Atypical mothers debate public policies at seminar

The Centro de Mulheres de Favelas e Periferias (CEMUFP), in a pleased partnership with the Mulheres que Fazem do CDD (Cidade de Deus) and the Centro de Estudos e Ações Culturais e de Cidadania (CEACC), held an Educational Seminar for Atypical Mothers in July in Cidade de Deus, a neighbourhood in Jacarepaguá, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro.

During the event, the need for more resistance, greater unity among atypical mothers and the right of their atypical children to study were raised. The lack of full compliance with the laws protecting children and adults with special needs was also discussed.

There was also a call for creating more institutions so that those who are excluded have the strength to change some realities in favour of atypical mothers and their children.

Denise Matos, creator and coordinator of CDD (Women Who Do), said of the meeting: “In my opinion, as well as learning many things we didn’t know through the exchange, we also had the opportunity to pass on information of great importance to the participating mothers. The event was certainly very important for our institution. The partnership between three institutions has paid off”.

Centro de Estudos e Ações Culturais e de Cidadania

José Carlos, a physical education professional and one of the founders of CEACC, the institution that hosted the seminar, said that the venue lends itself to all other social initiatives that need a place to hold lectures, seminars or any other collective action. The institution’s doors are open for this kind of action.

He says that the CECACC began with soccer 24 years ago in Cidade de Deus and, through this sport, families began to arrive. 

It’s an institution that was born with the aim of acting as an umbrella for other social initiatives that didn’t have a CNPJ, a registration number for companies in Brazil, and with the aim of being at the forefront with the families, in the search for the right to education, dignity and a better quality of life for the residents of the area.

Dayane Gomes, mother of an 8-year-old autistic child, says that the opportunity to take part in the seminar was extremely important. “We were able to talk, put ideas into motion, and clear up doubts because our struggle is very big. My son, for example, has been without treatment for over 90 days. Every day it’s a struggle, a wish and a right being violated”. 

“We need to have a lot of strength, wisdom and resilience to be able to deal with this whole situation. As a mother, I say that the seminar was an exchange, a lot of information was passed on and it was very important for those who were not yet aware of certain things”, she said. 

Ana Paula Celso, public relations director of the Centro de Mulheres de Favelas e Periferias (CEMUFP), is a resident of Jacarepaguá, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, and says that the meeting was a step forward in the achievements of atypical mothers and that together they are creating an increasingly strong movement. 

“We’re trying to hold these seminars to make people aware of the needs of these children and their mothers who, most of the time, are fighting alone”. 

“Our motto is: Together We Are Stronger. Precisely to strengthen us, not to discourage us. We all know that the individual struggle is very arduous, so the more strong people unite, the stronger we become”, she explains.

Antônia Miliana Gomes, president of CEMUFP, says that the institution has been active since 1985. The board is made up of eight people and the institution offers various activities, including a community pre-university entrance exam. 

The first seminar took place in Rocinha, a community in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, and now they are doing it by area. The idea is to bring together women from all over Rio de Janeiro. 

“We, like all the women present, are here to support each other. I’m very grateful to everyone who took part in the activity. The proposal is that we can form a group and come back with the results of this seminar”, she said.

What does the Centro de Mulheres de Favelas?

The Centro de Mulheres de Favelas was founded in July 1986 in the Morro dos Macacos community in Vila Isabel. It came about as a result of the work carried out within the communities in the area of maternal and child health, and education in home and community nurseries. 

The centre was born with the aim of promoting dialogue and the exchange of knowledge between other organized sectors of civil society, creating spaces for partnerships and establishing contact with public administration bodies. 

In addition, it proposes affirmative actions that benefit women, combat oppression and all forms of social discrimination, and thereby rescue and guarantee women’s right to construct their identity.

Follow CEMUFP and CEACC on Instagram.

Read the article about CDD’s Mulheres que Fazem in Lupa do Bem.