What is the work?
After a year of preparing the place and gathering a little team together, in November 2005, we started running weekend ADVENTURE CAMPS for children and teenagers living on the streets, in favelas or in residential children’s homes.
They do canoeing, adventure activities in the forest, zip wire, a camp fire, Christian reflections, fun games and competitions, swimming, orienteering … and the camps are full of special loving touches like sweeties and a card waiting for them on their bed when they arrive, etc.
In 2012, we expanded the work and started up regular clubs during the week too, especially for the children and young people living in the poor communities closer to the farm.
We divide them up into groups and each group comes out three mornings or afternoons a week. We register around 90 children each year in this programme.
We prepare different activities every week, like treasure hunts, team games, table games, crafts, baking, drama, singing, swimming, football, and lots more! We also help them with homework and teach them about God’s love, through Bible stories and personal testimonies. This is now our main programme, and it’s called, ‘TRANSFORMERS’.
In 2015, we began a work to support the mums. They actually begged us to start something for them! Its called ‘TRANSFORMUMS’.
We have visited the families regularly since Transformers began, but ‘Transformums’ now gives all the mums a chance to participate in monthly encounters on the farm where we celebrate birthdays, have baby showers, play games, give parenting advice and encouragement, share encouraging Christian messages and stories, have tea parties etc They also have camps!
Another part of ‘Transformums’ is providing the mums with support and counselling through particularly hard times, and helping them resolve health, legal and social issues.
