School project making a bigdifference to Brazilian children

John’s talk centred on the work of the Monte Horebe School in Itaperucu which he and his wife Phyllis support by raising funds and sponsorship for individual children as well as by spending time each year in Brazil working with the staff and pupils.

John outlined the social and economic problems of the majority of the Brazilian population, many of whom live in appalling conditions which are unimaginable to us in Northern Ireland.

Education is one of the areas most affected by lack of funding with state schools operating with minimal resources and extremely large classes.

The Monte Horebe School provides education for some 300 children up to the age of 14 years. Many of the children are only able to attend through the funding provided by their sponsors in the Coleraine area and elsewhere.

Its success can be measured by the fact that five pupils from the school were the first ever students from Itaperucu to achieve entrance to University where they are all now in their final year.

Monte Horebe also now provides a Library and Medical/Dental Centre for the town, which has about the same population as Coleraine; it also has a community function hall on the premises. These are the only such facilities in Itaperucu.

John’s talk was warmly received by the large audience of members and he spent some time at the end answering questions.

Causeway U3A Chairman, Stuart Pollard, thanked John for his most interesting talk and wished Phyllis and him well in the future with their fundraising and support for Monte Horebe.