Teachers are at the heart of Compassiva’s work. Today especially, we want to celebrate their contribution to all our projects.

Children represent the future. Compassiva therefore believes that their education is fundamental for bringing about effective transformation of society. In the Guri project, teachers teach children and teenagers discipline, creativity and self-expression through music lessons. In the Dojo project, teachers teach not only the practice of jiu-jitsu – which in itself promotes healthy relationships, ethical principles and discipline – but also critical thinking through conversation circles after the classes.

Under Project Flourish, weekly workshops are offered to women, in which the leaders teach various crafts. Unemployment rates amongst the women living in our local area are problematic, and the majority of them did not finish school. Since they have not necessarily had access to teachers in an ideal way previously, Compassiva tries to offer them another chance. The objective is to help them reach their potential by using creativity to generate an extra source of income.

Under LAR (our project serving refugees), we have our biggest team of teachers: Portuguese language teachers. Our free Portuguese course is offered to Arabic-speaking refugees, given that language is essential for integrating into a new country.

Patrícia Bernardes, coordinator of the Portuguese course, says that the teachers also gain through teaching:

I love teaching because I learn a lot through it. I really learn to respect the knowledge of the other person, I learn about their language and culture, I learn to have empathy and so many other things.

I also love teaching because it’s a privilege to be part of someone else’s journey and help them in some way to find their way, to grow and to build their story in an authentic way.

In partnership with UNHCR, we also offer a service for revalidating refugees’ degrees, to secure recognition of what they have already achieved through the instruction of teachers around the world.

Teachers, sharing knowledge and skills, create the opportunities for transformation that Compassiva seeks for the people we serve.

We are therefore taking the opportunity, this Teacher’s Day (Brazil), to thank all the teachers who serve at Compassiva for their sensitivity, their empathy, their generosity, and their desire for transformation.

Take part; donate here so all our projects can continue.