Instituto C Projects

IC’s operations take place under three projects which have different objectives, targeted people and activities but all three have the same mission of eventually giving families the ability the promote by themselves a favorable environment for their children and teen-agers to fully develop their potential. The three projects are: PAF, Primeira Infância (Early Infancy) and Atelier C, as detailed below.     

 

Project PAF – Plano de Ação Familiar (Family Action Plan)

 

Admittance Process

 

1) In this project, IC’s work starts at the level of its partners. IC has partnerships with six major hospitals in São Paulo which identify the deprived families with children with chronic or serious illnesses and as such need external support. These families may have challenges in one or in all of three aspects: family structure; financial situation; and the nature of children’s illness. These hospitals are: Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (general hospital); GRAACC (focused on children with cancer); ITACI (cancer hospital); São Luiz Gonzaga (general hospital); Instituto da Criança – HCFMUSP (focused on children); IPQ - HCFMUSP (psychiatry).

 

2) The arrival of the family at IC is followed by an interview with the entity’s professionals, which always includes a social worker, in order to thoroughly understand the family needs.

 

3) After the interview, an action plan is prepared as a tailor-made program to be followed by each family. The programs cover areas such as provision of basic needs, citizenship empowerment, education, housing and income generation. The follow-up and adjustments to these programs are made on a monthly basis. The activities included in the programs are described below.

 

PAF Areas of Activities

 

Basic Needs

 

The first challenge when families look for support is to help them accept their children illness or limitation so they can understand and actively participate in the treatment program.

 

Psychological support is key for the success of this phase. Members of the family have access to IC’s psychologists who provide counseling in areas such as relationship between family members, behavior at the workplace, social relationships, among others. This counseling can also be focused on the obstacles related to the children’s health condition.

 

If IC’s professional identifies the need for a constant psychological support, the person can be directed to one of the public services available. 

 

Our nutritionist plays a very important role when families start their assistance program. Individual appointments are arranged aiming to educate family members on their food habits and promoting the consumption of healthy food. Particular attention is paid to the diet children need to follow in order to make it compatible with their specific health condition. IC also provides to families’ food supplies to make possible for them to follow the recommended diet.

 

Citizenship Empowerment

 

Many families do not have access to different governmental services available to deprived people due to lack of knowledge or because they do not know they are entitled to receive this support. IC’s Social Workers identify the families’ needs and connect them with the respective provider of the demanded service or support. Social Workers follow each stage of the program specifically tailored to each family. Once the family initiate contact with IC, the family history is analyzed, the profile defined and the demands are properly mapped. The most frequent actions are to present the social benefits the families are entitled to receive; inform and instruct families how to keep their documents updated and in order; and provide support in case families or individuals have their basic rights denied or violated.

 

In case families need legal counseling to enforce their rights or resolve legal demands, a voluntary lawyer analyzes each case and gives the proper advice. Legal support is given in areas such as civil rights, real estate, family issues, labor and criminal. 

 

Education

 

One of the major challenges for the families assisted by IC is the satisfactory development of their children school life. In the case of children with chronic illnesses, it is necessary to add the health institutions as a third pillar to the two basic pillars in the educational process which are family and school. The involvement of the health institutions which treat the children is key to the adequate educational development.

All aspects of the school life are monitored by IC’s pedagogy specialists. IC makes sure the children are properly enrolled and that parents are involved with the children’s school activities as well as parents actively participate in meetings with teachers. The pedagogue makes the liaison between the schools and the health institutions so schools teachers fully understand the particularities of each assisted child. 

 

Housing

 

Many families live in areas which offer some kind of risk that may jeopardize their quality of life and safety. Unhealthy and dirty environments, high crime rates areas and lack of public transportation are among the main challenges faced by deprived families. Families receive assistance in enrolling at municipal housing programs which offer access to better quality housing or receive support to make improvements in their living places.

 

Income Generation

 

As some parents need to quit their jobs in order to give full time assistance to their impaired children, IC helps them to find alternative sources of income and offer financial planning guidance to allow families to manage and control their earnings and expenses. Technical courses, preparing a curriculum and alternatives of flexible jobs are some of the initiatives which give families the opportunity to find new sources of income compatible with the time demand they have from their children. 

 

Project Early Infancy

 

The Project Early Infancy was created in 2014 by IC to specifically address the identified needs of children assisted by PAF who are in the age range of zero to six years old. In the past two years, the actions developed under this Project became more efficient. After October of 2016, when IC started to operate independently of Saúde Criança (the Rio NGO), these actions gained strength and autonomy to reach its objectives.

 

The early years of a children´s life is critical for their future development. Children in their early age need to live in a healthy environment and to be taken care of by grown-ups which offer them positive role models. Deprived families face many obstacles to the create this favorable environment. Provision of basic needs is not easily accessible. Risks related to living in violent areas, lacking adequate access to pre-birth medical orientation, financial constraints which prevent families from having a healthy diet and the low educational level of parents are some of the challenges to be addressed.

 

Families are assisted individually or in groups by an IC´s nutritionist, a psychologist and a social worker who elaborate on the importance of having strong family links, the stimulation of the development of motor, speech and socialization abilities and aspects related to food habits, including the breast-feeding period and the complementary diets for children in their early age.

 

Project Atelier C

 

Atelier C was created in 2014 to promote a closer interaction with assisted families with the objective of exploring alternative sources of income for the families and give them more financial and action autonomy. Very often, the routine a child with a chronic disease absorbs most of the time of their care takers and this has a direct impact on the families´ income.

 

Training is offered to family members who are interested and have the ability to work in the production of handcraft clothes, accessories and home items. Individuals involved earn per each item they produce, creating a new source of income for families. Items are produced at the families own houses allowing care-takers to be with their children most of the time. Later, these products are sold at the Atelier C, also creating additional income for IC, which is fully invested in the other projects developed by the entity.

 

Enhanced self-esteem and to expand the notion of entrepreneurship are some other important positive impacts of this Project.

 

Team

IC currently has 21 full time employees and 30 volunteers directly involved with the assisted families. All people hired by IC are professionals with specific knowledge in fields such as nutrition, social work and psychology, among other covered areas.

 

Fund Raising

IC’s activities are mainly supported by a mix of regular contributions made by corporations and individuals. The contributions may be either in the form of cash or in kind (products, services or professional pro-bono support). Different sources of income are also generated by isolated events such as charitable bingos, tax break instruments available to donors and bazars.

 

Certifications

IC has the most important certifications given by the State and the City of São Paulo to social organizations, such as its recognition by the State of São Paulo as an entity which promotes Human Rights, recognition by the City of São Paulo as an entity of Social Interest, registration at the Children’s Rights Council, both at the State and the Municipal level and registration at the State Secretary of Social Development. 

 

State of São Paulo

- Human rights entity

- ITCMD

- Register at CONDECA (Children Rights Council)

- CRCE

- SEDS (Social Development Secretary)

 

City of São Paulo

- City public utility

- Register at CMDCA (Children Rights Council)

- City register as Third Sector Entity

- COMAS (Social Assistance Council)