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| Mrs. Rosa Maria Lozano, Ambassadress of Honduras and President of the Group of Ambassadresses. |
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| The Group of Ambassadresses, formed by wives of Ambassadors of the Diplomatic Corps of Brasilia, has been promoting for a long time many events that provide social help to Charities, including those ones that assist people who suffer from cancer. The Guide was interviewing the Ambassadress of Honduras and also President of the Group of Ambassadresses, Mrs. Rosa Maria de Lozano, who told about the actions promoted in 2005 and their plans for 2006: |
| THE GUIDE: How long have you been living in Brazil? Does your family live here? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: I have been living in Brasilia for almost 4 years with my husband, my 18-years-old son and my 19-years-old daughter, who recently went abroad to study in Germany. |
| THE GUIDE: How long is the Group of Ambassadresses established in Brasilia? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: The Group has been in activity around 8 years. |
| THE GUIDE: And how long have you been joined the Group? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: I am participating of the Group since 2001. |
| THE GUIDE: Always as President? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: No, I am President of the Group since the beginning of 2005. In the first year that I joined I was the 2nd Treasurer, and last year I was the 1st Treasurer. |
| THE GUIDE: For how long will you be in the Presidency of the Group? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Until March of the next year (2006). In each year we elected a new President. |
| THE GUIDE: Nowadays, how many ambassadresses are in the Group? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Around 40 ladies. |
| THE GUIDE: Are they in other groups of the same area? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Yes, there are many groups of foreigner ladies that provide social help to Brazilian charities, as for example the “Grupo das Senhoras da Ásia e Oceania” (Group of Ladies of Asia and Oceania) and the “Grupo das Embaixadas Africanas” (Group of the African Embassies). |
| THE GUIDE: The Group of Ambassadress is a large group. Is it always that way? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: No, when I joined the Group, we were around 28 ladies. |
| THE GUIDE: And what was the main point that led the increasing of the group? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: There is an increasing interest of the ambassadresses in joining the actions of the Group. Nowadays, when a new ambassadress came to Brasilia, we welcomed her, introducing her to the Group, its statute and working plans. These facts show how serious is our work and also motivate other ladies to join it. |
| THE GUIDE: The Group has frequent meetings? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Once in a month. In these meetings we plan the agenda of activities and how to execute it. Also in these meetings we invite craftswomen to expose their works. That is a way to help them. |
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| The Group of Ambassadresses with the Vice First Lady, Mrs. Mariza Campos Gomes da Silva, in one of the meetings of the Group in 2005. |
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| THE GUIDE: And how do you choose which entity you are going to help? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: In the very beginning, we received a list of foundations from Father Alégio. We started knowing them and choosing which of them needed immediate attention. Nowadays, we received requests from many institutions and we evaluate which are the most urgent |
| THE GUIDE: In your opinion, in which places are located the charities who need more help? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Mainly in the satellite cities. |
| THE GUIDE: And how is the way your Group helps the charities? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: We make many kinds of donations, but hardly ever financially ones. We prefer to buy what the foundation needs and we deliver it. In Águas Lindas, for example, we bought some land to a day nursery and orphanage 3 years ago. From that time, we made repairing actions in the building, bought a washing machine and also contracted a professor to give academic support to the children. |
| THE GUIDE: Did the Group make a financial donation recently? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: We made a donation of R$ 12.000 to the ABRACE Project, which helps children with cancer. |
| THE GUIDE: And what the other donations that the Group promoted in the last months? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: In the last three months we donated 100 packs of milk boxes and 100 packs of first need food to the Hospital de Base of Asa Sul. We have been monthly donating 50 packs of milk boxes to the Lar dos Velhinhos, besides clothes. But our work is not only making material donations. Frequently we visit institutions, in which we give a lot of care and love to the people. On Children’s Day, we promoted a party at Casa de Moisés, an orphanage in Águas Lindas. The children, besides received many playthings, had a lot of fun with an elastic bed, jump ball, among other toys. |
| THE GUIDE: And which action of the Group has touched you more? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: It is always touching to see people in need. In the beginning, I met the “Casa do Menino Jesus” in extreme state of need. For you to have an idea about it, the floor of the institution had anything but dry land. Nowadays, it is a pleasure to see them in better conditions, with ceramic floor and better structure. But, it is also heart-breaking to see children in deathbed because of cancer and you could not save them. It is very sad indeed. |
| THE GUIDE: The embassies also help the social projects? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: The major part of the embassies provides many kinds of help, not only in the Distrito Federal, but in many states of Brazil. They are bigger actions, made in a particular way for each embassy. |
| THE GUIDE: And what about the plans of the Group for 2006? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Until February we will keep helping the “Hospital de Base de Brasília” and the “Lar dos Velhinhos”. After that, we will get together in order to plan the actions of the year and also evaluate the works to be promoted. |
| THE GUIDE: What are your plans for the future? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: My main objectives are increase the number of members of the Group and also its actions, because there are many charities here that still need a lot of help. |
| THE GUIDE: Mrs. Ambassadress, which message would you like to send to the Diplomatic Corps of Brasilia about the social help to be made here? |
| Ambassadress Rosa Maria: Nowadays we have over a hundred embassies and international institutions in Brasília. There will be always a way to promote some kind of social help, and there are many people in need. We wish we can have the collaboration of everybody more and more. |
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| Mrs. Rosa Maria Lozano and his husband, Mr. Victor Manuel Lozano Urbina, Ambassador of Honduras. |
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| THE GUIDE congratulates the Group of Ambassadresses, as well as all groups of the Diplomatic Corps that promote social help, for their noble actions of social assistance to the Brazilian charities. |
