Light of the World

Light of the World (LW) is headed by Pastor Ricardo César Crosara Magnino. A native Brazilian, Ricardo and his wife Andrea have two children.  Light of the World is a mercy organization with a vision to bring reformation to society through a culture of love and service. 

Light of the World (LW) has already developed several projects to benefit the city and it’s inhabitants, including: training and educating women in different professions so that they can contribute to their family income (i.e. knitting and cloth painting); adult literacy courses for all who want to attend; a partnership program with area doctors to provide vaccinations, various medical screenings, and medical care; a partnership program with area dentists and hygienists to provide teeth cleaning for children, and oral hygiene instruction; and a program to provide free haircuts and grooming for all ages, both male and female.  Another popular program has been a clothing drive to provide both clothing for the needy and income from the sale of the rest of the clothing to raise money to further aid the poor and deliver basic food items to them. 

In an effort to continually bring needed services to the community LW conducts surveys in the local area to increase the effectiveness of their programs and to help meet the community’s specific needs. Using the data collected a determination is made of the greatest needs of both the local neighborhoods and the city. One need that has been identified and has been chosen as a focus is the lack of educational opportunities for children who live in extremely impoverished conditions (near famine).  Because of this lack, many of the children find themselves involved in prostitution and drug dealing which can result in violence and unrest for the families that try to recover them from the criminals’ hands.  By providing access to schools these children who would have likely ended up living on the streets are offered a chance to change their destiny. Something must be done to help these children start a new life off of the wretched streets. The city of Uberlandia has approximately 7000 more school-aged children than the public school system in can handle. Light of the World’s proposed project will provide schooling for these children potentially giving them an opportunity to become a productive member of society, and a way of escape from a miserable life in poverty.

Be A HERO has partnered with Light of the World to build a school in Uberlandia – Minas Gerais, Brazil.