Who we are
Mission
Promote social inclusion generating opportunities in low-income communities in Brazil and stimulate the awareness and participation of individuals in different parts of the world to build a more just and solidary global society.
History
Ricardo Calçado - born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - began to dedicate himself to social work in mid 2000, at the age of 20, while studying Foreign Trade in England (Plymouth University, UK), where he lived from 1998 to 2006. His first initiative was to devise a campaign to help flood victims in Mozambique, which involved residents of the city of Teingnmouth, UK, schools, children, parents, government institutions and NGOs.
Called "Put Smiles on the Faces of some Children" and part of the Millennium Volunteers Project, the campaign received many donations that were used to improve the lives of children and young people in social projects. Media coverage was instrumental in allowing the network of supporters and volunteers to gain strength.
With the success of his social actions, Ricardo decided to give up his career in foreign trade to dedicate himself to researching the social problems of Brazil and the world. Travelling to more than 32 countries on five different continents, he visited several projects and participated in different conferences to broaden his view of the challenges and to define a model of social work.
In 2004, his model became a reality with the founding of Childrens Aid in the United Kingdom and then Onda Solidária. Ricardo started to dedicate himself entirely to the cause of the least prioritised, especially children, focusing on education, sports and citizenship projects.
Vision
Onda Solidária works with the dream of:
Building a better world through projects focused on the transformation of the individual and society, offering opportunities for those served to build their own independence and become solidary citizens.
Dream
"At the age of four, I had a dream. In it I found myself very old, with a wrinkled face, happy, surrounded by little children in a very green place, with schools, sports fields and even hospitals in the midst of a lot of nature. A dream so special that I spent a large part of my childhood wondering what this children's paradise would be like ...
At about the same time, around the age of six, another experience marked me a lot. I met a little angel called Mumuca, a “little street boy” that my mother found with blood on her head and took home, where my father, who is a doctor, could examine.
I remember that first contact well and how happy / shy he was, without prejudice. We were just children who happened to belong to “different worlds”, but they only thought about one thing: playing. After hours of having fun with the toys in my room, it was time for bed, me for my bed and my little friend for his house - but, what house? He lived on the street with his parents ...
Then I started meeting my friend frequently and, under the prejudiced eyes of people, playing in the playground and taking him out to eat at home ... We were pure children and we didn't make judgments. Until Mumuca disappeared for a long time. What would have happened? He came back, but it was different. Probably shaken by some street experiences.
Our friendship was still the same, but he no longer had the same innocence in his eyes; he came back different, he should still have the hope of a child but at the same time he was living in an environment where no child should live, unprotected and without opportunities ...
When he disappeared from the streets again, I asked when I met his younger brother: "Where's Mumuca?" The answer came dry and with a tone of normality - "he died, hey!". He kept walking and I stood there, shocked. I could not believe that a boy like me, my friend, the same age, had left life at the age of ten.
Since then, this experience of friendship and loss and that dream that I had at the age of four, compelled me to seek strength, fight and dedicate myself so that the cruel reality of children like my dear friend Mumuquinha can be transformed into that beautiful place in my dreams .
After all, my heart has always told me that little children like Mumuca only need love, compassion and opportunities in this life ".
Partners / Support
We love working with new organizations to expand our reach and promote our mission. Contact us to find out more.
