Campinas, August 12th, 2007

Dear Pastor Paulo Freire,

I feel I am a special girl for being chosen to talk about you in this letter. I know that I am not more special than my friends but I also know that Jesus has chosen me to say that the project you have built has made me see that our lives can be better than before.

Before the project, I had never anything else to do during the day besides studying and watching TV.

When I started studying there at the project it was a relief. At that time my dad was still living at home. He was always a very bad person, always was drunk, would be always aggressive with words and I was always very afraid. When he would arrive home he would always come near me to offend me and when my mom would defend me he would beat her up a lot. Now he doesn't live with us anymore because the court determined him to leave but he keeps being the same.

He never gives money to my mom to do the grocery shopping and we are five people inside the house (living at home). Only my brother works and supports our house. Once in a while my dad gives 10 reais to my mom to buy what is "necessary" at home.

But today we are living in peace because he doesn't arrive home breaking everything, leaving us afraid. I go to the project in the mornings. I have my breakfast, I have a snack and still have lunches. The teachers are very cool and the principal very nice and our friend. If I could choose, I would choose a dad just as you Pastor Paulo to be my dad. My mom would not have suffered so much because you would never hit her and would always have had given us what we needed.

I know this because you take care of us and all the kids at the project as if they were your real kids. I want to thank you, to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY. I love you so much. Thanks for all you are doing for me and my brothers.