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Income Generation
Project capacitates Pastoral da Criança mothers
Wash, iron, gum, cook, and clean the house. All the
notions to do a good housekeeping job are taught at
Pastoral da Criança housekeeping capacitation
course. The project began on September 2001, at Curitiba
and it already counts with 19 classes. The same experience
happens, since the last year, at Belo Horizonte and,
recently, at Recife. To participate, it is enough to
be a community leader, have his/her children followed
up by Pastoral da Criança or be part of the supporting
group. It is no necessary to be literacied, but the
mothers and volunteers that participate at the course
can enroll at Pastoral da Criança Youths and
Adults Education Project at their community. The project
makes part of Pastoral da Criança income generation
program that aims the employment capacitation.
"To fry an egg, I used to break it right inside the
pan. I didn’t wash before opening or even see if it
was rotten", comments Rosa de Fátima Costa,
27, student from the course at Curitiba. "I like
it here, because we learn new things and perfect those
we already knew", says Fernanda Mara de Lima, 21.
The course is practical and theorical and it lasts 20
days. During the classes, the women receive hygiene,
personal appearance, behavior, good manners, and interpersonal
relationship. The students assist lectures with nutritionists,
dentists, and lawyers and also receive psychological
assistance. At the practical part, they learn to cook
a trivial menu with different recipes like: beans, rice,
lasagna, stroganoff, parmegiana steak, pancake,
gnocchi, besides sweets like banana cake, traditional
cookies, puddim, blanc-mange. "Everything in a
very economic way, taking advantage at the best way
the food, without excesses", explains Terezinha
da Silva, 55, that takes care of course’s practical
part. She began to work as a housekeeping maid when
she was 12.
The space where the course functions reminds of a house:
it has living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, and
laundry. Everything to ease the learning and improve
the students’ practice. The course also disposes of
some equipments like microwaves, wash machine and blow-dry
machine for that the future housekeeping maids know
how to use them. On the course’s 15th day,
the women make an one day training period at houses
that were already registered by Pastoral da Criança.
"It is a test for that they perceive the difficulties
and after have more time to improve themselves",
say Maria das Graças Dias Umada, psychologist
and course’s coordinator, at Curitiba. After the training,
the future master telephones to the coordinator and
passes a improvement report of each student.
Ended the course, they receive the housekeeping maid
certificate and they are already apt to exert the profession.
At Curitiba, the proper Pastoral da Criança negotiates
the jobs through a partnership with SINE, Jobs National
System, that has been giving excellent results: from
117 mothers that did the course, 82 are employed and
receive the minimum salary of R$ 240,00, without counting
the transportation fees and other incumbencies. Usually,
they are employed on households, condominiums, offices
and companies. The housekeeping maids that were with
difficulties can return to the course for improvement,
without costs to the employer. "We have received
many compliments. In a general manner, the masters are
liking our students", says Maria da Graça.
The course isn’t still self-reliable and it is kept
with Pastoral da Criança resources and with the
devolution of R$ 11,50 per month by each professional
employed, during 20 months. "The return is still
very small. Many students don’t return the money, but
this is needed because it gives the possibility to other
women to do the course", analyses Maria das Graças
Silva, coordinator of Pastoral da Criança income
generation program.
KELEN VANZIN
Volunteer collaboration
More information with Clóvis
Boufleur, Juliana Kuwano and Annalice Del Vecchio,
telephone: (+55041) 336-0250 or
E-mail: juliana@pastoraldacrianca.org.br,
annalice@pastoraldacrianca.org.br
e lilian@pastoraldacrianca.org.br
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