On Social Workers’ Day, celebrated on May 15, representatives of the social projects of the Saint Vincent de Paul Religious Organization and the Saint Vincent de Paul Hospital gathered in the Clergy auditorium for a day of sharing, dialogue and knowledge exchange.
Some of the participants in the 1st Meeting of Social Responsibility Projects were: social workers Samara Franco and Suelen Felix, from the Refugee Assistance Center, Carla Carolinne, from the Portas Abertas project, Marcella Costa, from the Saint Vincent de Paul Support House, Sister Adenilde Francisca, representing the Maria Solidária project, and Sister Raima Selma, representing Promove Sepetiba, in addition to their respective teams.
Sister Rizomar Bonfim, coordinator of the social projects of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Sister Aparecida Cirico, from the Projects Committee, and Sisters Maria do Carmo Silva and Maria Silva were also present. The guests were Father Emanoel Bedê, CM, who spoke about the Vincentian Charism, and Maria Cristina Salomão, a speaker on social services.
Sister Rizomar opened the meeting with a prayer and recalled the proximity of Pentecost. “The Holy Spirit is the source of the diversity of charisma and vocation in the life of the Church, a truth that reflects the richness of the divine presence among the faithful. This diversity reflects the abundance of God’s grace, which manifests itself in different ways in each individual, in each community, in each group and in each team.” After the prayer and the reading of biblical texts, she continued the event and gave the floor for a brief presentation of the participants, who reflected on each one’s gift.
Next, Joana Marinho and Glória Cipriano, from the ORSVP Social Service Coordination, expressed their expectations for the Meeting. “I believe that the best word to define what we’re doing today is ‘partnership’. Our team is here to show that we are always available, remembering that the main activity of all our work is serving the poor,” said Joana.
The first project presented was the Refugee Assistance Center. Samara Franco and Suelen Felix highlighted that the project was created in 2019 to join forces in assisting refugees in Rio de Janeiro. It currently has more than 1800 registered families and 6500 people from more than 35 countries. They also spoke about the services offered by the project, such as social, psychological and legal assistance, as well as computer and Portuguese classes for Spanish speakers. The duo also spoke about professional training actions for the refugee population and announced a new initiative: a gastronomy entrepreneurship program carried out in partnership with Senac called “Cooking with Refugees”. The program will begin on May 17 and will have 5 meetings at the headquarters of the Refugee Assistance Center, in Botafogo. Sister Raima Selma, from Promove Sepetiba, spoke about the professional qualification courses that the project offers in the field and the importance of these opportunities for transforming the lives of women in that area, with a population of around 50,000 people, many of whom in social vulnerability situation. The project also offers free social and legal aid, free college entrance exam preparation, and holds workshops and actions in partnership with Sebrae, Senac, and the Red Cross.
Sister Adenilde Francisca recalled that Maria Solidária was created in 2021 and in 3 years has already distributed around 7,000 hot meals to homeless people in the Tijuca area, near the Provincial House. “We think that homeless people don’t have a religion, but they do. They pray with us, they have God in their hearts,” added Sister Adenilde.
The project essentially relies on the collaboration of volunteers to collect food, prepare meals, organize logistics, and distribute the hot meals. They meet in the Sanctuary’s kitchen every Friday afternoon and Saturday morning to cook, and the meals are distributed on Saturdays at lunchtime in Eusébio de Olveira Square, located on the corner of Dr. Satamini and Matoso streets. In early 2024, the project earned a permit from the City to carry out the action at that location.
Carla Carolinne, from Portas Abertas, recalled that the project, aimed at children aged 6 to 10 in social vulnerability situation, offers recreational, sports, cultural and school support activities, and contributes to the socio-emotional, physical, psychological and motor development of these children. The project has been running since 2021 in downtown Rio de Janeiro and includes volunteer jiu-jitsu and computer science teachers and partnerships with institutions such as Colégio Cruzeiro, Colégio Vicentino da Imaculada Conceição, Brazilian Red Cross, as well as representatives from the retail sector, such as Biscoitos Globo, Padaria 3 Graças, Gráfica Ganesha, and Comprev company.
Another highlight of the Meeting was the Saint Vincent de Paul Support House, opened in March this year. The HSVP social responsibility project provides support to people over 18 years of age undergoing cancer treatment who are referred by the National Institute of Cancer (INCA). It is a temporary stay service for people undergoing treatment away from home and their companions. With the capacity to serve ten patients at a time, the Support House offers meals, rooms for rest, showers and space for socializing. “We realize how much of a difference we make in these patients’ lives and also the difference they make in ours,” commented social worker Marcella Costa. “Every day, together with them, we learn more about how to build this project,” stated Sister Aparecida.
Teacher Maria Cristina Salomão moved the participants with her presentation, full of important reflections and insights into activities that can be replicated by colleagues in their work routines. She quoted a line from Paulo Freire that will certainly always be remembered by all participants in the meeting. “We need to reduce the distance between what we say and what we do.”
In his speech, Father Emanoel Bedê recalled that when we add love to what we do, the result is extraordinary. And he quoted Saint Vincent de Paul: “Love is inventive to infinity.”