OUR HISTORY
The beginnings of ABUNA are connected to the pastoral ministry of Rev. José and Val Prado in São Paulo, Brazil. The organization grew out of decades of experience in missionary, humanitarian and cross-cultural service.
In 2013, responding to an emergency call, they welcomed a Syrian family fleeing war. The family included 18 people, from young children to elderly great-grandparents.
This first welcome was a deeply human and spiritual experience. Despite linguistic and cultural barriers, those involved recognized their shared humanity. A few weeks later, the Prado family stepped down from their pastoral role to serve newly arriving Syrian refugee families in São Paulo voluntarily.
In the following months, a dozen refugee families received support. Volunteers coordinated airport reception with Arabic interpreters, furnished housing at no cost, documentation, Portuguese lessons, access to work, and health and dental care. Friends contributed financial support.
In 2017, this movement was formally registered in Brazil as a nonprofit organization called ABUNA, strengthening its capacity to mobilize humanitarian support.
At an earlier stage of our journey, ABUNA had welcomed 84 people from 11 countries. This historical group included people from Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Pakistan, Congo, Haiti and Venezuela, with diverse religious backgrounds.
International cooperation and humanitarian initiatives connected to Thailand in 2019 and Spain in 2021 also became milestones in ABUNA's journey.
Today, ABUNA has welcomed 436 people from 13 countries and continues to develop humanitarian responses focused on protection, integration, belonging and autonomy.