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SMILE FUTURE - The NGO That brought together a rock legend and the street children of Brasil

Do you know what underpriveliged Brasilian children and guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin have in common? The Task Brasil Trust, which supports pregnant teenagers and young homeless individuals in Brasil. The project began in 1994 when the musician played a gig in Rio to promote the album ‘No Quarter’ alongside fellow band member Robert Plant. A conflict involving youths erupted in a favela near to the hotel they were staying in, and Jimmy was taken aback by the precarious living standards of so many Brasilian children.

In 1997, Jimmy Page made a generous donation to Task Brasil (The Abandoned Street Kids of Brasil), an NGO that had been set up in the UK in 1992 with the aim of improving living standards for Brasilian youngsters who, for different reasons - domestic violence, abandonment or the death of both parents - ended up living on the streets.

To begin with the NGO, which was founded by Ligia da Silva, tried to make contact withstreet kids, give financial aid to poor families and help young people receive an education. With the money donated by the Led Zeppelin guitarist, the organisation bought a property in Santa Teresa, a neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, and the project took off. From 1998, ‘Casa Jimmy’ (“Jimmy’s House”) became a new happy home for 15 young children and five teenage mothers and their young babies.

Since then, other projects have been created or developed (see box). As well as these projects, there’s also Ecotour (The Organic Farming Experience), which takes place all year long and lasts from 5 to 9 days, offering participants from all sectors of society the chance to experience at first hand the day to day running of Task Brasil’s Epson College Farm.

You can collaborate with Task Brasil by giving donations or working voluntarily for the organisation (in Brasil, the UK or the US), sponsoring children or taking part in the NGO‘s promotional activities. In December of last year, for example, tickets for a Led Zep show were raffled off in order to raise money.

The next event involving Task Brasil is the London Marathon. Some of the runners will be taking part in the ‘Bond Gold’ scheme to raise funds for the organisation. Since 2004, this has proved to be a fantastic way of reinforcing the NGO’s public image (thanks to the professional and non-professional athletes who compete in the race for the institution).

This year, the London Marathon will take place on the 13th April. For more information, go to www.london-marathon.co.uk. Task Brasil’s headquarters are situated in a small office in London, which supervises the projects implemented in Brasil. If you want to find out more about the organisation, make sure to get in touch. There you’ll discover how you can join in with Jimmy Page and the thousands of others who’ve helped to brighten up the lives of underprivileged children and teenagers living on the streets of Brasil.

words by Luciane Treuliéb
picture by L. Beccio