Bahia Street in Brazil
Bahia Street provides a quality primary education to 75 girls (ages 6-14) from impoverished neighbourhoods in Salvador, Brazil. The girls study at the Bahia Street School in the afternoons for four hours, receiving instruction in all basic subjects, including reading, writing, maths, science, history, and English. In addition to the academic programme, the girls get instruction on health and reproduction, art and music therapy, and have the opportunity to take part in theatre productions with a local theatre group. Bahia Street funds transportation, uniforms, books, school materials, and nutrition in the form of two hot meals per day before and after classes. The girls also attend their local state-funded primary schools for four hours a day in the mornings (the normal school day in Brazil).
In its outreach programme, Bahia Street provides space and assistance for community forum meetings and for local groups working against violence, poverty and inequality, and for peace and social justice. It also offer family counselling, and emergency food packages to the girls’ parents and caregivers when necessary.
The Result
Bahia Street gives these girls an opportunity to become leaders in the outside world as well as in their own communities. The local, state-funded schools they attend are weak in academics; because our students receive additional schooling through Bahia Street, they quickly rise to the top of their local school classes and become leaders there. Other students turn to them for help and tutoring. Their local school teachers say that the Bahia Street girls are an inspiration to the teachers, themselves, and to the other students. As a result, the Bahia Street girls gain self-confidence and leadership skills. Even the very young girls are asking for change in the local, state-funded schools. In this, they are learning to be activists and to give back to their communities.
> Bahia Street Recent Accomplishments
Bahia Street provides education classes through the equivalent of primary school. Bahia Street graduates are encouraged to attend state-funded secondary schools located in the centre of Salvador, not far from Bahia Street, and relatively safe compared to schools located in outlying areas of the city where drug and gun-related problems are prevalent. Bahia Street encourages all its graduates to come back to the school whenever they can for meals, encouragement and tutoring help for university entrance exams.
As of 2011, fifteen Bahia Street girls have entered university, and two, Barbara and Daza, have graduated with degrees in nutrition and journalism, respectively.
Bahia Street teaching staff and methodology
The Bahia Street School has approximately 10 part-time teaching staff either university graduates or currently finishing university degrees. All of them are African-Brazilian who grew up in the shantytowns or in rural Bahia. This gives them a unique understanding of the issues the girls face as well as understanding of the importance of the social change the Bahia Street programme is effecting. Concepts of citizenship are explored through interactive classes. Classes use techniques of reflection, workshops about the girls’ health, group dynamics, videos, music, dance, art, visits to museums, libraries, monuments and historic sites — all with the objective to facilitate learning, stimulate interest and develop the cognitive perception of the children. These teachers are developing a curriculum they call “The Bahia Street Method” to make school studies relevant to the lives of shantytown residents. Integral to the Bahia Street programme is confronting inequality of race, class and gender, and these issues are included in all aspects of the teaching programme. The teachers themselves have become inspired by what they are creating, and two have begun grassroots programmes in their own neighbourhoods based upon the Bahia Street model.
