MARKWISNIEWSKI
UNICEF - Brazil
  "Much of my work involved administrative responsibilities, however, the most exciting and dynamic aspect was working with the local project officers. Besides learning about the issues at hand, and getting a first hand narrative of the situation, I was able to work with these people on creating new programs, advancing goals and objectives, and involving more people in the action. It was a very collective effort that took many people from all walks of life, all with a similar goal and many with contrasting approaches. This fusion of different yet positive energy helped to create some exciting projects that will hopefully make a change for the better within this society."

Report

I participated in the World Citizenship Program as an intern with UNICEF of Brazil. I went to work in the sub-office in Recife, located in the Northeastern part of Brazil. In the state of Pernambuco and one of the five largest cities in Brazil, Recife is an area well known for its history, culture, and arts as well as its sugar cane fields, poverty, and sex tourism.

UNICEF is an international development agency, which supports locally initiated projects with an emphasis on children. Recife offered an environment to utilize its rich cultural heritage to develop program aimed at its most serious issues.

One of my most hands-on projects was a radio program named "Jovens Comunicadores". It trained a group of 18 adolescents to produce a weekly radio program focusing on child labour. The program is recorded and sent to community radio stations, most of which broadcast in the sugar cane area where many children work.

Jovens Comunicadores advocates and lobbies against exploitation all produced and edited by teens. As a radio program, it also plays regional music, giving a boost to local culture. I worked with these teens in helping research the highlighted issues, developing programming ideas, interviewing local members of the society and maximizing communication abilities.

"Crianca Feliz" had the same objective – eliminating child exploitation, but used a different approach. It was begun by a women's organization and offered after-school activities with the goal of discouraging children and adolescents from working in sex tourism.

Recife is a famous tourist coastal city with a large sex tourism industry which attracts many foreign and national tourists. Besides giving classes and training in computers, English, art, and karate, it also offered psychological services and group therapy. These combined services sought to equip children with not only skills but also a positive self image and respect to not fall into prostitution.

As all the kids came from very poor backgrounds, the financial pull of prostitution is very high. Crianca Feliz worked at educating them about the high costs in the long end of it. This was a very interesting project, since it was actually a house with groups of kids divided into participating in different activities. I spent the summer working with the advisory board on curriculum programming and actually helping teach some of the classes.

Much of the work with UNICEF is administrative and involves collaborating with varied members of the society to develop programs to combat the problems of a particular society. It was a very dynamic experience in that you work with local NGO's and their targeted groups, as well as with the UNICEF staff. At times there is conflict and at times complete agreement, however, there is always a common objective.

  

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