Caring for People

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Oranssi Housing Company Helsinki, Finland

Oranssi renovates houses for young people looking for a more communal way of living.

Members must be under 24 years old and need to take responsibility for the work and to be prepared for a communal lifestyle.

Residents participate in the renovations from the beginning and maintain the houses.

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Mundo Infantil Community Daycare Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

An initiative of the Santa Marta neighborhood focusing on childcare and education of children in the community.

This daycare facility is an alternative for families that allows mothers to have a job knowing that their children are safe.

The initiative began with a group of five mothers, who arranged to leave their children under the care of one of them in her own house.

The group of mothers produced and sold snacks and crafts in order to raise capital. With their profits and a bank loan, they purchased a property and established a day-care.

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Arzoo: Together We Will Shine Behrampur, Ahmedabad, India

Arzoo is a center for education and arts and crafts activities whose mission is to bridge the gap between Hindus and Muslims created by communal riots in the past.

For a nominal fee, Arzoo provides basic education to children 5-15 years in age, irrespective of their background. Participating children are mostly rag pickers, laborers, and street hawkers.

In 2002 the founder of Arzoo, Sulekha Ali, started playing with the orphans in the camp.

This led to the formation of a play group and later a small school, resulting in a bigger family beyond the boundaries of blood relations, color, caste, religion, or ethnicity.

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1kg More Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shanxi, and Henan, China

1kg More is based on the concept of travelers bringing 1 kilogram of old books, stationery, or garments to donate to schools and children along their journeys.

1KG MORE

The goal of the initiative is to enable direct communication. Through personal meetings, tourists are able to provide resources to residents and to broaden worldviews.

1KG MORE

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Água Santa Community Healthcare Unit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A group of women in Água Santa neighborhood formed a health care unit to assist their own community.

Focusing on women’s health education and awareness, they hold lectures and meetings and make house visits to residents.

They teach women to do breast self-examinations as a means of disease prevention. This helps locals to be more independent from the often overburdened public healthcare system.

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Wenxinshe Seniors Association Hexi District, Tianjin, China

Members of the Wenxinshe, a seniors association, use their various skills to help the community’s residents.

The Wenxinshe includes a calligraphy and painting team, a Yangko team, a riding team, and many other groups.

As the city grows, people are leaving their houses and moving into apartments, leading to the deterioration of relationships among neighbors.

As a result, some residents of this community (most of them are elderly) set up the seniors association that has become a bond connecting the residents.

It serves as an advocate for them and helps people living in the neighborhood.

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Tata Doing Family Based Childcare Torino, Italy

This project connects families who need childcare who also have additional space in their homes.

Each family may accommodate up to three other children in their house for five hours a day, five days a week.

This initiative has several aims: one, to provide childcare for families that don’t have access to it, and two, to create social networks between families.

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Vicini di Casa Social Housing Agency Udine, Italy

Vicini di Casa is a social housing agency that helps mediate between demand and supply in housing.

The agency works primarily with immigrants and provides loans to pay for rental deposits, organizes sublets, and provides support in negotiations with landlords.

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Luoshan Community Service Centre Shanghai, China

The Luoshan Community Service Centre is the only public space for elderly people that operates in an open and self-managed style. It combines a service center for youth with the service center for elders.

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Walking Bus Milan, Italy

The walking bus encourages children to walk to and from school in the safety of a group, under the supervision of one or more adults.

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Huiskamer Restaurant Living Room Restaurant Milan, Italy

Many older people miss being able to cook for and entertain their family after their children leave home. Often they have fewer social opportunities as well.

The Living Room Restaurant is based on organized dinner parties for strangers, taking placing in people’s houses for a low price.

After reserving a place via email or phone, people can spend the evening at a host’s dining table with a group of new people.

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Omaabi Self-Help for the Elderly Tallinn, Estonia

This self-help community of elderly retired people runs a shop and a small diner, giving opportunities to socialize, sell homemade handicrafts, and eat out for a low price.