Specifications:
- Rosa Santaeugenia Province | 2024 – Present
- Area: Community Development
- Implemented by: Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation
The project is located in the Aarão Reis neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais State in southeastern Brazil, a city with more than 2.5 million inhabitants.
Aarão Reis is an area marked by high levels of social marginalization, largely linked to drug and alcohol abuse, creating an environment of violence to which children, adolescents, and young people are frequently exposed. The lack of basic services and insufficient public policies, particularly in education, further aggravate this situation.
In 2023, the city recorded 3,390 cases of adolescents involved in judicial proceedings, representing an 11% increase compared to 2022, with more than one-third of cases related to drug trafficking. In addition, young people between the ages of 15 and 29 account for 62% of homicide victims, despite representing only 26.7% of the population.
In response to this reality, the municipality implemented the Safe Territories Program (Territórios Seguros), which uses culture and the arts—including music, dance, and photography—as a strategy for violence prevention. Between 2022 and 2024, the program reached more than 1,300 young people.
Within this context, the Sr. Rosa Font Fuster School of Music serves as a community development and social protection center, where music not only educates but also strengthens community bonds, prevents social risk, and fosters hope in a neighborhood deeply affected by adversity.
The project
The Sr. Rosa Font Fuster School of Music was established in 2014 as a continuation of the mission initiated in 1991 by Sister Rosa Font, who dedicated more than two decades to teaching music in the Aarão Reis neighborhood of Belo Horizonte. Her motto, “Exchange a weapon for a flute,” reflected the conviction that music can be a powerful instrument of peace, dignity, and social transformation. Following her passing in 2013, former students and the community of the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation committed themselves to carrying her work forward, making music a pathway to inclusion and hope for children and young people in the neighborhood.
Today, the School serves 75 students who receive musical training in flute, violin, guitar, piano, cello, clarinet, and other instruments. However, the lack of an adequate and permanent facility has forced classes to be held in improvised spaces such as the garage, laundry room, and small rooms within the sisters’ community house. The growing demand for the program and the need to provide a safe and suitable learning environment make the construction of a 150-square-meter facility increasingly urgent. The new building will include properly equipped classrooms and a multipurpose hall for performances and community events.
The project is rooted in the realities of the local context, where the School is far more than an educational center. It serves as a community space for prevention and social protection, where music strengthens self-esteem, promotes social interaction, provides healthy recreational alternatives, and helps break cycles of violence and exclusion.
General objective:
- Create a safe environment for children, adolescents, and young people in the Aarão Reis neighborhood, using music as a tool to prevent violence and drug abuse.
- Provide cultural and artistic educational opportunities that complement formal schooling while strengthening self-esteem, discipline, and a sense of belonging.
- Strengthen community ties by engaging families and local residents in a project that creates opportunities for connection, hope, and social transformation.
Beneficiaries:
- 75 students (children, adolescents, and young adults between the ages of 5 and 23).
- 7 teachers and music instructors involved in the program.
- Approximately 230 family members and community residents.
Total project budget: €125,205.00