LIFESTYLE - Reaching out to the needy - MALAYSIA

 

 

 

Every one of us can impact another person’s life – if we are willing and available.

THE husband and wife team of Jeffrey Tan, 72, and Lee Ah Nee, 69, are retired civil servants. Since last year, they have been spending their Saturdays helping autistic children to bake pastries.

“We volunteered because we have the time and energy to help. God has blessed us and it’s a joy to give back to these children,” says Tan. “I’m lucky to have a supportive wife, otherwise I would not be able to sustain this for long.”

He explains that it was difficult to understand the children’s needs at first. “By showing respect and love, and gaining their trust, we reached out to them eventually,” says Tan.

“We understand the problems these children are facing and we try to bond with them as a family. Different children have different needs. We have to know them better to be able to help them. Some need one-to-one attention,” adds Lee.

The couple enjoy their volunteer work at Calvary Victory Centre (CVC), a special education centre with over 100 autistic children and 25 teachers at Sutera Utama, on the outskirts of Johor Baru. They help out weekly at CVC, and are happy that they get to meet many people and utilise their time well.

Joy in serving: Expat wife Katherine Robinson is a volunteer teacher for underprivileged children at Calvary Welfare Centre in Johor Baru. ‘(The children) were teaching me how to still be happy despite having hard lives,’ she says.

According to Wong Chee Kin, chairman of the CVC administrative committee, a CVC Delights cafeteria was set up last year to help the children train in life skills and also serve as a sheltered employment centre. The cafeteria is open to the public and also offers catering services.

CVC opens its doors to students of all races and religions. Eight years ago, Hazeem Md Yusoof joined CVC as its first Malay student.

His sister Yuhana Md Yusoof, 34, gave up her teaching job to look after him and help out at the cafeteria. Their mother, Hasipah Abu, is a cook at the cafeteria which only serves halal food.

“Before coming to CVC, my brother found it hard to manage himself,” says Yuhana. “After eight years here, he has improved a lot. He has also helped to attract more Malay and Indian students to CVC.” Yuhana now supports herself by giving private tuition at night.

On Saturday mornings, Tan and Lee will be at the cafeteria, helping the children prepare pastries. In the afternoon, they accompany the kids to Sutera Mall, where CVC has been given a free stall to sell their pastries.

Tham Kok Weng, 65, finds it rewarding to help kids with Down syndrome.

There are nice chicken pies, curry puffs, pineapple tarts, pai tee (pastry cups filled with cooked radish), and blueberry cheese tarts which are hugely popular with the public.

Tan enjoys his stint at the mall and is just too happy to raise public awareness about autism by talking to those who visit their stall.

“There are only a few volunteers here; we need more caring hearts. We are already old and do not know how long we can serve here,” says Lee.

Give and receive

Jessie Teh, 35, used to think that she would only get involved in volunteer work upon her retirement. “But I’m glad I’ve done it now. It is never too early to start,” smiles this financial consultant.

Teh wanted to volunteer after reading a verse in the Bible: “As we freely receive (from God), so we freely give (back to society)” but she did not know where to start.

“So I asked God to lead the way. Soon enough, somebody asked me whether I wanted to help out with Down syndrome kids,” recalls Teh, who serves as treasurer, administrator and tutor at Calvary Miracle Centre (CMC).

“Through my volunteer work, I’ve learnt to be more patient and contented. I used to have high expectations of life, yet I see the children are so happy despite leading such simple lives.”

Yuhana Md Yusoof (left) volunteers at the Calvary Victory Centre for autistic children, where her brother Hazeem Md Yusoof has been for eight years. Their mother Hasipah Abu (right) is a cook at the CVC Delights cafeteria.

Teh used to coach her own children in their studies, but after she started volunteering at CMC, she found that her children could study well on their own.

“This is a blessing from God,” says Teh. Tham Kok Weng, 65, loves working with children, so when this retired motor workshop operator was asked to help out at CMC, he jumped at the chance.

Tham’s talent as a handyman is put to good use at the centre. He does all sorts of tasks, from painting the walls and fixing electric lights to making wooden frames for weaving mats. Every day, he sends four children from Kota Masai, about 80km away, to CMC and back.

Tham has been teaching children in Sunday School since he was 19.

“It’s very important to build up children when they are young. I make friends with children easily, I’m happy to see that the effort I put in has produced results in hundreds of children,” shares Tham.

One of his former Sunday School students used to create a ruckus in class, Tham recalls. “But when he grew up, he became a pastor and visited my church. He told everyone that he was in my Sunday School class and how he had grown to serve God. It is things like this that keeps me going.

Financial consultant Jessie Teh used to think that she would only get involved in volunteer work upon her retirement. ‘But I’m glad I’ve done it now. It is never too early to start,’ she says.

“Some parents do not know what to do with Down syndrome kids and just leave them in one corner of the house. They may take months to learn simple things, for example, how to use the toilet. Some children struggle to walk up and down the stairs.

One girl walked backwards to go up the stairs. As volunteers, we see results and changes in the children.” Just as he has touched the lives of others, so his life has been touched.

Tham’s wife needed an eye operation at one time, but they were short of funds. “Then one student I had taught years ago, who is now very successful in life, offered to pay for the operation in Singapore which cost RM13,000.”

Needy kids

When Katherine Robinson arrived in Johor Baru two years ago to accompany her husband, she found that expat wives were not allowed to work. “Instead of spending my time shopping, I wanted to do something meaningful,” says Robinson.

So she volunteered to teach English, Maths and Science to underprivileged children at Calvary Welfare Centre (CWC).

“Even though the children attend school, there is no one to help them with their homework,” she explains. “When they fall behind in school, they become discouraged and give up on their studies. I’m delighted when I see children who are discouraged, becoming happy and eager to learn. It makes all the difference in their lives.”

Robinson has since returned to Canberra, Australia, to serve as a social worker. “It was very hard to say goodbye after teaching them for two years. So this year, when I have two weeks of holiday, I came back to teach them. Learning is often a two-way process, The children have taught me how to be happy despite having a hard life,” Robinson adds.

Laura Amos (right) volunteered to teach underprivileged kids because she wanted to do something meaningful with her spare time.

Another volunteer at CWC, Laura Amos, found that she had extra time on her hands when she was transferred to Johor Baru, from Malacca, a year ago. Amos, who teaches at SK Taman Sutera, wanted to do something meaningful for the children.

“The richer kids can go for private tuition but the poorer kids have no one to help them. That’s where I come in. I’m an ambitious, results-oriented teacher and I want them to pass their UPSR.

“The kids need to feel loved and cared for. When someone comes to help them, they feel excited. When they see me at the (government) school, they will ask me, ‘Are you coming today’?” relates Amos.

“As a teacher, I want to sow good seeds in the lives of these children and I hope they will do well in their studies. My parents gave me a good education and instilled strong family values in me.

“I got a government scholarship to do my degree. In fact, my whole education was free and I believe it is God’s blessing. Now it’s my turn to bless others. Life begins when you start to give,” adds Amos.

Agnes Chow, the assistant manager of CWC, explains that children with problematic backgrounds find it hard to concentrate. “In school, there are 40 to 50 students in one class and teachers cannot give individual attention to every child. So the weaker students may fall behind.”

She recalls how one Chinese school was reluctant to take in students from CWC because of their poor results. Besides, they had no money to donate. “Luckily for us, some teachers from the school helped to get some of our kids into the school,” says Chow.

Chow, a housewife, had volunteered for nine years at CWC before she joined the team full-time as its assistant manager.

“The expenses in terms of food, rental and salaries for CWC’s 23 homes amount to about RM200,000 a month. Sometimes I crack my head wondering how to get the money but God is great and the funds come in somehow,” adds Chow.

CHILD / HOPE - CHINA

'Lost' generation given hope

Updated: 2012-06-28 07:58

By Yang Wanli (China Daily)

Shelters offer care to those living rough on the streets, Yang Wanli reports in Beijing.

Xiaoya (left) plays the recorder along with fellow students at the Beijing Juvenile Rescue and Protection Center. The 12-year-old, who has malformed legs, was abandoned by her grandmother at an early age. Photos by Zhang Wei / China Daily

Wang Ming has visited three provinces in China since the beginning of 2011. That's not bad going for a 12-year-old. Without a guidebook or a change of clothes, the boy took nothing but 200 to 300 yuan ($31 to $47) for each trip. Sharing a passion for globetrotting with his hero Bear Grylls in the TV program Man vs Wild, he has attempted to realize his dreams by becoming a runaway.
At a juvenile center in Beijing, Wang is among 40 children brought in off the streets. Some ran away from home, others were abandoned. Since it opened in 2003, the center has helped more than 5,000 "lost" children.
It's difficult to gauge how many children are living rough on China's streets, but on June 1 the Ministry of Civil Affairs revealed that more than 10,000 juveniles nationwide had been rescued or were being given shelter and protection in government-run centers from January to April this year.
A 2007 survey conducted in nine cities, including Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, by the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, estimated the number to be between 1 million and 1.5 million.
Situated close to Beijing's East 5th Ring Road, the pink roofs of the center's six bungalows are bright and vivid in a sea of gray or white buildings. Youngsters aged 3 to 18 - mostly from rural areas in provinces such as Hebei, Henan, and Sichuan and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region - make up the bulk of the inhabitants.
"The children sent here are those who can't remember where they're from or who haven't contacted their relatives for many years," said Xu Dong, director of the center, who explained that domestic abuse, difficult relations with parents or a cripplingly low standard of living are the reasons usually cited when the children are asked why they ran away.
Wang's story is slightly different. His parents are divorced and Wang and his older sister have been living with their father in a village in Jiangsu province in East China. Wang's father works in construction and rarely has time to devote to his children or their education. Wang found himself at a loose end. "I don't like school or the village. They're so boring," he said, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously.
Xu said that many of the children give false names and lie about their backgrounds when they are first admitted to the center to avoid being sent home, but they usually end up admitting the truth once they learn to trust the staff. That was the case with Wang, who was persuaded to reveal his real address and contact details for his father. "I don't want to stay here, even though it's nice to have clean clothes and sleep in a comfortable bed," he said.
He ran away from home earlier this month and sneaked onto a Beijing-bound train. This latest escapade followed two previous attempts to break free when he traveled to the provinces of Guangdong and Yunnan "to see those beautiful sites", he admitted, as he described the bridges and mountains he'd seen. With little money in his pocket, he ate food provided by locals until the police sent him to the juvenile center.
According to Xu, this type of "free traveling" is quite normal for runaway kids. They can easily avoid detection and the ticket checks on trains, although Wang occasionally bought a ticket using an ID card he found in the street and the money he had "borrowed" from home.

Street child Wang Ming (right) has dinner at a juvenile center in Beijing. Zhang Wei / China Daily

Wanderlust
The mini-adventurer is driven by wanderlust. "I saw people traveling to famous places on TV, and I wanted to be just like them," he said. In the early days of his trip to Beijing, his love of TV prompted him to visit the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution. "I knew the museum from a TV program. It's a place I dreamed about," he said.
Like Wang, who is moving from childhood to a sense of self engendered by adolescence and beginning to pursue his own choices, most of the children at the center are 11 to 16 years old but few have close connections with their immediate family.
However, their lifestyles have provided them with strong survival skills. Roaming the bar areas of the North 2nd Ring Road, Wang spent most of his days in electronic games arcades, picking up dropped coins to feed the machines, and slept on park benches at night. A number of residents provided food, including an African man who piqued the boy's curiosity. "I took a bus to the international airport and asked the service people how I could get to Africa. I even showed them the ID card," he said. "But, they refused to let me travel, saying that I could only go there with my parents."
After a few days on the streets of the capital, the police sent Wang to the rescue center. Once the boy revealed his real address, Xu contacted Wang's father, who refused to take his son back, reasoning that he will almost definitely run away again. "If the local government in his hometown can't send someone to collect him, we will have to send him back alone," said Xu.
Basic education is provided for long-term residents and the center is supplied with books covering the entire nine-year school curriculum. Although there are only about 40 students in the class, far fewer than in ordinary primary schools, teaching is not an easy task. Every 60-minute lesson is split into three, 20 minutes allocated for each group, with students taught according to their ability and previous educational background.
"Teaching those students really takes a great deal of patience and advanced skills," said Feng Guixia, a 59-year-old who teaches Chinese and mathematics. She has been working at the center, earning 1,500 yuan ($236) a month, since retiring from her job as a teacher at a nearby school five years ago.

Li Shengli, who arrived at the center in 2005, makes his bed. Born with just vestigial digits and not fully formed fingers, the 15-year-old was abandoned on a train by his parents.

Just like a family
"The bonds that connect the kids are very touching," she said. "Unlike a lot of children nowadays, the kids here always share what they have, whether it's delicious food, new toys or other things. The youngest child is always treated well, just like in a family," she said.
Roughly 90 percent of the children sent to the center are eventually reunited with their families, but the others, those that have been abandoned, are destined to live there until they are 18. Li Shengli, 15, who arrived at the center in 2005, was abandoned on a train. "I was traveling with my parents and fell asleep. When I woke up, they had gone," he said, avoiding eye contact and rubbing his left hand on his clothes. His hand looks unusual because he was born with just vestigial digits and not fully formed fingers. He doesn't know if that is the reason he was abandoned.
Li said he can't remember anything about his birthplace and little about his family, but he knows that he has an older sister and a brother. When asked if he wanted to find his family, he looked down at the floor and shook his head.
He perked up momentarily only when he spoke of the things he's seen and done. "I love the Great Wall. It's so long and so beautiful. We climbed for hours until our legs were tired and we could hardly take another step. We went to the highest part and saw the lovely scenery, colorful trees, blue sky and birds," Li smiled. "I know where Beijing is. It's on the neck of the cockerel (to many people, the depiction of China on the map makes the country look like a crowing cockerel)."
But his interest evaporated when he spoke of life outside the center, a life with which he's unfamiliar and a frightening prospect: "I dare not explore the outside world. If I leave here, I will just be homeless again," he said.
Contact the reporter at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn
Tang Yue and Wu Wencong contributed to this story.

COMUNITY - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Young heroes bring a smile

Supplying villages with water, helping labourers and orphans are all in a day’s work for these teens

• Image Credit: Courtesy of Lara Mosgofian
• Lara Mosgofian, an American University of Dubai student, launched Project Smile by taking a group of 50 labourers to Safa Park for a picnic lunch, a friendly football match and other fun activities.

 

Dubai: Lazy, careless and spoilt are words often associated with teenagers. However, Gulf News caught up with some young adults who completely shatter that description. In fact the words motivated, influential and hard-working are more suitable descriptions for these youngsters. Supplying villages with running water, helping underprivileged workers and building schools are only a few of the good deeds Aqil Rashid, Natalie Barcicki and Lara Mosgofian have accomplished both locally and internationally.
                          
Aqil Rashid

"My dad was talking to me about how, living here in Dubai, we are more blessed than other people. He encouraged me to help people with the money I had."

Over two years ago, Aqil Rashid was celebrating Eid with his family in Dubai. As part of tradition, children and younger members often receive gifts of cash from elderly relatives and family. Then 14 years old, Rashid realised he received more money than usual, but he decided to do what few teenagers would do; Rashid used the money to help the less fortunate.
The Pakistan national told Gulf News: “My dad was talking to me about how, living here in Dubai, we are more blessed than other people. He encouraged me to help people with the money I had.”

Since then Rashid has been working with Roshan, the leading telecom provider in Afghanistan, to help with their Build A Water Well initiative. The project focuses on building wells in villages that don’t have access to clean drinking water; a minimum of 700 people in each village have access to the well.
Now at 16 years of age, Rashid has decided to take the project one step further to encourage more young people to join the initiative, which is why he started ‘1 Well 700 Lives.’

 

He said: “Thank God, we’ve raised funds for 17 wells, which is $34,000 (Dh125,120). That’s 17 wells in 17 different villages, which impacts 11,900 people.”
Under their latest initiative, Hike 2 Overcome, or H20, the 1 Well 700 Lives drive has organised a trek in Nepal for anyone who wants to help with the project.
“What we’re trying to do is get children involved. Each participant has to raise funds for one well ($2,000/Dh7,360) with the help of sponsors in order to be able to come on the trip in August,” Rashid said.
He believes that many young people want to help communities around the world, but they don’t know how to raise the funds so “this is an easy way to have fun and be part of something good.”
                         
Natalie Barcicki
Natalie Barcicki is one teenager who is not new to charity work and projects. In the March of 2011, she travelled to Kenya under her school’s service club called Habitat for Humanity. Along with the locals, they helped with the construction of basic homes in their village during the week.
Last August she travelled to Nepal for a personal initiative with a friend of hers. Using connections from her school with an orphanage called Ocean, the Polish 18-year-old and her friend stayed at the orphanage for two weeks.
She said: “We worked with the children all day. Playing with them, preparing food for them, studying with them and just giving them the attention they deserve. We took them to school during the week and helped them prepare for their exams.”
Barcicki is not just active on international projects. The Abu Dhabi-based resident also participates in different initiatives at her school.
“The projects have ranged from basic one-off fundraisers like bake sales to longer durations like the Global Issues Conference. I’ve also continued working with the Habitat for Humanity club,” she said.
She credits her interest in community service to her school’s “highly-developed” service programme.
“Every project or event that I participated in was enjoyable for me. At the same time, I got to help other people, which was the most rewarding part of all. The combination of both has allowed me to nurture an interest in service that I hope to carry through into the future,” Barcicki explained.
                         
Lara Mosgofian
At 20 years of age, Lara Mosgofian finally got to accomplish one of her goals to start her own initiative. As part of her senior project at university, the Lebanese national created Project Smile.
“Even though there are many initiatives starting in the UAE, I wanted to start up my own. I love helping other people and especially making them smile. My school requirement was only a push to start this project,” she said.
For her first event in April, Mosgofian took a group of 50 labourers with the help of Adopt-a-Camp to Safa Park for a picnic lunch, a friendly football match and other fun activities.
Following the success of the first Project Smile event, Mosgofian is currently thinking of her next project. ““Before I started this project, I didn’t know where to start and if I would get people’s attention. My advice to others is that there is always a starting point. Nothing happens without hard work, but it is all worth it in the end.”

EDUCATION / CHILD - TIBET

Tibet strives to develop children's undertakings

13:06, June 06, 2012

Tibetan kids dance to celebrate International Children's Day at a local kindergarten in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 30, 30, 2012. [Photo/China Tibet Online]
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has stepped up efforts to protect children's rights and interests, greatly improving their living and developing conditions, according to local authorities.

In recent years, Tibet has given priority to education and carried out the “three-guarantee educational policy” in rural areas, according to Tibet Women and Children Working Committee.

Under the three-guarantee policy, rural students can enjoy free eating, lodging and educational fee from primary school to senior high school.

Tibet will also strive to push forward preschool bilingual education during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).

In addition, Tibet has established women and children healthcare institutions at prefectural and county levels in recent years.

The mortality rate of new-born babies and kids under five had decreased from 35.28% and 57.2% in 2000 to 20.69% and 28.15% in 2010 respectively, and the immunization coverage rate exceeded 93%, according to the data released by Tibet Women and Children Working Committee.

Meanwhile, Tibet has set up 49 cultural centers, 239 cultural stations and 4 public libraries to optimize the social environment for children's development.

Source： Tibet.cn

LIFESTYLE - MALAYSIA

Watching the kids grow up

Koh Kim Lye with his wife Sally and their brood: (From second left) Tilly, Timorthy, Mimi and Darren celebrating Timorthy’s birthday on April 9 last year.

FATHERS FIGURE
By KOH KIM LYE

It was love at first sight up on Genting Highlands, where I met this wonderful woman. Soon, we became a loving couple. After about three years together, we were very sure that we were meant for each other. So we decided to have a grand wedding and settle down. Then, the wonderful woman became Mrs Koh.

Two years after that, she got pregnant and later gave birth to a cute baby girl. Three more kids followed. By then she had quit her job to become a housewife. While she took care of the household chores and cooked for the family, I acted as a good friend to my colleagues, a loyal husband to my wife, and a responsible father to my children.

Occasionally when I came home during the wee hours of the morning, the sight of the kids peacefully asleep would take away all my tiredness. It is a feeling only a parent will understand.

No matter how busy I was, I would make time for the family, especially on Sundays when there were no school activities and we would go to church. I always made sure, too, to keep track of my children’s studies. Watching them do well in their studies or representing their school in public speaking made all the hard work worth it. Somehow, though, they did not really open up much to me, while they would tell everything to their mum. So, I usually had to seek further information from my wife.

Not to brag but my children matured earlier than others their age. They knew their limits and always thought twice before spending any money. They certainly knew I worked hard for the money.

From their primary school days, my wife always sent food to the kids when they had to stay back in school.

Unlike many children who were not keen to have food from home, my kids never complained. I was very proud of them. Who cares how other people judge you, right? They continued with the habit of bringing food from home, such as cookies and bread, even as teenagers.

I am now retired and enjoying a relaxing life, though not living in clover, that’s for sure. I spend my time ferrying my youngest about, to school and to tuition. I take pride in watching him excel in his exams and I keep encouraging him in many ways.

My eldest child, a girl, is now a very proud nurse at a hospital. My second daughter is still in university. My third and fourth, both boys, are in school. The elder one has just got his SPM results while his brother is struggling in Form Four (“It’s no honeymoon,” he says).

Me? I continue to be a supportive father to the four of them. Life has been one awesome ride for me – I live, I married, and I have childen of my own. As a dad, it’s been a great pleasure seeing my children all grown up and doing well in their lives. I will always be there for them and help them with the problems they may encounter. May they one day be great parents to their own children.

Remember, Papa loves you all and always will.

Star2's Fathers Figure invites fathers of any age and every stripe – rich dad, poor dad, single father, fun dad, tiger dad – to talk about their parenting experiences. Email your stories to star2@thestar.com.my with the subject header ‘Fathers Figure,’ preferably between 600 and 800 words, with a photo attached. Published contributions will be paid. So please include your full name, IC number, address and contact number.

CULTURE / TV - BRAZIL

See how are the actors from the original version of ' Carousel '

In Photo Gallery, the before and after of Maria Joaquina, Cyril

Scene from the Mexican version of "Carousel", displayed here from 1991 to 1992 in the SBT Reproduction

RIO-twenty years after the display – and the smashing success – the novel Mexican children's carousel, SBT, Brazil won his own version of plot, on-air by the same broadcaster since last Monday. The adventures and the everyday Teacher Helena and the third year class in the World accompanied the evolution of School time, but are still based on issues such as racial prejudice and social differences, just as in the first version. A lot of people that is in the range of 30 years today and followed the novelinha in childhood went to check out what's new. The nostalgic wave was seen on the internet, where the debut and the first chapters of the serial have been thoroughly discussed, and in the audience. Silvio Santos had established 8 points in Ibope's goal for the premiere attraction, which ended up giving 13. But that order led the actors who originally gave life to some of the iconic World school students? In Photo Gallery, you see the pictures of "before" and "after".



Ludwika Paleta (Maria Joaquina)
The Mexican actress of Polish origin has 33 years today and is among the children, one of the few who continued with a successful career in TV. Turned a woman beautiful and acted in other Mexican productions. Some of them even were viewed by here by SBT as "Grandpa and I", "Maria do Bairro" and "Friends and rivals", in which she played one of the protagonists.
Gabriela Rivero (Professor Helena)
The world's most beloved partner today has 47 years, is married and has three children. One of his daughters, incidentally, has 14 years and already follows in the footsteps of mother on TV. After the end of "Carousel", Gabriela continued acting but went to live in the USA. She was in Brazil last year and participated in some TV shows. He is currently on the air in "heart", Univisón, channel for the u.s. Hispanic audience.
Pedro Javier Viveros (Cyril)
The naive and innocent boy always fell in jokes by the other, and appointed to be constantly rejected and humiliated by Maria Joaquina. He left the artistic life and today works with communication sciences.
Hilda Chavez (Laura)
"This is so romantic!" was the catchphrase of dreamy, and is so chubby today one of the phrases most recognized brands of the plot. Hilda continues chubby, but dropped out of the acting career and became a lawyer. Detail: specializing in copyrights.
Krystel Klithbo (Valerie)
David's girlfriend in the plot, she sewed outfits from doll to sell and help supplement the income of their parents. Its hallmark? The huge bottle bottom glasses. She grew up, it was beautiful, but his career was not far away. Came to study interpretation in Los Angeles and now lives in Spain, where it already was a waitress and makes their beaks as a model and actress.
Joseph Birch (David)
Despite the loirinhos hair and curly, David wasn't exactly an Angel. But it was nice: he came to offer to sacrifice his own bit to help the doorman Firmino, who was ill, after the teacher Helena stated that turtle soup could raise up the dead. He also did not follow the career of actor, but continues in the artistic environment: turned choreographer of contemporary dance.
Flower Eduarda Gurrola (Carmen)
The poor thing Carmen, who also suffered with the financial situation of the parents and had an appendicitis seriously (in the plot, was hastily operated by the father of Maria Joaquina) invested in a career more alternative. She was also, soon after carousel in "Grandpa and I", and today works in movies and TV series.