2011 Opus Prize Recipients

Past Winners

Pastoral da Criança - Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann
Office for Farmworker Ministry - Sister Ann Kendrick
Cristo Rey Network - Father John Foley

2006 $1 Million Opus Prize Winner
Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann
Representing Pastoral da Criança

Dr. Zilda Arns Neumann was asked by the Roman Catholic Church to help reduce the high rates of malnutrition and infant mortality in Brazil. As a physician, she knew that many of the fatal diseases could be avoided with better nutrition, proper hygiene and simple education for both children and their mothers. The task of making this happen in a country the size of Brazil was overwhelming to her until she remembered the Biblical story of how Jesus fed the multitudes with five loaves of bread and two fish. She knew if she could encourage others to help her, she would see dramatic results.

In 1983, she created Pastoral da Criança, a network of volunteers and community leaders to address such broad family issues as unemployment, homelessness, hunger, addiction and broken families. In order to reduce malnutrition and infant mortality, she began to educate pregnant women on proper prenatal care and breastfeeding, important lessons to ensure healthier children. In the small municipality where her work began, infant mortality dropped from 127 deaths per 1,000 births to only 28 deaths in just one year, and malnutrition declined significantly. Her focus soon went beyond infants to the whole development of children under the age of six, even teaching families the importance of play in the growth of a child.

Today, Pastoral da Criança is actively changing lives, breaking barriers and creating hope for millions of families. The 200,000 volunteers and leaders in 40,000 communities in Brazil make 1.3 home visits every month. It is here that family and neighbors together celebrate the health of the children, gathering as one to weigh a child and rejoice in important milestones.

Pastoral da Criança is also helping to mobilize governments and influence opinion leaders to change the reality for Brazil’s poorest of the poor. Even more importantly, the work of the Pastoral da Criança is being replicated in other countries. But Dr. Neumann doesn’t take credit for the success of this program. Instead, she said she thanks God on her knees because he gave her the instrument to do this work.

Learn more about Dr. Neumann’s work with Pastoral da Criança.