Cascalheira Brazil

School supplies and cookies.

2011-02-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful day giving out some school supplies in Cascalheira. The children knew we were coming and they dressed up in their best little outfits. We got many hugs and smiles. This is so special for them. Thank you all of you who helped with this little project that means so very much. They really don't have the means for buying these simple litte things. The ones who did not receive school supplies received a package of cookies. It was a great day. Obrigado!!

Gifting of Dolls

2010-11-17T12:31:00.001-08:00

The gifting of the dolls was so sweet and special. The little girls got in line to receive their dolls. As you can see in these pictures they were HAPPY! Please scroll down to read past entries about the dolls and how they came to be. There are some duplicate pictures of the same little girls showing their affection for the new friend they received. Thank you all who participated. Obrigada. A beautiful day it was!

Wendy & Raffle basket

2010-10-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Sweet Wendy is helping out again. Here she is with a basket of goodies being raffled off at the hair salon she works at. Thank you so much dear Wendy!

Group picture of Dolls for Cascalheira

2010-09-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a group picture of the dolls for Cascalheira. They will travel to Brazil with us in October. This has been a very nice turn out. Kelli has been instrumental in making this happen. People from all over have sent in dolls. Thank you Kelli and all the doll givers.

More brown dolls and money

2010-09-19T07:27:00.001-07:00

Three more packages arrived with dolls. Oh they are wonderful. Thank you Shanna, Tiffany and Jen. Some little girls are going to be very happy and will hug a soft cuddly little doll made or bought just for them.

Margie and Joe, your generous money donation is greatly appreciated.

We are making a trip to Brazil in October and probably will take some of the dolls to give out. Also, a box is being prepared to be shipped of heavier items of clothes and toys.

Thank you everyone. Please keep it coming. Obrigado!!

Dolls and clothes

2010-08-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Remember when we gave dolls to the little girls? Well, Kelli was kind enough to post on her blog the need for brown dolls for brown children. The above three photos are the dolls that have been received so far.

The first one is personalized with a note in Portuguese to the little girl who will receive her. She also has fairy wings on her back. The second one, from Sorrow's 11 year old with a note, " this is from my little angel (11years) to one of the angels in Brazil". The third is Miranda, beautifully handmade by Jo. Thank you Sue, Sorrow and Jo. These dolls are beautiful.

Thank you Lisione for the box of children's clothes that arrived. So many great shirts, dresses, pants and shorts.

It's always difficult with the young boys and men, we don't usually have enough to give to them. Pete donated a bunch of tshirts and some shorts. Thanks Pete!

All these items will go into the box that we will ship. It was a success last year and it arrived in time for us to distribute everything. We can pack quite a lot of things into this box.

If you would like to donate brown dolls, summer clothes or money, please email me at JTAnyu@aol.com. Money donation information is on the side panel of this blog.

Thanks to all of you.

Hope you're having a nice summer.

~Jessica

Toys for Children

2010-06-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

During April, our last month in Brazil I did not blog of Cascalheira. There was an unexpected and very sad death in my family.

Now that we are back in the USA and have recovered I am ready to post some pictures.

These photos are children of Cascalheira, each choosing a toy that was donated by The Dolphin Bookstore, located in Port Washington, NY. It was so generous of the bookstore to contribute and make moments of happiness for these children. We shipped a large box filled with the toys and other donations at the end of December 2009. It took about 3 months for the box to arrive. We thank you Dolphin Bookstore and we thank all of you who have been so supportive donating money. It helped to pay for the shipping. Enjoy the photos.

Saturday's Outing

2010-03-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

We arranged with Fia and Daniel to meet at 8:00 AM on Saturday to take their children, Ataniel (11), Estefane (10), Daniela (9) and Simone (4) for an outing. Salvador Shopping Mall had a ropes course and a climbing wall set up for children, we thought this would be fun for them. Ataniel and Daniela completed it. Estefane climbed up and then came back down because she was afraid of the height, at least she tried.

Then we headed over to the bookstore. The children's section is set up very nicely with small tables and chairs and the books can be looked at. Simone liked the little chair to sit on. I was very surprised at the high prices of books in Brazil. It seems that only a certain group of people can purchase books. Literacy needs to be promoted here. It seems like a big business instead. Unless I am not aware of something, this does not seem right.

Next, shoe store. Ataniel got sneakers and the girls sandals. Oh, they were so happy.

Lunch at the food court, then ice cream.

Going up on the elevator was very scary to Estefane, she hugged me and buried her head into me. Clearly she is afraid of heights. The others looked through the window and watched as we were going down.

Later we stopped at the candy shop. They each filled their bag with 10 pieces of candy.

The escalator was the best. At first they stepped on it unsure and held on tight to our hands and handrail. We cruised through the mall going up and down. It didn't take long for them to grasp it. At the end we let them go up and down several times by themselves, except for little Simone.

On the way back home we stopped at the airport watching the planes taking off and landing.

Sueli was incredibly helpful with the children. Whenever we go to Cascalheira she comes with us, so she knows everyone and knows what we are doing.

We brought home four very tired and awestruck children. Fia and Daniel were very thankful.

Bobby and I enjoyed being with these wonderful, gentle and well behaved little children. We hope to continue to do whatever we can. Enjoy the pictures!

Little Dolls for Little Dolls

2010-03-11T14:01:00.001-08:00

Wish we could have found dolls that had darker hair and darker skin for the little girls in Cascalheira. These were the only ones available in the store. Nevertheless, the girls were happy to hold their own doll. A whole, complete new toy. Not in pieces. Not broken old toys. It was so sweet and special to watch each little girl hold her new doll. They are very gentle and loving and it shows in the handling of their dolls.

As always, thank you to all of you who donated. Please keep donations coming. Any amount is very welcomed.
Obrigado!

A note on picture #7. These are two sisters. The doll belongs to the little one, Simone, who is looking to her doll. She is not upset, although it looks that way. She is just making sure her doll is there. How cute is that?

School Supplies

2010-02-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

In Brazil the school year begins in February. This year we did something different. Our neighbor's housekeeper, Chris lives in Cascalheira. We know her and like her very much and she wanted to help. She made a list of the children who live in the village. If there are 4 children in the family, 2 would receive school supplies. Unfortunatley we are unable to help everyone so this was a very good idea. Also, knowing if the child was male or female helped, so we could buy the appropriate design of the cover of the notebook. We made it special for them so they did have very nice notebooks. Pencil, colored pencils, pen, pencil sharpener and eraser was also included. About 25 children received school supplies. We also brought cookies and juice boxes for the ones who would not receive school supplies.
Chris and Sueli were great at organizing them into two lines, one line for school supplies and the other for cookies and juice. It worked very well. First we gave out the cookies and juices. Some of the kids tried to sneak over to the cookies line and I offered them a choice of which line to be on, very quickly they were back on the school supply line.
Thank you to those who made this possible. Obrigado!

Visiting Cascalheira

2010-01-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

Donation Box Going to Brazil

2009-12-12T16:09:00.001-08:00

A large box is being shipped to Bahia. It is filled with used toys, shoes and clothes. It should arrive in Brazil within 4 months. I hope this is true, since we are there until April. Being that the items are used, no custom charges will be applied once it arrives in Brazil. This is the first time sending a box by ship. It arrives at a port in Sao Paulo and it is trucked to the different locations, in this case to Salvador. Thank you Alison for allowing it to arrive to your address in Salvador. Thanks to everyone who donated items into the box, O, P, B, G, Dolphin Store. Also, thank you for the financial donations which helps ship the box, $200. It certainly will be a happy moment when we bring the goods to the village.

Birthday Celebration with Gift Donations

2009-11-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

A birthday celebration it was. Family and friends came bearing gift donations for Bobby's birthday. These gifts came at a crucial moment, and will allow us to continue the help in Cascalheira. We are traveling to Bahia at the end of December. We will take inventory of what is needed, finishing the second house (Joao's), perhaps starting another one. As always so much is needed to be done. We sincerely thank you all for your generosity. Peace, hugs and love,

Jessica and Bobby.

Update on Raffles and Donations

2009-10-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
It has been quite some time since I posted about Cascalheira. At the end of December it will be time to travel to Brazil and make some difference in some people's lives. There have been some wonderful good people helping the funds to grow. One raffle basket has been won, it brought in $58. The second one is on its way to be raffled. Wendy is an angel who has been making this happen (she is in the photo below, holding the next raffle basket). She has also been donating financially in an interesting way. When I have an appointment with her for a blow-out for my hair, she donates that money to Cascalheira. Incredibly good of her.

I want to thank all the people who have donated items to the raffle baskets. Please keep them coming in order to make more baskets.
Kelli made a lovely purse with beautiful fabric and bamboo handles (picture below) and donated it to the raffle. She has been such a great support. Through Kelli's blog others have donated money through paypal. Thank you Kelli and the donors.
Aimee donated a $30 gift card from amazon.com. It is in the upcoming raffle basket. Very generous of you Aimee, thank you.

Your donation in any amount is very needed. It will go a long way in Cascalheira, Brazil. Please consider sending even $1. Some people have done this and it adds up and is very much appreciated.

Please send to:
Jessica Torok Brown
P.O. Box 249
Mill Neck, NY 11765

Another season.....

2009-07-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Another season has passed. Some good things happened along the way. We have made a difference in some people's lives. Even if it was for a few moments, or a day or perhaps longer. Lifting spirits, putting smiles on faces that were not there before, bricks to help build, notebooks and pencils for school, ice pops for a few minutes, sneakers for unshoed feet, packages of food for some families, lots of powdered milk desperately needed, an outing for some children...all this and more has brought possible hope to some. There were many who donated. Thank you for your care.

It is time again to collect. We will do some raffles. Baskets with some goods in it will be raffled off. Please, look and see if you have anything that was gifted to you and you will not use it but will be a nice item for a gift basket. Or if you like to purchase something, that will be nice too. Books, herbal teas, lotion, pretty napkins, note cards, etc. If you are local, I can pick it up. If not you can mail it to me:

Jessica Torok Brown
P.O. Box 249
Mill Neck, NY 11765

Of course donations are always welcomed. Any amount! Yes even $1 would be very much appreciated. Just slip it into an envelope and send it. Please! Thank you. Obrigado!

Update on Joao's house

2009-04-09T02:43:00.000-07:00

Slowly, Joao and Vera's house is getting built. It has taken longer than Daniel's. Daniel did most of the work on his own house. Joao has had some difficulty, he does not know how to build a house. He hired a man for meals and a little money to help him when Joao had work, and this person was not always available. Also there was a problem of some missing blocks. Joao was terribly upset and was crying that someone had stolen some blocks. It is such a desperate situation there. We had some funds left and we were able to replace the missing blocks. Daniel offered to help Joao build his house, he said "I was helped and now I will help." Over the next few days Daniel will be available. They will at least complete a room so the family can move back into the house and no more blocks will be stolen. Joao's outside kitchen, as shown here will be a thing of the past (first picture). Of course he has to purchase an oven and a refrigerator. Hopefully we can raise some money for this. Now that we are in the USA for a while we asked a friend to take pictures of the house as it develops.

Children of Cascalheira and Projeto TAMAR

2009-03-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took six children of Cascalheira to Projeto TAMAR in Praia do Forte. It was prearranged with TAMAR and we had our own educational guide. He was great with the kids. To see the children out of their very poor and sad element was touching. They were able to run around, touch a stingray, view other sea animals such as sharks, turtles and different fish. Before going into TAMAR we had lunch. What a bunch of hungry little ones. Later walking through town we met up with some clowns who were out to make some children happy. Of course ending the day with ice-cream was special. A fabulous day we all had. Our dear friend Sueli has been incredible, by now she too knows the children and being from the same area she has been tremendously helpful. It truly felt very good to make a difference in some children's lives, even if it was for one day.

School Supplies for Children

2009-02-28T17:25:00.001-08:00

February is a new school year in Brazil. We were at Cascalheira visiting and catching up with Joao's house. Unbeknownst to us it was a few days before school started and the children were begging to please get school supplies for them. The next day we went school supply shopping for about 10 children, purchasing notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners and backpacks. It has been our experience that whatever we purchase is never enough, because there are so many of them. So we did buy some extra supplies (and it still it was not enough). The following day the items were given out. Parents and children were very happy. Some of them asked for shoes, most of them do not have proper shoes, just flip flops. One boy, Bruno asked me privately if we could please bring him a pair of sneakers and if we could meet him early before school started so he could wear the shoes to school. We told him he will have his shoes. Unfortunately it could not work out to meet him early, but he did get his shoes. After the school supply distribution many children came up to us with little notes with their name and list of supplies (pictures at the end). It would be nice if the schools would give these basic tools to these children.

Joao & Vera

2009-01-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

Joao, Vera and their three children live in very sad and poor conditions. Dark, dusty, a mostly empty refrigerator (few items in there probably just to keep the bugs out) that is very rusty and barely working and their beds are what makes up this shanty home. On January 9, 2009 construction materials were delivered to them to build their house. Their home, made of pieces of scrap wood and metals hopefully soon will be no longer. Vera and her children seem to be sickly each time we visit. Looking at their environment it's understandable. Two friends and neighbors are helping Joao build his house. They are unemployed, Vera will make some meals in exchange for the labor. One of the helper's asked if we could help him by buying him a mattress. This was so disturbing because I couldn't imagine where he was sleeping if he had no mattress. Of course we purchased a simple mattress for R$60. He was happy. Pictures of the construction of the walls of the house was taken on Sunday, January 25. It is coming along.

Cesta Basicas--Food Baskets

2009-01-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 14 we delivered 12 food packages, "cesta basicas". As usual it is difficult to decide who gets one. We have been alternating, one month one list the next month another list. This time, with Sueli's help we had to be more specific, informing the people if they have a job to please do not receive one and allow the ones who truly need it. They were cooperative, standing by in case they had a chance for one. Honestly, they all need it. Food should never be denied to anyone. We are so grateful for the ones who have been donating so this program can continue. All donations are always welcome. Each food package is about US $10, depending on the exchange. Obrigado!

50/50 Raffle

2009-01-03T15:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those who participated in the 50/50 Raffle. Also, thank you Wendy for hosting it. The total amount of the donations was $400. The drawing ticket went to L.A., which means $200 to Cascalheira and $200 to L.A. Thank you L.A. for donating your half back to Cascalheira. As usual the money will be used to help feed and help the people in Cascalheira.

We are back in Bahia, Brazil and soon we will continue with the construction of the next house that is being built. Will keep you posted.
Please continue to send any amount of money. 100% goes to help Cascalheira.

Wendy picking the winning ticket!
Obrigada and Happy New Year!

Beautiful Children of Cascalheira

2008-11-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

The past two Sundays we took four children each time to the mercado. We picked them up from Cascalheira at 8 AM. They were truly in their Sunday's best. Clean, combed and dressed and so very happy. Eating was first. Bellies full we continued on. They were excellently behaved, gentle with each other and with the goods. Look at these pictures, they are like any other child. You would never know they were from poverty and no opportunities.

How sweet is this? Stephanie cleaning Daniela's face.

A vendor with her son posing with us. She kept blessing us for taking these children to the mercado.

Flip flops for each one!

Daniel, Stephanie, Daniela and Francisco. Back home with their goods. We got the best hugs from them and they truly meant it.

First time on a trampoline for Regina and Tamiris.

After the trampoline they were ready to eat.

Odeilson and Felepe. Great boys with their new caps.

Another great Sunday for another great four kids!

What a welcome!

2008-11-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

We went to Cascalheira without bringing anything with us. Just to visit and assess what has developed, what is needed to be done, etc. Of course there's no way to let them know we are coming, we just showed up. We always just show up. We had the most warm, friendly and affectionate welcome. The children gave the sweetest hugs, the adults with beautiful smiles and hugs. We have grown to love these incredible people. Look at the smiles. They are in our hearts. They live so simply. Barely anything is in their little shacks. For all of you who have helped and donated, our gratitude is very big. For those who are touched and want to reach out, please do so. As always, any amount is gratefully accepted. I would like to start a literacy/book club. Perhaps starting with a few children, around 8 and have them meet 2 hours 2-3 times a week with a teacher and they would read a book. If anyone has any ideas on how to get this started please email me at jtanyu@aol.com

Winner of Raffle Basket and 50/50 Raffle

2008-10-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Jean from Glen Cove, New York was the lucky winner of the Raffle Basket. Thank you all who donated fabulous items for the raffle basket and thank you for all of you who participated. It was fun!

The next fundraiser for Cascalheira is a 50/50 raffle. Great time for Christmas, Hanukkah or just to have some extra cash. The winner will receive half and Cascalheira will receive the other half of the total amount.

Tickets are $5 each. Cash is preferred. Please send money with your name and telephone number to:
Jessica Torok
P.O. Box 249
Mill Neck, NY 11765

Drawing will be the second week of December. Let's make it a great one!

Thank you!!

Wendy, helping Cascalheira

2008-09-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Please meet Wendy. We have been talking about the village of Cascalheira and she wanted to get involved somehow. A raffle was suggested. The donations of items to create a few raffle baskets has been tremendous. Thank you to all of you who gave. Wendy, being a talented and creative hair stylist is being creative again. She set up the basket at her business, she shows a small photo album of Cascalheira to her clients while she styles their hair. The raffle is $1 or $2 per ticket. This is the second basket that is being raffled off. It's been good. Thank you Wendy. Your care and help is greatly appreciated. It will make a huge difference for the people in Cascalheira.

Raising Money

2008-07-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

We are so grateful for the monies we were gifted with for our wedding. All of it will be donated to the needs of Cascalheira. At this time our travel plans for Brazil are for October. We are looking forward to seeing these gentle people, the children, new babies and how Fia and Daniel are doing in their new home. There will be much to do. It's always overwhelming, the need is huge.

"Clean water and health care and school and food and tin roofs, all of these things should constitute a set of basics that people must have as birthrights." Dr. Paul Farmer.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Before/After Daniel & Fia's House

2008-05-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Before/After Daniel & Fia's House

How amazing is this before and after picture. He did it. Daniel built his family a little house. The rainy season (fall and winter) is starting. They have a proper house with a roof. No more shanty house. He will finish the floor with concrete. The doors and windows will have to wait until more funds are raised. Thank you to all who believed and cared. Let's continue to help the next family. Hugs and love to all.

Postings from July 2007 - March 2008

2008-05-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

The following will link you into each of the postings of Cascalheira,

from July 2007 - March 2008.

Please read at your leisure.

March 26, 2008
~Daniel's House and Some Village Children~

March 11, 2008
~Food Distribution~

March 5, 2008
~Daniels House and Cesta Basica~

December 9, 2007
~Cascalheira Update~

November 7, 2007
~Money For Bricks~

October 28, 2007
~Good News~

October 16, 2007
~Incredible Generosity~

August 31, 2007
~Calling for Help~

August 10, 2007
~Some Very Happy Children~

August 5, 2007
~A Swing Set for Cascalheira~

July 29, 2007
~On the Way to Cascalheira~

July 27, 2007
~Arrived in Brazil~

First posting, April 19, 2007

2008-05-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Cascalheira Needs Help!
Cascalheira consists of more than 70 homes, and is growing. In Brazil there is something called "invasion". What the poor people do is invade the land. They move onto it and set up their shanty homes. Sometimes they tap into electricity and water nearby. If the property owner has financial issues where taxes are not paid or is about to loose the land due to delinquent payments, the government allows the invadors (squatters) to legally stay on the property. Eventually they have legal electricity and water connected and they start receiving bills. There are so many poor people in Brazil that for a lot of them this is a way of acquiring their home. Sueli, wanted to show us Cascalheira. She also lives in another "invaded" area. She has worked very hard to improve her life. We want to help these people in Cascalheira. Perhaps you will join us?

This is a typical home in Cascalheira.

They need opportunities, they need a chance.

This grandmother wanted to show me her stove.It is next to her, it's a cinder block and a piece of metal.

She asked me for a used sheet for her bed. She lives with three little grandchildren.

Bare little feet. The children asked for flip flops. Also notebooks and pens for school.

It was fun to show digital pictures of the little girls of themselves. They wanted pictures taken over and over again of each other....they giggled a lot.

Sueli with some of the Cascalheira children at a small center that Regina, a wonderful person is starting for the children. We donated powdered milk and bottled water. They need so much more.