ISMEP

Instituto Social das Medianeiras da Paz (ISMEP) was founded in 1989 and is now an established NGO that provides essential support for children and young people from very low-income families who live in the Bode favela, in the Pina neighbourhood of Recife.

With around 75,000 inhabitants, Bode is one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of Recife, itself the biggest city in North East Brazil. Bode is full of make-shift wooden housing built on stilts above a swamp and consists of a maze of narrow alleyways with no basic public services such as sanitation, electricity or clean water.


ISMEP tackles the cycle of poverty, violence and hopelessness in the community through a holistic approach, offering:

• quality education;
• creative and vocational activities for children aged 7-16 
• support from a social assistant and a psychologist.

ISMEP's students receive tutoring in Portuguese and Maths and participate in other activities to improve their learning and school attainment. Understanding how essential a healthy diet is to a child's growth, development and ability to concentrate, ISMEP provides the children with two daily meals – for some of them, the only meals they will have. 

There are many activities for the children to chose from:

• vocational courses;
• IT classes;
• physical education;
• arts and craft groups;
• dance and theatre classes.

ISMEP also gives these young people a safe environment to play in which keeps them off the street and protects them from coercion into drug use, trafficking and prostitution. Parents are continually encouraged to participate in their children’s education, receiving advice and support for themselves through vocational courses, general advice groups, psychological support and even financial help in emergencies.