União das Operárias de Jesus (UOJ), an institution founded in Rio de Janeiro, situated in Colégio Imperial and established in 1934, has been making a difference in Carioca society ever since it began. Teaching a whopping amount of 3,000 students over 80 years, this organization has been reaching and impacting young hearts and minds ever since its inception. It is led by 25 volunteers, whose head is Vera. After talking to her, it is clear that her experience with the association has deeply impacted the lives of these children and her own. She says that the great motivation of UOJ is to “help those who need it the most, with education and resources.”
Vera is a born-and-raised Carioca and is currently 68 years old. She has been a part of the UOJ organization ever since she was 23 and has progressed in terms of her role and responsibility within it, working for decades to then finally take over as its leader. What motivated her to join was her compassion and her deep desire to contribute to the society we live in. She now has had the position for over 7 years and has positively impacted the lives of over 200 children. She has also been heavily impacted by the children themselves, saying that due to their resilience, hard work, and big dreams, they have motivated her not only to “be a better leader but also a better human being.”
Vera’s journey as the leader of this NGO has not always been easy. “Even though the kids are amazing, they are not the only thing we have to worry about. We have not only gone through multiple times of financial struggles but have also lacked the supplies and the staff we needed,” she says. The adversities, however, did not stop her and her team of volunteers. They have raised multiple successful marketing campaigns and increased their number of not only donors but also volunteers themselves. What Vera prides herself most for in her work is to raise “such small people, who are such big dreamers.”
Vera firmly believes that she and her team’s efforts contribute to the organization’s children’s lives and ambitions, especially considering most of them come from underprivileged backgrounds. In her spare time, Vera enjoys painting and spending time with her family, but her true passion revolves around taking care of others, especially the children from the institution. She has taught them how to see life in a better light; she has taught them how to laugh even in struggle; she has led them to become dreamers.
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