Volunteers in Action: International Women’s Club of Porto Alegre Helps Those in Need

March 22, 2022

Despite the challenges created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, GFWC’s International Affiliates around the world have been hard at work raising money for various charities, participating in community service projects, and trying to improve the lives of others overall.

International Woman’s Club of Porto Alegre 

 

The International Woman’s Club of Porto Alegre, in Brazil, has continued its efforts to help people in need by supporting various local projects and charities. One of the many ways clubwomen are giving back is through Rango Solidário, a project which aims to provide a substantial meal every day to people in the community who are struggling to reconstruct their lives after the COVID-19 pandemic left many people without their jobs, homes, or the means to have at least one decent meal a day. The project, which was started about five years ago, distributes approximately 200 meals a day at a central square in the city.

The club has been a part of this project for more than a year and members have made many donations of staple items such as rice, beans, pasta, and more. Clubwomen also collect empty milk cartons that they sanitize and repurpose to be used as containers for the meals. On a couple of occasions, members also donated various hygiene and personal care items in an effort to help their friends and neighbors maintain their dignity during difficult times.

In their international newsletter, IWC Porto Alegre stated being part of the Rango Solidário project has been essential to keeping the club active and united in the recent times of isolation.

Along with this project, clubwomen participated in many other volunteer activities throughout the past year, including providing school supplies for underprivileged children, knitting wool blankets for women in need, donating clothes and food to refugees, and donating funds to the Children’s Cancer Institute and Saint Zita de Lucca Association, a charitable entity dedicated to children in situations of social vulnerability.

Since its founding, the goal of IWC Porto Alegre has been to not only improve friendships, but to do important social work that benefits others. Through fundraising and working together to make a positive difference, the club has continuously attracted women from all backgrounds and occupations to join the club.