Thank you for your interest in Bahia Street!
Bahia Street’s mission is to break cycles of poverty and violence through quality educational opportunities for economically-impoverished young women and girls in Brazil. Outside of Brazil, we teach new perspectives on NGO management and issues of inequality, poverty, race, class and gender.
Bahia Street’s primary goals are to allow the students to reach their highest academic potential, including attending university if that is their aspiration; to support the girls’ physical health and well-being, including medical care and good nutrition; to build each student’s sense of identity and self-esteem and foster creativity; and to support the families of the students and the communities in which they live.
Bahia Street in Brazil: Bahia Street provides a well-rounded education to sixty-one girls as a supplement to their attendance at local public schools. Girls spend at least four hours a day at the Bahia Street Center, where they receive instruction in all basic subjects as well as in health and reproduction, art, and leadership skills. For many girls, the Bahia Street Center represents the only place where they can eat a hot meal, take a shower, and receive positive encouragement from adult role models. Read more…
Beyond Bahia: Bahia Street aims to educate and engage concerned individuals in shaping solutions to poverty and related issues of race, gender, and class. It provides opportunities for non-Brazilian students and community members to learn about ways to participate in change that improves the lives of individuals living at home and abroad and makes our world less fearful and more hopeful. Past participants have come from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Read more…
Who we are: The infrastructure of Bahia Street is a partnership that combines the knowledge and dedication of a grassroots organization with the accountability and financial strength of an international one. Meet our people…
Recent accomplishments: We are proud of Bahia Street’s success in educating for equality. Our development methods and our unique perspective lead to long-term, transformational improvement in the quality of life. Read more…
Our history: The concept for Bahia Street came from meetings held in 1996 with residents of shantytowns in Salvador, Bahia, who said that education of girls and young women was their greatest need. We began with one student in a room loaned to us by the local Teacher’s Federation. As the number of students grew, we rented a building in the center of Salvador, easily accessible by bus from all the shantytown neighborhoods. In 2003, Bahia Street bought a building in Salvador, which has been renovated and houses the Bahia Street Center. The program has grown to 70 girls, whose education provides hope for hundreds of family and community members. Read more about the Center…
Margaret Willson, our international director and co-founder, writes updates for Bahia Street friends and supporters. Her letters, which contain news about the successes and challenges of our programs, date back to our founding in 1998. Read letters…
