On the right path, without hesitation
Project serving 1300 children from the Rocinha community, offering various athletic activites
Arduous climbs up and down the hills, unpaved streets, muddy feet, broken families and unemployment. Despite these difficulties, 1,300 children from the Rocinha community are on the ‘right path’, which has been working for five years to establish new directions in their lives.
Located in Gávea at the Umuarama center, Rumo Certo evolved from a time devoid of social responsibility. In five years, Rumo Certo has served more than 2,000 children between the ages of 6 and 17 offering training in numerous sports ranging from basketball to judo. Unfortunately, limited funding has prevented the implementation of several popular sports, including tennis. Although sponsors like FURNAS pay the rent while HSBC bank covers the cost of educational instruction and Capital Services tries to bank the remaining bills, “we are in deficit every month” says communications director Rita Climquart.
The 22 employees and professors are compensated. “This is the only way that we can guarantee the best from them. Aside from the generous contributions of the two main sponsors, we rent an antenna from ATL and depend on donations. The Hortifruti from Botafogo as well as the Cobal from Leblon yield fruits and vegetables on Wednesdays and Sundays,” relates administrator Wilson Chaves.
Still, the meals are sparse; chocolate milk and bread in the morning, juice and vegetable soup in the afternoon. Sometimes, these meals are the all a child will eat during the day. “Many people visit Rumo Certo and appreciate the program, promising donations. But, when the donation arrives it’s 12 pairs of men’s size twelve sneakers. No one can use them and they cannot even be resold,” laments Chaves. Furniture infested with termites, ripped clothing, outdated books and computers lacking hard drives are what Rumo Certo has to work with.
There are many hurdles for administrative director Jorge Joaquim to leap. Luckily, he does not desist: “Many of the kids are athletic, but we are more concerned with providing a space where they need not think about their hardships.” The mother of Lyria, 11 who entered the program with her sister in its inaugural year, shares this concern. “My mom never liked us to not have anything to do. She must be afraid,” narrates the tiny swimmer, who hesitates to disclose what motivates her mother’s fear. Her smile for the camera reveals one thing: the sports programs are keeping the kids away from drugs. Program coordinator and track coach Paulo César Martins participated in the 1976 Olympics that were held in Canada. He witnessed João do Pulo win the bronze medal in the triple jump. Today, he is known as Amendoim (Portuguese for peanut) and spends his time running with some 200 child athletes: “They develop coordination, resistance, strength, respiration and begin to perceive that the future is much brighter. They all have the same chance.”
Twelve year-old Andressa would not exchange her involvement with Rumo Certo for anything, but she has witnessed people who would. “My brother stopped coming because he was too lazy to climb the hill afterwards. My other brother and my cousin had to help my uncle run his store. They wanted to come, but they simply couldn’t,” recounts Andressa who has been at Rumo Certo for five years.
Leandro appreciates his opportunity. When he was 13, Leandro and his mom went to Botafogo community center at four o’clock in the morning to sign up to play basketball. There was no room for him in the program. At 14 he started training at Rumo Certo. Five years later, he is a professional player for Flamengo’s team: “Basketball gave me respect and the responsibility of representing the club and my community. No one plays basketball in Rocinha. I was the first one, but others are going to start. Who knows?” |
