Why I Care About Estação Vida Community Center

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 Almost 10 years ago I was invited to help set up some computers with Linux distros at a community center in Uberlandia, Brazil. My family had moved to Brazil to be closer to relatives, and I was teaching English as a foreign language while looking for a full-time job in project management. This invite aligned with my interest in doing social good, so I gladly accepted. It turns out that a bank had donated a lot of used computers to the NGO, and we were rehabilitating them for use with one of the Ubuntu derived distros (I don't recall which one). The more I got to know about Estação Vida the more I liked it and felt drawn to its mission.

"The philosophy of the Estação Vida Project is based on four pillars:

– Ethical Values and Spirituality

– Educational Support

– Sensitivity through Workshops

– Preparation for the Job Market

The institution contributes to the neighborhood in a broad way, encouraging the systematic participation of families. It also offers space for the Telecurso program and makes its facilities available for events such as charity bazaars, festive gatherings, and others." (via OS PILARES DO PROJETO ESTAÇÃO VIDA)

It's perhaps worth noting that when it refers to "spirituality" that does not mean indoctrination into a particular religious tradition. It's more general than that and mean to reinforce the idea of values being taught. 

This is the beating heart of the community center: to help children have a good childhood and prepare for a brighter future than they would otherwise have expected. Kids have plenty of educational and sports-related opportunities. These serve not only the 150 or so students, but also other children who only go to the community center for one program or another. In addition to its children's programing it offers bazaars, festival events, and other forms of outreach to families of the community.

The community center is also committed to sustainability. 

"Recently, we learned that Estação Vida has accumulated an impressive 6.3 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy credit with CEMIG, the local electric utility. That’s enough stored energy to keep the center running for approximately 10 months, even if the solar panels were shut off today." (via Uberlandia Development Initiatives)

Pretty impressive, right? They also have other sustainable practices, like saving waste water from the water fountain and using it to irrigate the center's garden.

Estação Vida community center is far from where I live and work, but always near my heart. Having experienced what they offer to children and families, I couldn't remain uninvolved. So, when the opportunity came up with a capstone project for my Master of Arts degree, I set about to launch Uberlandia Development Initiatives (UDI). This tiny nonprofit has as its mission to simply raise funds for the community center. We've already funded projects like a new video security system, repairs to the facility's main gate, and sending an Olympic-style wrestling to a major competition. We hope to do much more in the future.

The best way for working people to support what UDI and therefore Estação Vida is to use your workplace giving (like Benevity) to send a little of each paycheck to Uberlandia Development Initiatives. Alternatively, you can simply give directly through the site. We are all volunteer, so no one is drawing a salary and there is practically no overhead. We just pay a small fee every time we send money to the community center.

I care about Estação Vida Community Center because it makes a genuine, direct impact on the world through its work with children. I hope you might come to care about it as well. 

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