WE BELIEVE IN CHANGE
Access was created in 2015 by Andrea Conrado, a humanitarian focused on international development. Andrea grew up in a neighborhood close to São Paulo's favelas, where drug trafficking and other trafficking-related crimes shape the surroundings. Her curiosity about the history of São Paulo and the dynamics of the communities led her to explore the favelas more deeply.
Observing the general difficulty of community life due to drug trafficking, crime and poverty, her discoveries motivated her to meet with local NGOs and community members previously involved in crime. These conversations ended up creating partnerships with other cultural projects that also aimed to impact as many people as possible.
A year after these conversations began, Andrea found some young adults who were active in the criminal world in these communities in São Paulo. Prison sentences motivated them to make a positive change in their lives and also in the lives of other young people in their communities. Andrea started meeting them once a week. Finally, she suggested starting a conflict resolution program for children, to educate them on how to act in compromising situations. His influence has spread. Andrea then started to establish more connections, hold more meetings and influence more people. His plans to create safe zones for São Paulo's youth began to gain more public interest and popularity. In October 2017, Access São Paulo opened its first support and education center.
Andrea's previous experiences with NGOs in Washington, D.C. influenced her decision to register Access São Paulo (ASP) in the United States, although the headquarters are in São Paulo, Brazil. In July 2017, ASP obtained official status as a non-profit philanthropic entity. Andrea visits Washington, D.C. regularly to create contacts, raise funds and raise awareness of her cause.
Andrea's previous experiences with NGOs in Washington, D.C. influenced her decision to register Access São Paulo (ASP) in the United States, although the headquarters are in São Paulo, Brazil. In July 2017, ASP obtained official status as a non-profit philanthropic entity. Andrea visits Washington, D.C. regularly to create contacts, raise funds and raise awareness of her cause.
Our pilot project “NAVE” (Center for the Reception and Valorization of Education) is in one of the poorest areas of the Capão Redondo slum. This project now serves about 50-60 children aged 3-11 years old. Most of these children are children of drug addicted parents, neglected at home, as well as by the public education system. We work with these children to develop basic human senses, social responsibility and citizenship. We help those who are far behind in reading and writing in a literacy reinforcement program, we teach art, global culture, food education and environmental awareness. With younger children, Access focuses on preventing violence so that they do not become easy targets for recruitment for organized crime.
We are still working on developing projects focused on young teenagers in these communities.
In addition to these projects, Access also focuses on providing unbiased information, highlighting the misconceptions surrounding the violent conditions in the city of São Paulo. Our main objective is to empower young people marginalized by recurrent violence. We try to deconstruct social barriers that promote social marginalization, prejudice and economic deprivation.
