Bola pra Frente

Update: see pictures of the Bola pra Frente Pelada here

Britafogo members Brian Maughan and Robert  Shaw were recently invited to tour the Bola pra Fronte social project in Guadalupe in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro. During the visit which took place in early February 2004 Maughan (Britafogo's chairman) and Shaw were shown around the project before having a meeting with project co-ordinator Jorginho, the former Brazilian international who featured in Brazil's World Cup-winning side of 1994, as well as playing for clubs such as Bayern Munich and Bayern Leverkusen.

Britafogo is proud to be associated with Bola pra Frente for which there is a link on the Britafogo site. The project caters for hundreds of local children to enjoy sports and educational opportunities in the project, which is based in a neighbourhood of Rio scarred by social deprivation and violence connected with the drugs trade.

Following the visit Maughan outlined the merits of the scheme: "Bola pra Frente is a project that most people think about but the idea never gets off the ground. Here we have a project with everything in place. There is a sports facility, classrooms with computers, a canteen, but more than that there is a dedicated band of teachers and administration who are putting everything into these children. What they need is money, not only to run but to improve and hopefully expand to bring even more kids away from drugs and give them a start in life."

The project encourages the children (who number more than 900) to see football and the other sports on offer as one choice in their lives, aiming to broaden the education of the students with facilities such as a library and an IT centre which will help to prepare students for the world of work.
It also seeks partnerships with companies to enable the students to experience work directly beyond the project. Among the companies that sponsor the work of Bola pra Frente is ATL.

On the home page of its site the mission statement of Bola pra Frente translates as "to take the children from the streets and the streets from the children". Maughan hopes that this message will have a special resonance for Britafogo, commenting "I would like to think that we could through Britafogo make people more aware of the project. I think it is important that people around the world get to know that people here are trying to give the kids a chance in life."

The project itself has a special link with Jorginho who was brought up in the immediate neighbourhood. "The affection for Jorginho and the work was clear in one moment when a young boy of perhaps eight or nine called his name when we were having our photographs taken. He simply called his name, nothing else. He had a beaming smile and was delighted when Jorginho waved back to him," noted Shaw about one of the most poignant moments of the visit.

Maughan was equally impressed by this local connection: "It is weird and wonderful that with all the clubs, places and countries he has played football at that Jorginho should return to Rio, and in particular to the very same neighbourhood that he was raised in. In fact in their 'trophy' room there is a picture of Jorginho taken on this very ground and it and the surroundings are the same, it seems nothing has changed."

Bola pra Frente and Britafogo are currently discussing events that can raise awareness of Bola pra Frente and funds for the project. More details to follow on the Britafogo site.