In 2013 the Good Will Portal presented the story of the deaf boy Leonardo José, who mobilized the school’s multidisciplinary team when he arrived at age 3 at the Good Will Educational Complex. Educational measures were quickly taken, like the use of technological resources and the training of teachers in Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS), while special activities were carried out with the other students as a way of encouraging interaction with their deaf classmate. These activities have expanded ever since and the school has welcomed deaf children from other schools, who receive the same assistance.

Vivian R. Ferreira

“When Leonardo arrived, since we didn’t have any deaf children other than him, and because we know it’s very important for his educational, social, human, and identity development, the Legion of Good Will (LBV) accepted other deaf children so he could benefit from this interaction in sign language and socialize with them. The other children also benefited from the support offered by the school,” explains Odirlei Faria, sign language teacher at the LBV.

The José de Paiva Netto Educational Institute develops its bilingual teaching project for the deaf students with the objective of helping them with their cognitive, social, and emotional development, as well as teaching them sign language. The group meets three times a week in the school, accompanied by a teacher and young apprentices from the Organization, as is the case of Maria Isabelle Anselmo:

The school has partnered with the sports’ coordination team to offer activities with balls and body exercises on the outside court and in the karate studio. After all, sign language not only involves hand and face movements, but moving the whole body. The more the body is worked during the classes, the better the communication between deaf people. “Obviously we don’t consider just teaching them, but all the social work, the socialization between them, the emphasis on sharing, behaving, and respecting; we apply these values the whole time in the school,” says Sandra Solato, sports’ coordinator at the Good Will Educational Complex.

“Something very important for us is self-acceptance. We can see that we’ve helped achieve this through this bilingual education. One of the premises of this education is that deaf children socialize with deaf adults so their identity is strengthened in a healthy way. In other words, they know they’re children, but when they see a deaf teacher and a young deaf girl helping that teacher, they feel they can move forward, study, go to college, and have a normal life in the future,” said teacher Odirlei.

Family involvement in the whole learning process brings about safety and allows children to greatly benefit from the education they receive. This is what mother Silvana da Silva confirms. She has two daughters in the Organization’s school: one can hear and the other is deaf, but both take part in the project. “The development of my deaf daughter has enhanced. For me the fact that my other daughter is with her is very important, since she’s the only hearing person in the project, and now the two have more contact; they’re talking more. The lack of communication with deaf people is abysmal because only a very people know sign language. So when they’re at home communicating with us, it’s a lot better.”

Vivian R. Ferreira

For the mother of Leonardo, Elizabeth de Andrade, “the project brought the peace he needed. He can say what he thinks and be understood by other people and no longer be interpreted. They understand what he really wants to say, and what he agrees with or doesn’t agree with. I’ve noticed that he has expressed himself a lot through sign language.”

All activities are permeated by the Pedagogy of Affection and by the Ecumenical Citizen Pedagogy, which were created by the President of the LBV, Paiva Netto, and that encompass much more than the cognitive development; they foster respect, socialization, understanding of the meaning of the world, the value of everybody, and how much they can help each other. When they receive this special teaching, “the students start establishing much more than simple communication. They establish the language of love, respect for differences, a ‘view beyond the intellect’ which educator Paiva Netto invites us to develop every day in the school of the Legion of Good Will,” explains Aline Trevisan, Assistant Principal of the Good Will Educational Complex.

In the LBV the steps for a future full of opportunities for the children are taken today. Help the Organization expand this work and help more families. Donate now!

Diabetes affects 284 million people in the whole world. Up to 2030, this number should reach 439 million, according to a forecast announced in November by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), associated with the World Health Organization (WHO).

In reply to the increasing demand for information on the illness, the IDF created in 1991 the World Diabetes Day, annually celebrated on November 14. However, endocrinologist Walter Minicucci, Vice President of the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD), says that no one is celebrating this day. “This day was created to draw attention to this very serious problem. If we do nothing, there won’t be enough doctors to treat everyone and we won’t have a health budget that can handle the problem”, warned the doctor. The “doing nothing” refers to modern behavior and eating habits, the main cause of type 2 diabetes.

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Considered to be the largest world initiative concerning diabetes, the date was chosen in tribute to the birth of Canadian scientist Frederick Banting who, together with Charles Best, was responsible for the discovery of insulin in October 1921. Two years later, Banting was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for this discovery and for the use of insulin in the treatment of diabetics.

The disease arises as a result of the body’s inability to produce insulin; it is characterized by high levels of blood sugar, caused by the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, which is needed for the body to function well so that it can use the sugar as a main source of energy.

The disease is classified into two groups: type 1 and type 2. Between 5% and 10% of diabetes cases are type 1, which most frequently begins in childhood. These individuals are known as insulin-dependent. Type 2, the most common form of the disease, is found in around 90% of cases. It starts normally in adulthood, but not necessarily, in obese people and with a strong factor of heredity.

For specialists, diabetes is a modern day major epidemic: the number of people with this disease does not grow only in numbers, but also in prevalence and death. At this stage, the disease begins to affect the economic development itself, because treatments are usually costly. Only in the United States, in an example highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) team, healthcare for this problem in 2007 “cost more than US$ 174 billion and should represent an increasingly financial burden in the following years”.

According to research released in October by the CDC in the United States, around one third of adults may develop diabetes by 2050 if they continue to lead sedentary lives and put on weight.

Every year, people who find themselves as diabetics usually blame their hectic life and the lack of time, aside from the influence of new technologies, poor eating habits and a sedentary life. “It’s a set of factors that should make our lives more productive, but that actually ends up compromising productivity due to the higher rate of diseases, a lack of physical stamina, obesity, stress and anxiety,” said the nursing technician and patient reception employee of São Paulo’s Regional Hospital, Denise Turre Limeira. To break this vicious circle then becomes a real challenge.

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Changing Lifestyle

In addition to the already known benefits, such as preventing heart diseases and osteoporosis, reducing cholesterol and hypertension, fighting obesity and many others, physical exercise has an even more important effect: a person able to incorporate physical activity into their daily life finds a new formula for living.

Healthy eating together with physical activity is essential for having a better life. See below five important tips recommended by the Brazilian Diabetes Society:

For a healthier life: five tips for preventing Diabetes

And don’t forget: if you are going to eat a dessert, choose diet or light and have only one portion. Eating two light portions can equal one super-calorie dessert. 

This Tuesday, 22, the Belgian capital of Brussels has been locked down after explosions at the airport and in the subway system killed dozens of people and injured many more. Belgium's federal prosecutor described the explosions as terrorist attacks. The Legion of Good Will and its President, José de Paiva Netto, sympathize with all the victims and family members of the explosions, and invite all Internet users to take part in the Ecumenical Chain of Prayers.

In his article "In praise of Peace," Paiva Netto affirms, "Without Love, we will never know Peace. As I wrote in Reflexões da Alma [Reflections of the Soul] (Elevação Publishing House, page 122), unarmed Peace will never come about solely from political agreements, but rather from a deep sublimation of the religious spirit. As great achievements often have their roots in simple, but practical and truthful initiatives, by people who, with great courage have gone from theory to action, with the strength of the authority of their acts universally recognized, we should avail ourselves of this lesson from Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): 'When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.' And nobody could call old Abe an unbeliever."

Ecumenical Chain of Prayers
Ever since its origin in the 1940s, the LBV has incorporated the Powerful Ecumenical Chain of Prayers into its activities. People from all religions, nationalities, and traditions can participate in this chain by including the names of their loved ones, family members, and friends in order to receive the good energies that come from prayer.

We invite you, our internet friends, to also take part in this ecumenical chain of prayers, wherever you may be.

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy Will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom,
and the Power, and the Glory
for ever and ever.
Amen!

The use of cups, bottles, and other disposable products has been increasing over the last twenty years due to their practicality, hygiene, and low price, particularly in companies and institutions. But the daily use of these products and their inadequate disposal pose a risk for our seas and oceans and for our own health as well.

Plastic is the least recycled municipal solid waste worldwide. Depending on its composition, it may take between 100 and 450 years to decompose. Data from the UN Environmental Programme show that plastic bottles, bags, food packaging, cups, and silverware make up most of the waste that goes into the oceans, contaminating them. In some regions, plastic may account for 80% of this waste.

The presence of waste in the ocean directly affects the ecological balance, human and marine health, food supply, the economy, tourism, and even the contact with natural environments. These environmental and human problems are closely intertwined and benefit no one in the situation.

ONE PERSON’S PROBLEM IS EVERYONE’S PROBLEM

In addition to what we see on the water surface, large quantities of waste may lie hidden at the bottom of the oceans. Brazilian Professor and PhD in Biological Sciences, Paola Dall’Occo, explained to the Good Will Portal that plastic may confuse marine animals and lead to their death. “Some of them don’t even notice what it is and end up eating it.” The problem is that it is not digested: “The animal eats it and feels full, and it also ingests an amount of harmful and toxic substances that come with the plastic.”

With their stomach full of garbage, the animals are unable to eat any more, thus dying of starvation, or they are wounded internally by sharp pieces of plastic. The animals may also “get trapped when they are still small and have to grow within the confines of this plastic. A large fragment may deform them and end up killing or strangling them, or wrapping around their flippers, making it impossible for them to swim,” among other cases.

 “This comes back to us when we eat an animal that’s been in contact with a contaminated plastic. The chances of the plastic remaining in the stomach and releasing these substances is also high. This enters the biomass of the animal that we will later eat,” clarifies Dr. Paola.

According to Renê Monico, president of the Brazilian organization Oito Elementos Sustentabilidade [Eight Elements Sustainability], which is committed to social responsibility initiatives and environmental management, “ecosystems are dependent on an extremely sensitive balance; they are chains of interdependence: plastic kills animals and alters the environment. Consequently, when the number of individuals in a species drops significantly, the number of individuals of other species either increases or decreases, leading to collapse.”

7 habits that will make you a more eco-friendly consumer

Eco-friendly consumers know they can transform society by doing their part. Taking into account the impacts caused by the use and disposal of products is a simple gesture in the daily routine of consumers who care about the environment and future generations. Let us all eliminate the amount of garbage disposed of incorrectly! 

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), almost all countries in) Latin America and the Caribbean have confirmed cases of the Zika virus, which has reached epidemic proportions. With the outbreak in the region, the “absolute priority is the fight against the vector. This includes well-prepared doctors, well-trained nurses and groups capable of identifying areas where the mosquito is to be found and acting to eliminate it,” the head of PAHO’s IHR and epidemic response team, Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.

Preventing the emergence of the mosquito that transmits the disease, the Aedes aegypti, is the most effective step for preventing its spread. So set aside at least 15 minutes every week to inspect your house and remove objects that can accumulate water. In addition to completely sealing water tanks, you need to pay attention to inspecting less obvious breeding sites, like rainwater gutters, outside drains, pet bowls, air-conditioning and refrigerator trays, and unused toilets.

Josi Pettengill/ Secom-MT

Rain and high temperatures favor the development of the Aedes Aegypti. It’s is important to check whether tires are free of water and kept in covered areas. Also turn over bottles and containers that cannot be thrown away. The mosquito eggs can stick to the sides of the objects and resist for as long as a year without water. If during this period, however, the eggs come into contact with water, the evolution cycle restarts and, consequently, its transmission. So it is necessary to wash objects with soap and water. It does not matter if you live in a house or in an apartment, because the Aedes aegypti mosquito can always find a place with standing water to lay its eggs in and reproduce.

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ZIKA, DENGUE, AND CHIKUNGUNYA

The Aedes aegypti mosquito also spreads dengue and chikungunya viruses. According to PAHO, all these diseases present similar symptoms, but certain symptoms suggest one disease or another:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people with Zika virus develops symptoms. They usually last for 2-7 days. There is currently a major concern for pregnant women infected with the virus, since it has been linked to cases of microcephaly in babies. Pregnant women, therefore, need to redouble their attention and care.

As with cases of dengue and chikungunya fever, treatment with acetylsalicylic acid and anti-inflammatory drugs is not recommended in cases of the Zika virus due to the high risk of bleeding complications. There is no cure for the disease or vaccine to prevent it, just treatment focused on relieving the symptoms.  So let us do our part to avoid the spread of the Zika virus!

To provide quality education for children, adolescents, young people and adults is one of the Legion of Good Will’s missions, which meets the second of the eight Millennium Development Goals, established by the UN: Achieve Universal Primary Education.

Archivo BV

With this goal in mind, the LBV’s Educational Institute of Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city, became the reason of much joy for many people assisted, who live in disadvantaged communities.

With its wide, well-lit and well ventilated rooms, the LBV’s model school cares for children in an environment that is ideal for the full development of the students, since physical, motor, social and spiritual aspects are worked on. With this, the family’s actions are also strengthened, which is part of the Ecumenical Citizen Pedagogy.

Everything in the environment was thought out according to regional peculiarities, stemming from the demands of those assisted and from the experience of Uruguayan professionals. On the building’s second floor, for instance, a large area was assembled for recreational and sports activities as well as to also hold seminars and events with the purpose of forming and training young people and adults. On the ground floor, a space was created especially for the elderly. Still on this floor, there are a large cafeteria, a toy library, a covered sports court, as well as medical and dental facilities.

Former student of the Institute, Daniela García González. In referring to her former school, she smiles and her voice brightens. “I had great teachers who are there to this day. I’ve learned lots of things. When I left, I missed it all a lot. Today I feel ready to continue my studies and I am aware that I owe a great part of this to the Legion of Good Will, thanks to the support and confidence they always offered me”, said the young girl, who got a scholarship and now studies Graphic Design.

Daniela’s mother, Sandra González, affirms: “I brought up my three daughters alone, and to do that I had to work all day. I needed a place that could care for my daughter who was three years old at the time, since her sisters were already in school. Thank God I found the LBV’s Jesus Kindergarten School. My entire life would not be enough to thank for all this Solidarity, the good principles, and the actions to help families so that our children can grow up with values, respecting others and themselves as well. (...) My daughter always remembers the LBV with fond memories”.

About the Legion of Good Will of Uruguay:

The LBV of Uruguay maintains one of the Organization’s model schools, inaugurated in 2007, where the Jesus Kindergarten School is also located. There, 1,500 people are cared for. Among the activities and programs that are developed, the LBV — Children: The Future in the Present! and a doctor’s office, operating in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Health, deserve to be highlighted. For further information visit: www.lbv.org.uy.

Vivian R. Ferreira

The teaching method of the Legion of Good Will (LBV), devised by educator José de Paiva Netto, President of the Organization, is comprised of the Pedagogy of Affection (directed at children up to the age of 10) and the Ecumenical Citizen Pedagogy (starting at the age of 11). Its concept points to an education in which all the subjects on the school curriculum are combined with spiritual, ethical, and ecumenical values.

To apply this unique approach, as proposed decades ago by the creator of this pedagogical line, educators of the LBV’s teaching network developed the MAPREI (Learning Method through RationalEmotional-Intuitive Research), a methodology that proposes six action stages in the entire syllabus of basic education. The purpose of this facilitating educational tool is to guarantee greater involvement of children and young people during classes, making them co-participants in their own learning process. This is achieved by way of the attentive mediation of educators and other professionals, whether during formal education or recreational-pedagogical activities.

According to MAPREI, students are not mere listeners. During their academic journey, children and young people are motivated to research, discuss, and carry out actions that can bring about positive changes in society.

Because our students live in situation of social vulnerability, they are encouraged to participate in projects that help improve the structure of the places and surroundings where they live. Thus, solutions for the challenging issues of their community come up, which also benefit their families. This becomes even more evident in the final years of basic education when these young people are preparing for an important step in their academic lives: entering higher education. It is at this moment that we notice the result of the complete education they received at the LBV from a very early age, which is based on values of an all-encompassing Ecumenical Spirituality. 

The applicability of this innovative educational concept is marked by the unique approach proposed by Paiva Netto that allies “Brain and Heart,” for it is necessary to invest in the development of the intellect without forgetting that we are all beings with a mind and soul that need spiritual comfort; in the words of the LBV’s president, we need to have “a view beyond the intellect.”

Teachers from the Legion of Good Will’s schools carry out researches with the students and hold discussions on topics that are part of an all-encompassing Ecumenical Spirituality curriculum that permeates the Organization’s teaching proposal of integrating development (feelings) with the indispensable information (intellect) in order to develop the students’ biopsychosocial spirit. The most important thing is that these actions have a great impact and they can be replicated, which makes the learning process even more enriching and participative, yielding good results for society.