Project Lar Feliz began in May 2001, after Paul and Jill van Opstal moved to Brazil in 1998, with the vision to start a social Christian work among the needy children of Brazil. This vision was born as a result of a short-term mission outreach to Brazil in 1997, where they worked in the slums, youth prisons, and hospitals. During this time of service, they saw the need for children’s homes and wanted to come back and begin this type of work.

Lar Feliz has the vision of offering a home to children ages 0—17 whom would otherwise have no place to go. Our goal was to provide a family setting rather than an institutional feeling. At present, we own two farms, one where all the children are living, with a baby house, and homes for boys and girls, separated by sex as well as age.

On the other farm we house missionaries, volunteers and groups that visit us and the children. We are also using it as a place where we have wood working clubs and where we hope to set up different workshops working with animals, plants and baking.  Also, located on these farms is a large sized green house which we hope to use in the near future where the children could learn to plant and learn managerial skills.

All of the children are sent to us only by a recommendation of the Social Services from the nearby towns in the state of São Paulo. Children are sent to us for various reasons: abuse, death or abandonment of parents, homelessness and neglect, etc. These children have already had so many terrible experiences, and all of these problems are brought with them when they arrive to come live at our project. The majority of these children have never learned to live within any structural system. They have learned to survive, whatever the cost. In our homes, they learn how to live in a community setting. Many times, in the past, they were told that they were unwanted, an accident. We teach them that their life is special, created by God, and that as they learn to show respect for themselves and others, they can have valued lives, and realize their dreams. They are affirmed in this by our workers, the psychologist, social worker, and pedagogue, but more importantly through learning who they are in light of God’s plan for their lives.

They attend local schools. Many of them have fallen behind in their schooling, which is why we have teachers who are helping them in their homework and tutoring them where they lack.  We have our own library, where in the week-end, they have time to loan out books to read.