HISTORY

A calling from the heart 

              Fraternity Without Borders was founded after a calling from the heart. Wagner Moura, the founder, and president of FWB, was still a child when he found himself crying over the hunger in the world. That pain accompanied him through his youth and awakened in him the desire of helping those in need. As an adult, he began volunteering in unprivileged areas in his city. However, that was not enough for him, Wagner wanted to do more for humanity, so he decided to go to Africa.

           At first, he decided to help Mozambique since it is a Portuguese-speaking country, located in the poorest area of the world, the Sub-Saharan Africa, a region where one million people suffer from hunger and six hundred thousand are orphans. There, he started the Shelter Mozambique project, providing a home for numerous children.

      From those early days until today, a series of fortunate events have been leaving the marks of fraternity and love in Africa, helping us build a better world.    

Watch the NGO founder and president Wagner Moura's interview, and find out how this story began.

August2009

First trip to Africa

In 2009, listening to his heart’s calling, Wagner Moura traveled to Africa for the first time. He visited orphanages, nursing homes, villages, and met homeless children. In those villages, he came across very sad situations in which orphans where left with no shelter or protection after the passing of their parents due to HIV and malaria. Therefore, Wagner started to think about founding a non-governmental organization to support children in Africa.

 

2009, November 15th

FWB Foundation

Wagner returns from the trip to Africa, gathers his closest friends and proposes the creation of an NGO. With a group of volunteers, he organizes a charity barbecue to raise capital. The initiative yields R$ 25,000 and, along with his closest friends, Wagner founds Fraternity without Borders

 

2010

The opening of the first Community Centre

Wagner Moura returned to Mozambique, taking with him the resources from the charity fundraising event. He visited once more the villages and, with the help of some people he was taken to their chief - a spiritual and religious leader of the village to whom it is necessary to ask for permission to do any kind of work with the community. He showed him the project that was created based on 7 years of experience in volunteer work in Brazil and received permission.

In Maputo he bought the tools to build the Center in the villages. He hired local monitors and cooks, empowering them to a fraternal work. Due to the cost, he estimated to shelter 35 children, however, they ended up registering 70 children in urgent need of care. Those children had the necessity and Wagner had faith. With twice the number planned, he opened the first Fraternity Without Borders’ Community Centre in a Chokwe village.

Individuals suggested by locals were hired as monitors that were instructed and empowered according to their abilities and previous experiences. Natural leaders and cooks that had strong cultural African roots and demonstrated talent in singing and dancing were also welcomed to our team. The joy provided by music, body movement and leisure became part of those children’s lives and the model of our programs.

2010

Sponsorship System

How is it possible to sustain our charity work and create conditions to shelter even more children that were in extreme need of care? The sponsorship idea aroused. The monthly contribution of R$50,00 (US$12,00) guaranteed the enrollment and permanence of one more child in the project, therefore, a new sponsor would allow another child to be helped by FWB. The capital acquired in fundraising events and single donations were destined to buy the resources need to build our reception centers. Our cause gradually touched many hearts and thousands of individuals in Brazil and abroad became sponsors.

Years later, in 2017, a needed decision was made: the sponsorship system was not about sponsoring a specific child anymore, but the entire project. That change was necessary because the number of children enrolling in the project became greater than our capacity of building and equipping new community centers. As a result of that change, we launched Estrutural Moçambique (Mozambique Structural) and the contribution of new sponsors was destined to building kitchens, bathrooms and rooms for pedagogical activities. The success of all projects is directly linked to the sponsorship system.

March 2013

First FWB Caravan

In March 2013 we made the first caravan to Mozambique/Africa, with up to 16 people. Fraternity Without Borders was taking the first steps to connect the hearts of fellows living on different continents.

2014

Youth Project

Years after the beginning of our project, a new challenge aroused as we faced the fact that the first children sheltered were already young adults and had different needs and demands. In the villages, they were only able to study until the sixth grade, because higher levels of education were only offered in the city. With no money for transportation and school supply, the majority of them ended up quitting school.

It was necessary to create new ways of working to support and guide them to the future. Therefore, we created the Youth Project (Projeto Jovem) in which the sponsors would guarantee these young adults to continue their education and offering them the opportunity of having a profession. Education gave these adolescents self-esteem and confidence to inspire others in their community to follow the same path, keeping the hope of change more alive than ever.

2015

Bakery Construction

The fraternal movement built a bakery in Muzumuia, where FWB opened the second Community Center. The initiative provided young people the opportunity of making bread at a lower cost, having a profession and improving the welfare of the community.

2015

Water for Africa

Artesian water wells were drilled in Mozambican villages. The access to water enabled the practice of sustainable agricultural cultivation allowing the project to be self-sufficient.

April 2016

Chemin Du Futur

The Chemin Du Futur orphanage, in Dakar, Senegal/Africa, is embraced by the Fraternity without Borders. The region has the biggest phenomenon of children living in the streets in the world, it is estimated that 50 thousand children do not have a home. To help change the lives of these young people, we work with Chemin du Futur to provide a home, education, and work capacitation.

2016

FWB International

It was registered the Fraternity Without Borders Switzerland Center . And in July of the same year, Fraternity Without Borders United Kingdom Center became officially active.

February 2017

Treatment for children with Microcephaly

FWB embraced the cause of children that suffer from microcephaly by supporting Adriana Melo’s project, the doctor and researcher responsible for the discovery of the association between Zika virus and Microcephaly.

February 2017

Madagascar Action

Fraternity went south of Madagascar and started assisting families that suffered from hunger and thirst, in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. They immediately started an emergency humanitarian mission and sheltered thousands of people.

March 2017

Fraternity Without Borders Conference

The first Fraternity without Borders Conference was held, with the purpose of strengthening our cause and ties among volunteers that are devoted to building a better world.

October 2017

Young Emmanuel Philharmonic Orchestra

The Jovem Emmanuel (Young Emmanuel) Philharmonic Orchestra in Campo Grande, Brazil becomes part of our projects.

November 2017

Brazil, a sheltering heart

The Project “Brazil, a sheltering heart” is launched. Fraternity without Borders builds and keeps a sheltering center in Boa Vista to support Venezuelan families that cross the Brazilian border at a leap of faith and hope to overcome the worst humanitarian crises in their country.

March 2018

Headquarters

The movement grows and the organization needs an adequate space to serve sponsors, promoters, gift center and the administration of all humanitarian projects we make. So, the organization invested in the opportunity to purchase its own headquarters space, where it also starts holding small events, such as launching new actions and meetings with the cause sponsors.

2018

Fraternity in brazilian schools

The act "Bottles into the Sea" comes to the end of its pilot phase and Brazilian schools mobilize to provide aid for the construction of classrooms in the villages of Mozambique.

The ideal of sowing the feeling of fraternity and desire of a world without hunger in Brazilian schools deepens and the Promotion of the project grows with plans of expanding throughout the Brazilian territory.

March 2018

Our own headquarters

The movement grows and the organization needs an adequate space to assist sponsors, promoters, to locate the gift shop and to manage all humanitarian projects. We therefore invest in the opportunity to purchase our own headquarters, where we also begin to put on small events, such as the launching of new campaigns and meetings for sponsors of the cause.

April 2018

Fraternity without Borders Meeting II

With open heart and arms, the second FWB Meeting was hosted in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil, with the purpose of speaking about our work of love and fraternity. More than 1,500 volunteers from around the world were gathered for the sake of this beautiful cause.

May 2018

United States FWB Core

Another center is put together abroad: now with the Fraternity Without Borders Center United States takes the cause even further.

June 2018

FWB in Haiti

The fraternity went to Haiti to visit a project created by Jean Inoclair François’, a Haitian refugee that lived and worked in Brazil to send money to his family and 200 children in Haiti. The Fraternity without Borders started to support Jean’s project and assisted in the construction of the school “Escola Gnose of Village Quisqueya Hinche” that has the purpose of providing food and teaching children how to write and read.

June 2018

New causes in Northeast Brazil

Fraternity without Borders partners with new causes in Northeast Brazil: Portraits of Hope and Jardim das Borboletas (Garden of Butterflies). With Portraits of Hope, houses are built for families in the sertão of Northeast Brazil; with Jardim das Borboletas, the treatment of people with a rare and incurable skin disease, epidermolysis bullosa, is funded, as the required care is expensive.

July 2018

City of Fraternity

One hundred families in Madagascar, who once lived in small, unstable houses begin to live in the City of Fraternity, conceived and constructed to offer a new life in community, with the incentive of fostering a culture of peace and sustainability. The project, in an area of 45-thousand square meters, includes 100 houses, an artesian well, career-building workshops, and income.

July 2018

Fraternity in the Street

FWB joins with Clínica da Alma (Clinic of the Soul), in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil, to help to overcome one of the greatest social challenges: substance abuse. The project Fraternity in the Street creates the opportunity for sponsors to strengthen and expand the work of Clínica da Alma, based on discipline, occupational therapy, and spirituality.

September 2018

Ubuntu Nation Project

The beginning of humanitarian work in the Dzaleka refugee camp, in Dowa, Malawi. The Ubuntu Nation project is born with the dream to introduce to the world a new life model for refugee communities, based on the values of the ancient African philosophy, Ubuntu — “I am because we are.” In an area acquired next to the refugee camp, the construction of the reception center is initiated with space for workshops, a bakery, the drilling of an artesian well, a playground, and classrooms offering studies to 9 thousand children.

Prêmio Inspiração (Inspiration Award)

April 2019

Fraternity without Borders (FWB) president, Wagner Moura, received the Prêmio Inspiração (Inspiration Award) on the Globo network show of host Luciano Huck, on 20 April 2019. The award, that was also given to four other recipients, was possible thanks to Wagner’s lifestyle, focused on goodness and the change in the world around him. On this occasion, the story of Fraternity without Borders was told by its founder. From the beginning to the present moment, where the work counts on many hearts willing to beat in rhythm with this cause that dreams of a better world, a world of peace.

August 2019

FWB website gains its English version and allows international sponsorship.

The Fraternity without Borders website has been translated into English and people living outside Brazil can sponsor and learn more about the humanitarian work carried out by the NGO and with contribution to the mission crosses continents.

November 2019

FWB Canada Center

Canada also becomes one more core of the organization outside Brazil. Thus, the Fraternity Without Borders Canada Center is registered and implemented to spread and experience the message of the fraternity.

November 2019

Fraternity Without Borders turns 10 y.o. and holds World FWB Day.

On November 15, 2019, the FWB celebrated its tenth anniversary. To celebrate the moment, the organization creates the World FWB Day and, with volunteers from different parts of the world, carries out more than 50 simultaneous fraternal actions in ten countries (Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, Canada, England, United States, Senegal, Mozambique, Malawi and Paraguay).

April 2020

First 100% virtual FWB meeting.

The fourth edition of the FWB meeting took place between the 17th and 19th of April, in a completely virtual way due to the social isolation required by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the distance, we strengthened the brotherhood feeling and joined many hands in service of love.

April 2020

Book “A Alma Que Fala”(The Speaking Soul).

The founder-president of the FWB, Wagner Moura Gomes, launches his book “A Alma Que Fala”(The Speaking Soul), with reflections and testimonies of the experiences at the FWB. All income reverts to the organization.

April to July 2020

Living the Fraternity

First virtual collection of food boxes for Brazil and Africa, benefiting FWB projects and 69 other partner institutions in need because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

July 2020

Curumin’s Heart Project

Amid the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, we started the ongoing Curumin Heart campaign, which brings humanitarian aid to more than 50 indigenous communities, from the Terena, Guarani and Kaiowá ethnic groups, in the states of MS, MT in Brazil and Paraguay country: with sustainable possibilities, and food, water, hygiene items and protective equipment.

September 2020

Expansion of the Fraternity on the Street Project

In addition to the MS center, in partnership with Clínica da Alma (Clinic of The Soul), the project reaches the Brazilian cities: São Paulo/SP, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Uberlândia/MG and Belo Horizonte/MG - with the objective of providing several fronts and work performance to welcome and help homeless people in Brazil.

September 2020

First commercial on TV

Through a donation made for this destination, to make FWB known to more people, there was a 30-day airing of two commercials broadcast on Globo News - in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. One of the VTs had the voluntary participation of godparents and the artists Reinaldo Gianecchini (actor) and Alok (DJ). The other one announced the arrival of the Fraternity in The Street project in RJ.

February 2021

FWB incorporates Emmanuel Youth Orchestra as its own Project

We started to carry out the complete administration of the project, migrating from being supported to an organization’s own project.

PRESENT