Happiness is living with love, grace & gratitude. Our lives will never be the same after CSC Brazil 17 trip.

Happiness is the experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Arrived back in Singapore from Brazil on Maundy Thursday to spend the remainder of the Holy Week with family. So here is the rest of my gratitude jar entries in April from Brazil and the last few days in Singapore.

Mon 31 Mar:  Concerted efforts across NGOs for the youths. We met Nunes Conceição (Secretária Executiva do Conselho Estadual dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente) from the STDS (Secretariat of workforce and social development for teenagers) in Fortaleza. She was learning to replicate ITEVA’s model to Fortaleza to help combat the drug problems.  Amazed at how NGOs across different cities are open to sharing and helping one another.

Providing a refuge for abused children.  Mareio from David’s Lar Children’s Home had popped by to ITEVA and we were able to meet this gentlemen who helps children from homes who have been abused physically, sexually or mentally by family members who are using drugs, alcohol or involved with gangs.  Grateful that there is a refuge for these souls. May they heal with God’s love.

Tue 1 Apr: Fighting spirit with a big heart for the education of youths. We had the privilege to meet Ms Terezinha Holanda (Secretária Executiva  de Educacao for Aquiraz) Terezinha was the first graduate from her village and devotes her life to fighting for education for the youths despite persecution from politicians and officials. Human spirits like Terezinha makes my heart glow with love and respect for the honorable work they do.

Breaking the cycle of favela life. We met a tiny but dynamic lady called Monica Salim who leads the FACC (Front for Assistance of Children in Need).  She has spent 21 years working with the slums to support adolescents who face death and murders.  She stands firm in the face of death threats to help the 3^rd generation to break the cycle of drugs, prostitution and violence. An angel sent from heaven.

Wed 2 Apr: Stepping into someone else’s shoes.  In a team of 12 persons from 10 countries with different upbringing, culture, age, seniority, role and function, there is bound to be differences in perceptions and opinions.  I am glad that we have a chance to step into one another’s shoes to better understand one another.

Thu 3 Apr: Received into ITEVA’s family. Berna and I were presented with the Certificado of Socia Honoraria with our own Midiacom Polo T-shirt and an ITEVA staff badge by the ITEVA team.  It brought tears to my eyes as I was so touched to have this gesture from the young professionals.  It shows we have been accepted as a family member of ITEVA.

Fri 4 Apr: Re-kindle ties with students of EEEP Alda Facanha. Team CSC Brazil 17 returned to the public school Alda Facanha to present the school with a projector.  The team was so touched by the school visit that we decided to give back to the school, as they have given to us in their enthusiastic response to education and warm reception to our cross-cultural exchange.  This time, I spent more time with my two classes and was happy.

Sat 5 Apr: Missing home & love. As I enjoy the beach time this weekend at Praia du Futuro, I feel blessed that we have the means to support ourselves, health to enjoy ourselves and blessings with a loving family at home.

Sun 6 Apr: Celebrating a spiritual re-birth.  Witnessed our translator Gabriel Almeida and his friend Frank’s baptism at the IBC (Ingreja Batista Central at BC 116, Tenda), also called Central Baptist Church.  It was wonderful to see hands and hearts raised in surrender to Jesus. May their lives be transformed.

Mon 7 Apr: Increasing competitive motivation. We visited the second public school in Aquiraz called EEFM Raimundo Tomaz.  This school was a typical public school with no IT support and the only computer was used in the admin and library.  The students gathered patiently in the sports hall and were as enthusiatics to hear about Berna and I from Turkey and Singapore. We hope we were able to encourage the students to embrace IT and be motivated to study to advance themselves, especially when I shared that there are 76 Singaporeans to 1 Aquiraz student competing for school and jobs.

Tue 8 Apr: Achieving CSC objectives. We met IBM Brazil’s Corporate Service Corp leader Alcely Strutz Barroso and Pyxera's Fabi Moura as they met ITEVA to understand how our CSC project was progressing. We are glad to hear that our Team Brazil 17 had great team work and our Team ITEVA was very productive and have shown not just CSC’s contribution to ITEVA but we were also experiencing the change in perspective that IBM hoped for in the participants.

Wed 9 Apr: State and NGOs collaborate for education. We drove through the flood to reach the Casa do Saber in Aquiraz for Intercambio Cultura, a Culture Exchange with 52 students from 30 schools. Organized by dynamic Terezinha Holanda (I love her!), the students were keen to learn about the social and education system in our countries Turkey and Singapore.  I hope that they were encouraged that school is not free and that both state and NGOs have initiatives to bridge the half day school with IT and technical skills education.

Thu 10 Apr: Open hearts from the Midacom team. It was our last day at ITEVA office as we presented the Business Strategy and IT Plan for Midiacom to the team of youth professionals.  It was a great time of sharing and also a tearful good bye with the team.  Thankful for the warm welcome, openness and love.  I will surely miss all of you!

Fri 11 Apr: All Brazil 17 teams made progress. We had our final CSC Brazil 17 Closing ceremony where each team presented their summary plans.  Our clients also took the chance to offer their appreciation of our efforts.  ITEVA’s Fabio Beneduce and Vanessa Belem with our Translator Gabriel Almeida attended. Fabio was the first to stand up to give a standing ovation of his appreciation. He also treated us to a celebrity chef lunch at Faustino and gave us a lift back to Hotel Luceiros.  This was the last we saw Fabio, Vanessa and Gabriel. I will so miss them.

Sat 12 Apr: Great teamwork with Berna. Unlike the other teams, Berna and I were not able to take time out for shopping, so we went to the Central Market in the morning before our flight out on the last day in Fortaleza. Unfortunately, the hotel gave the wrong address to the taxi driver and we ended up in the convention centre and lost one hour in the to and fro, when we finally got to the central market. Although we had only a couple of hours, we managed to squeeze in some last minute shopping before we leave.  It was good team work from start to end for Berna and I, even in shopping.

Sun 13 Apr: Blessed to be in Iguacu Falls with Mo and Julius. As my original travel companion and back up companion were both unable to travel with me, I was fortunate to have Mohamed from South Africa and Julius Kiss from Slovakia to travel with me to Rio De Janeiro.  Thanks to the boys, we also made it to Iguacu Falls at the Brazil side from airport straight to the falls before heading to the hotel.  The weather was fantastic and we had great views of the fall.

Mon 14 Apr: Brazil and Argentina Iguacu falls in two days. In 3 days, we went through 4 airports and two hotels and went through Iguacu falls at both Brazil’s Foz de Iguacu at at Parque Nacional Cataratas Do Iguacu and Argentina’s Puerto Iguazu at Parque Nacional Iguazu.  We experienced the falls with the boat tour in Brazil but were awed by the grandeur in Argentina. The most productive two-day tour of two countries on both sides of the fall, followed by dinner at Leblon.  Thanks Mo and Julius! 

Tue 15 Apr: Weather clears for my last day in Brazil.  The morning rain meant that a visit to the Sugar Loaf mountain and Christ the Redeemer was not possible. We spent the morning walking through the museum, the aqua duct at Arcos da Lapa, the giant Rio de Janeiro Cathedral, the beautiful steps called “The Great Madness” Convent steps designed by a Chilean artist Escadaria Selaron at Santa Teresa.  As the rain faded, I was able to visit Christ the Redeemer with Christine from our Germany team as it was both our last days and we had to see this landmark before we leave Brazil. The sky cleared enough for us to take our photos before the rain poured again.  We then had a team dinner at Ipanaema before I headed to the airport for my flight home to Singapore.

Wed 16 Apr: Thankful for Mo and Julius to see me off.  I had the most warm farewell from Mo and Julius as they helped me to bring my luggage down to the lobby and gave me their warm hugs before I went into the taxi.  It was a smooth journey to the airport, check in and my flight which was scheduled to leave at 2am but departed at 3:30am.  This flight takes me from Rio de Janeiro to Dubai in 14hours.

Thu 17 Apr: Grateful for safe flight home. After a transit of 4 hours, I transfer from Dubai at 2:45am to another flight to Singapore for another 7 hour 30 minute journey.  I arrive safely in Singapore in the afternoon at almost 4pm into the loving arms of my hubby.  I even managed to attend Maudy Thursday mass at our local parish Our Lady of Perpetual Succour to say my prayer of thanks for wonderful month in Brazil.

Fri 18 Apr: Participate in Good Friday procession. My friends and I met up at the oldest Eurasian church in Singapore – St Joseph’s Church which has the procession for the stations of the cross on Good Friday. Our family Derek, Marian, Andre, Austin and Ryan were participating in the procession.  The altar boys were even captured in the local newspapers as they took Jesus down from the cross for the procession. 

Sat 19 Apr:  Thankful for our friends and financial stability. We had our Club102 Easter and April birthday celebrations at Jeremy and Gennifer’s home.  After having breakfast with hubby, I did the birthday present shopping at Parkway before returning home to go for the party.  Again, I feel blessed that our friends and family are in a safe country with good jobs and salaries to be able to afford home parties and birthday celebrations. I was happy to be with my friends again.

Sun 20 Apr: Appreciative of health and voice. Easter celebration started with lunch at mum’s home. She made baked fish and steamed fish specially for me as I do not take meat.  I am thankful for her special care for me and that the family did not mind that I came late for lunch as I had contracted bad flu, lost my voice and was coughing through the night.  Imagine how life would be without health or a voice.  Learning to treasure what we have.

Cristo Ressuscitou!!! Aleluia, Aleluia, Aleluia!  Feliz Páscoa!!!

Christ Is Risen! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Happy Easter!!!

My Lent gratitude jar is filled to the brim. While Lent 2014 and my CSC Brazil 17 trip is over, I intend to keep this beautiful spirit of gratitude with me.  It has made me more positive and appreciative of the people around me, and perhaps made me a better person.  Thank you for this Lenten challenge and the CSC Brazil 17 opportunity!

The value of education. Perceptions and realization.

It has been two weeks into our project with  ITEVA (the Advanced Technological and Vocational Institute) in Aquiraz, Ceará, Brazil. As my IBM Corporate Service Corp partner Berna Tucel from Turkey and I are getting into the field work by interviewing many stakeholders and youths, we are exposed to both the good and bad side of Brazil, education system, challenges of the youths and the efforts from both state and NGOs (non-government organizations).

As we learn about the challenges, we start to appreciate more about the good work that ITEVA is doing in Aquiraz. ITEVA has a great family culture where Fabio Beneduce is like a kind father to the team.  Everyone is treated with respect, love and care.  The camaraderie among the team members is like brothers and sisters.

The philosophy of ITEVA and Projecto Mediacom can be summed up in 6 words - unity, co-operation, discipline, dedication, transparency, conscienciousness. These principals guide the steps of those who enter the Midiacom Academy as students, and in turn teach the new students, and eventually to graduate and work at the ITEVA social enterprise.  These are important values that are missing and much needed in the youths.

ITEVA’s Midiacom celebrates her 10^th anniversary this year, and has many success stories to date. During my stint here, I have seen many other state and social organizations come personally to consult with Fabio on his winning formula. However, it is not without its growing pains.

ITEVA and many other social education organizations are filling a gap in Brazil, as not everyone understands the value of education or technology, nor support it whole heartedly.

Politicians are split in terms of the need for education.  There are those who have a passion that quality education is needed to help the citizens to get out of poverty, motivate them for progress and drive growth for the economy.   

There are also those that view a literate population as less easy to manipulate for votes and they would challenge the status quo of the statesmen and exercise choice that is not influenced entirely by government grants.

At the state level, funds are given to parents for keeping their children in school, so that they are not asked to leave school to work to supplement the family income.  The amount is small and may help a little to keep the students in school, but not as much as a mindset change is needed.   For the lower income, they may decide to have four children, send them to school and collect the grants to retire.

The state also fund the city and municipal to run the public schools.  These funds are subject to potential corruption and funds are low resulting in low salaries for teachers which does not motivate them to seek new skills or create new programs in school.

At the school level, it is entirely dependent on the vision of each school principal on how to shape the school curriculum and how much funding they get.  While there are some 100 new model schools that has sprung up across Ceara, such as the EEEP Alda Facanha in Aquiraz that I blogged about, most schools do not have visionary principals, technologically or vocationally trained teachers, or sufficient funds to invest in improving the school infrastructure.  Many schools are still relying on black boards and teachers do not know how to use computers.

Public schools provide a half day curriculum and it is mandatory to provide food for the children.  Many children stay in school as they need the food.  However, the students do not have any school activities for the other half day.  There are many occasions where the students may end up in bad company as working parents do not have time for them.

At the family level, not all parents understand the value of education.  Families who are in business or are wealthier, are more supportive of their children in furthering their studies and would pay for private school fees through to college and universities.  Most families are accustomed to their fate and expect the children to follow in their foot steps.  For many who do consider education as important, they may not understand the role of technology in the new economy of jobs.

At the student level, many children live in the parents’ homes until they get married, and some stay in the home until they are 50 years old.  As such, there is no urgency to be financially independent.  School students have been known to drop out for reasons such as lack of interest in the subjects, distance to the school is too far.  There is little discipline or dedication for many youths to study or excel in their study.  Many attend school but do not learn.

The work that ITEVA does is admirable in many ways. ITEVA operates Midiacom Academy in the education of  technology which in powerpoint presentations, animation, editorial, and websites.  They also run a social enterprise that provide jobs for the students when the graduate.

In order to keep the academy running, ITEVA has to do an annual submission and justification to secure the approval of relevant funding from the state for social work and ensure the funds is received in a timely manner.  ITEVA also has to reach out the school principals, teachers, parents and students to help them understand the importance of technology as a game changer in the youth’s lives. 

To address the challenges that the community faces, ITEVA first works with the school principals to help them understand the role of technology and the impact it has as a game changer. 

ITEVA then reaches the teachers to provide education so that the teachers can learn simple computer technology and presentations.  This helps to motivate the teachers to learn a new skill, increase their confidence to embrace technology, reduce their fear of change to make lessons more interesting for the students, and reduce student drop out rate.

Collaborating with the school, ITEVA conducts recruitment drives for the students to sign up for the Midiacom Academy.  The students get to learn about technology and when they complete certain modules, they in turn teach the new students.  So, the students get to apply what they learn and it is a cost effective way to run an education organization.  

 Most importantly, ITEVA helps to change the mindset of the community from principals, teachers to students.  The values they learn stay with them through their lives, to motivate them towards a better future.

Find out more about ITEVA at http://www.iteva.org.br

and IBM Corporate Service Corp #ibmcsc and #ibmcsc brazil at https://www.ibm.com/social/aggregator/corporate_service_corps