Her mother, a prostitute, disappeared when Esther** was a child.  Her father could not afford to feed and clothe her.  So, he gave her to a farm, where she worked tirelessly, almost as a slave. 

When Esther was 12, she ran away to Porto Alegre, Brazil, to work as a housekeeper. 

Because of a new outreach program of  Instituto Porto Alegrense (IPA) Metodista in Porto Alegre, Brazil-- supported in part with  funds from the Women's Division and other partners -- Esther had a chance to change her life.  She finished high school, became a leader for other Afro-Brazilian women houseworkers, and is now a successful chef.

This Program has transformed the lives of many.  Another woman from a similar background is now a teacher, another a psychologist.  Another has earned her PhD and works as a librarian at the Federal University in Porto Alegre.  Another is a professor in Brasilia.

Besides the Women's Division and other partners, an initiative of the Brazilian government to work with philanthropic organizations provides funds for this program.  But it has been IPA's choice to set aside 20% of its budget for scholarships, in order to serve its target groups – Afro-Brazilian women.

While 45% of the Brazilian population is of African descent, only 2% of undergraduates are non-white and only 1% finish their degrees, according to Dr. Suzana Rodriquez Ribiero of the Ecumenical Center for Black Culture in Porto Alegre.  Dr. Ribiero, herself, is a Methodist lay woman, who works in partnership with Outreach Director and Methodist pastor, Professor Francisco Cetrulo Neto, in the scholarship project at IPA.

When the program began in 2004, 35 candidates applied.  Six months later, the program grew to 160  candidates  -- 75 of whom were accepted into the program.  In 2005, 180 scholarships were given and in 2006, 970 candidates have applied, though only 150 scholarships are available this year at a cost of US$150 per month for tuition, room and board. 

Scholarships provide tuition, room and board.  The school maintains a close relationship with each student to ensure academic success as well as increased self-esteem.  Academic standards are high, as failing just one subject results in loss of scholarship support. 

Each student, in turn, is required to contribute four hours a week to a project in the community. The average age each of each student is 25 years old and most are single mothers, the first in their family to have an undergraduate education.  Yet each graduate's success has a ripple effect in her family.  In 40 percent of the student's families, another family member--a child, a cousin, a sibling--have subsequently applied to the program.

Started 120 years ago by Southern Methodist University as a school for boys, IPA has expanded to include an adjacent school for girls (formerly The American School).  Now under one umbrella,  IPAs several campuses house various degree programs and faculties.  Women's Division funding is currently making possible the construction of an elevator in the former American School to facilitate full participation by students with disabilities.  The Outreach program has also recently started a program for women in jail.

"IPA is a vibrant living witness to historic Methodist commitments to educate girls and women and to reach out to the most disadvantaged groups in society, " Professor Cetrulo explains.   "IPA is pioneering this outreach in southern Brazil with the goal of creating new leadership from underrepresented groups and making the institutions of society more representative and democratic. "

 These goals become incarnate in the life of two other young women whose parents were very poor orange growers.  After their parents died, these young women were raised by older siblings.  Now they are school teacher/counselor and a psychologist, thanks because of IPA's scholarship programs for Afro-Brazilian women and the mission outreach of the United Methodist Women.

* Patricia Farris is Senior Minister at First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California, and is working at the World Council of Churches Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, as a journalist.

** Esther's name has been changed to protect the woman's identity.