Papai Noel (Santa Claus) Project
In 1991, Ricardo Guimarães drove through the streets of Rio de Janeiro searching for abandoned children and families. He bought Christmas gifts and distributed them while most of the were sleeping. The next day he drove back and watched these children proudly playing with their Christmas miracles. "Papai Noel Ricardo" was born that night and so was his vision and dreams to the future.
| Papai Noel Ricardo at orphanage in Africa |
|---|
For the next 14 years, Ricardo continued his mission alone, not telling about his mysterious Christmas eve. But he started looking for people who would share his dream.
He reached out looking for those with a common purpose 'to help'. He switched to selecting homeless families and providing them with Christmas dinners and gifts for their families. Now he has volunteers to help him.
In 2005 he went to Mozambique in a UNDP mission and visited 2 orphanages as Papai Noel. It was then he knew what he had to do in Brazil and around the world. .
Back in Brazil in 2006, with the Primac Family, they reached out to 50 needy families in a slum (Cidade de Deus), providing a Christmas party with educational theater, a month's food supply for the families, school materials and Christmas gifts for the children.
We want Santa's visiting orphanages and giving these children a Christmas miracle.
Christmas eve 2009 at Familia Santa Clara - Click here