PAFI - Centro de integração social Pasquale Fioretti
PAFI is a small ray of hope for the community of Burietá
The Centro PAFI Association is a non-profit and volunteer organization based in Uster, Switzerland, and serves as the supporting association for the organization of the same name in Brazil.
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The main focus of this aid organization, located in Burietá in the state of Bahia, includes a school with around 200 children aged 4 to 10 years, financially supported from Switzerland and Italy. Additionally, there is a nursing home with over 20 needy, primarily elderly persons, which sustains itself through the pensions and support funds provided by its residents.
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The Centro de Integração Social Pasquale Fioretti was established approximately 25 years ago through a close collaboration between Pasquale Fioretti, who lends his name to the project, and Maria Sinorette Almeida Souza, who leads the project on-site with the help of many dedicated employees.
PAFI school
Over 200 students from humble backgrounds have the opportunity to attend daycare, kindergarten, and elementary school starting at the age of 4, thus building a solid foundation for their future.
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In recent years, thanks to the contributions of many donors and the dedicated efforts of those involved on-site, the activities have been continually expanded.
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A relatively large number of children with various disabilities are also integrated into the regular classes.
Lar São José - age & nursing home
The nursing home accommodates approximately 20 elderly individuals at a very high standard, especially by Brazilian standards. The residents come from partly dire circumstances, but they have the opportunity to age with dignity in a well-maintained environment, thanks to expert care.
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The retirement home is primarily self-funded through the pensions of its residents but has no financial reserves.
To complete the covered sports field for our school in Brazil, we are looking for donors who would be willing to make a one-off donation. The central part of the construction is complete.
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Documentation video about the construction
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Burietá
Burietá is a small village based on a main road about 200 km south of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia in Brazil.
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Around 1000 people, many without formal education, live here in modest circumstances and make ends meet with casual jobs.
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Large factories or commercial centers are more than 80 km away. Unemployment is high. The local small business lives from day-to-day trade.
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Young men and youngsters sell bananas on the main street under deplorable circumstances to support their families or move to the country's big cities where they hope for a better life.
A long-term cooperation
About 30 years ago, during one of his many trips to Brazil, pastor and missionary Pasquale Fioretti met the catechist and teacher Maria Sinorette Almeida Souza, who was teaching two classes in improvised premises under rather precarious conditions in order to enable the poorest of the poor to receive a minimal school education.
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Together, they built a community center with donations from Italy and Switzerland, and created a sponsorship program through which the school could be expanded. The main milestone was the construction of a school with several classrooms, which was further expanded a few years ago. Other projects followed.
Pastor and missionary Pasquale Fioretti started a sponsorship program more than 25 years ago.
Teacher and catechist Maria Sinorette Almeida Souza has always had a heart for the poorest and leads the project on site.
Milestones:
1999 First contacts and Start of cooperation
2000 Completion of the community center and start of the school with 2 classes
2002 Construction of the school building with 6 classrooms
2005 Founding of the Centro PAFI association in Switzerland
2007 Construction of the guest house to accommodate visitors
2008 Acquisition of the tabor with the aim of creating a source of income
2010 Opening of the retirement home
2015 Extension of the school to 12 classrooms after the sale of the tabor
2022 Construction of the sports and recreation area for the school
