural disasters.

Continued economic growth and stability so poverty rates will decrease.