Action for Brazil's Children Trust's History

ABC Trust is dedicated to helping the street children and most vulnerable young people of Brazil. By raising awareness and funding we support the work of local, community-led organisations which give children the education, support and inspiration that they need to transform their own lives.

ABC was started in Bahia in NE Brazil by Jimena Page. We have been on quite a journey from there to our office in Southwark today. ABC was initially founded to support the Graos de Luz (Seeds of Light) Project, which Jimena helped to establish in Lencois, Bahia.The project began as a soup kitchen, but soon focused on education, extra-curricular activities and an outreach scheme. 

Whilst working at Grãos de Luz, Jimena met Jimmy Page, who was promoting the album 'No Quarter: Unledded' in South America. They spoke about the problems facing the children of Brazil, and discussed doing a project 'some day'.

However, when Jimmy went to Rio de Janeiro, he witnessed unrest in the favelas, and the authorities' reaction to this. From his hotel room, he could see military tanks rolling into the communities. Within 48 hours, he had determined that he had to do something to help the situation.

Over the following year, Jimena accompanied Jimmy on his tour, continuing to promote Grãos de Luz along the way. When they returned to settle in the UK, Jimena set up the ABC Trust, with Jimmy as the founding patron.

Initially the charity was run from their home with a Board of Trustees until it rapidly grew into offices established in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. During those first years we were busy building a much needed solid foundation to secure a prosperous future for ABC. In 2007 we moved into an office in Soho, London, generously donated to us by a wonderful philanthropist. 

In 2000, ABC Trust was registered as a charity in the US, and in 2003, Grãos de Luz was named a UNICEF Brasil project of the year. It has since also been honoured by the Brazilian Ministry for Culture.

Over the past 12 years, ABC has supported 22 projects and reached out to over 15,000 children and their families. In 2010, we took a team of street children to the first ever Street Child World Cup in South Africa and are now working as a partner organisation to bring the tournament to Brazil in 2014.