Emaus Campaign
When it arrived at its new headquarters in the 1970s, the Emaus Movement realized that it had two problems: it didn’t have the money to furnish the new building and the city of Belém didn’t really understand the problems of street and working children. The Emaus Campaign was created to address these two problems together.
One day each year (the last Sunday in August), 1500 young volunteers take to the streets to collect donations: clothes, furniture, appliances... anything that people don’t want, but that could be fixed and reused. Individuals and businesses donate the use of their trucks, and volunteers go door to door, collecting whatever people want to give them. At each door, they also take the time to talk about street children and to distribute literature.
All of the donations are collected in a huge warehouse 500 meters long. All year long, volunteers repair and arrange the donations -- anything that Emaus can use goes to the program, while the rest will be sold at a small profit. There is a small store on site, but most sales occur in flea markets in poor neighborhoods of the city. For the poor, the markets are a cheap source of goods; for Emaus, the project is a great source of money.
In 2001, almost 40% of Emaus’s budget came from the campaign.
Campanha de Emaus
Tv Padre Eutíquio 2742
Condor, Belém, PA 66045 110
Brasil
91 272 5896 o 272 2449
Contacto: Marisa Pinheiro, emaus@interconect.com.br
