Vila Progresso Community – Assis

Assis, São Paulo – Brazil

Project started: 2011

Geographic setting: Urban

Language: Portuguese

Children participating per week: 50-60

Economy: Mix of agricultural and manufacturing

Challenges: Poverty, drug traffic, youth prostitution, addiction, violence, high male incarceration

Interesting tidbits: Started in a struggling public school, the Open Arms program in Vila Progresso serves one of the most notorious neighborhoods in Assis.