The Brazilian newspaper O Povo highlights the work of Lar Santa Mônica, founded by the Augustinian Recollects in Fortaleza, as an example of rebuilding lives marked by social vulnerability.
Amidst the challenges faced by thousands of Brazilian children and adolescents marked by social vulnerability, the violation of rights, and family traumas, foster homes represent much more than a simple temporary refuge: they can be the starting point for a completely new life. This is reflected in the newspaper O Povo in an article signed by Paulo Augusto da Costa Bezerra Filho, which highlights the model of the Casas Lar, in particular the Lar Santa Mônica, a work of the Augustinian Recollects in Fortaleza.
This space was founded in 2009 by the Order of Augustinian Recollects through the Associação Beneficente dos Agostinianos Recoletos de Fortaleza (ABARF). Since then, it has become a place where girls and adolescents find not only shelter and food, but also dignity, affection, and support. As the article emphasizes, what the Lar Santa Mônica offers is the most essential thing for human development: the feeling of belonging.
A story of hope: the testimony of L.A.
The testimony of L.A., a 26-year-old, was presented on the national program Criança Esperança, and reflects the transformative power of the Recollect accompaniment. Welcomed into the Lar Santa Mônica after having her rights violated, L.A. found there the protection, affection, and support necessary to rebuild her life.
Despite the difficulties, her time in this foster home allowed her to give new meaning to her story. Today she works in social projects and volunteers at a children’s soccer school. From her experience, she helps others believe in a better future—the same one she once received.
A mission that transforms
Lar Santa Mônica represents a concrete example of the mission of the Augustinian Recollects in the service of justice, compassion, and the promotion of human dignity. Faced with contexts marked by poverty, violence, or abandonment, this house is a sign of hope that transforms lives with love and perseverance.
As O Povo affirms, this work has the capacity to “offer the most essential thing for human development: the feeling of belonging.” A profoundly Augustinian value that continues to bear fruit today through the dedication of the religious and lay people who make this mission possible.
