At this time Mundo Real is focusing primarily on long-term organizational development which involves community-based education and research programs. We are continuing our past services but on a smaller scale. The scale back is a result of our current fiscal situation, as well as a result of strategic decisions made by the Mundo Real leadership over the last few months. We have placed more importance on addressing the most critical cases that cannot wait for long-term social change to occur. Mundo Real is committed to action and hands on work, and this will not change.
 
Also, as this letter goes out we are closer than ever to submitting all of the requirements necessary to receive our much deserved 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in the US. And by June we should be an officially registered nonprofit organization in Brazil. Once these essential steps are reached we will be eligible for considerably more funding sources and be able to continue our past activities while implementing our planned activities by engaging in successful fundraising efforts. The continuation and expansion of our services are dependent on financial contributions that we hope to obtain from private individuals and philanthropic foundations. However, Mundo Real also desires to increasingly become more self-sufficient through social entrepreneurialism. This transition will take some time and attaining 501(c)(3) status will greatly help us in the present and near future.
 
Our experience has taught us a great deal about direct service, sustainability and community development in general over the past two years. Thus we are currently implementing new initiatives to make our organization significantly more effective and sustainable.
 
Over two years of experience has taught us that a small CBO cannot adequately tackle the enormous social problems of a community the size of Rocinha through direct service alone. In order to be most effective we need to focus on and expand the development of local leadership, empowering residents to take personal charge of their needs and their community’s situation. Our goal is to encourage and assist local residents so that they can mobilize around the issues that most directly concern them. Mundo Real is dedicated to dealing with the issues at their roots. This kind of capacity building and empowerment was the original goal of Mundo Real and we are returning to it with full force.
 
Based on analysis of past experiences, we have decided to center the brunt of our development initiatives in the Laboriaux (pronounced like: law-boor-e-or) neighborhood of Rocinha. Laboriaux is a narrow and long area of Rocinha located at the top very of the community, 1000 feet above sea level.  It has a population of approximately 10,000 and it is an area of Rocinha with a high level of socio-economic inequality. By creating a pilot project in Laboriaux we will be able to test our theories and our methodology’s success more accurately. If our efforts prove successful in Laboriaux we intend to create similar pilot projects in other strategic areas of Rocinha. This is a very feasible goal for our small team, replacing the near impossible goal of trying to cope with the critical needs of the entire community of Rocinha (pop. 200,000). The high level of inequality in Laboriaux will provide fertile ground for us to assess how government and other aid resources are distributed in the area and whether they are actually reaching the most vulnerable residents of Laboriaux.