Rio Branco Project brings sport as a way to change the lives of children and adolescents

Rio Branco Project is an action of the Comunidade Palmeirinha in Guadalupe, north zone of Rio de Janeiro, which seeks to provide changes in the lives of children and adolescents through sport, more precisely, a soccer school.  The initiative was born as an amateur soccer team, Rio Branco FC, to later become a social project with the aim of occupying the idle time of children who were idling on the streets of the community. Rio Branco Project was founded in 1992 by Robson Marinho dos Santos, Antônio Márcio, Anderson, Cristiano, Buru and Israel (in Memorian).

Currently, the group works with an age range of students from 6 to 17 years old, and from 20 to 30 years old. Classes are mixed and take place from Monday to Friday. Monday and Wednesday for the younger ones, in the school counter shift; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with the older ones, lasting two hours each class. The project requires children to be enrolled in school.

Robson, one of the administrators, talks about the project

“We created Rio Branco with the aim of filling an empty space within the community, since there was no extra-curricular activity in the locality. This is so that we do not lose our children and young people to crime even more, providing activities that occupy their minds so that they do not get carried away by the desire to become soldiers of crime or a manager and want to make a career in the local drug trade, which is very easy to enter, but difficult to leave alive. We have seen many boys with talent for soccer and other professions take that path and die very early,” says Robson.

Impacts already caused from activities

“Our dream is to turn these boys and girls into professional players and, despite the precarious context in which the project is inserted, we have already managed to place five boys in the Escolinha do Vasco. (‘Vasco School’). But the important thing is to give them alternatives and possibilities so that they have a decent future. We have boys who have passed through here and today are heads of families, some have become beauty professionals, barbers, dancers, singers and micro-entrepreneurs. For us, this is a very big impact and we consider it a victory in the midst of so much struggle and adversity”, says Antônio Márcio, also an administrator.

Rio Branco is happening, but the materials used are deteriorated and the project needs your help. Soccer balls, goal nets, turtles, hula hoops, ropes, cones, material for physical activity in general, uniforms and vests – new or in good condition – and snacks for the students are accepted.

Another help that the project needs to continue activities with a little more dignity is the revitalization and maintenance of the structure of the field, where soccer classes take place. The necessary changes are lighting, changing the protective screens around the field – which is putting the physical integrity of the students at risk -, clearing the ditches around the space and changing the nets of the beams, which are pierced.

The coordinators claim that the responsibility for the maintenance of the field lies with the municipality and the Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (COMLURB), but say they have already contacted them several times, without return. The maintenance has been carried out by the administrators themselves.

Who can help?

Volunteers; companies and manufacturers of screens, nets and sports equipment, who can make donations and, in return, have their name displayed in the space or on the students’ uniforms; soccer teams can donate sports equipment that is in usable condition; individuals or companies, with a financial donation.

The biggest challenge for the project coordinators is the institutionalization of the initiative. They intend to acquire a CNPJ (National Register of Legal Entities), which will facilitate the process of becoming athlete trainers. This will give greater guidance to the students who are trained by them, in addition to facilitating partnerships, support and agreements – and still get remuneration for all educators through public or private notices, since no one receives for the time spent on the project.

Besides the founders, some of the other collaborators are Samuel, Hugo, William, coach, Careca, Cupinho, Leco, and others, depending on the availability of each one.

With external help, the group intends to implement activities such as Muay Thai and Judo in the future, in addition to carrying out local social actions in partnership with public agencies, to enable identity documentation for residents who do not yet have documents.

To make the donations:

Pix Key (instant electronic payment system in Brazil): 05292696781- Antônio Marcio Graciano de Oliveira and robson.marins03@gmail.com.

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