Zilda Arns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Servant of GodZilda Arns Neumann (née Steiner Arns) |
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Arns on June 1, 2004
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| Born | Zilda Steiner Arns 25 August 1934 Forquilhinha, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| Died | 12 January 2010 (aged 75) Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
Zilda Arns Neumann (born August 25, 1934 – died January 12, 2010) was a Brazilian children's doctor and a person who helped others.
She was the sister of Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, a well-known leader in the Catholic Church. He was the former Archbishop of São Paulo and worked hard against the Brazilian military dictatorship, which was a time when the military ruled Brazil.
Zilda Arns became famous around the world for starting a Catholic program called Pastoral da Criança. This program helped poor children. Her work helping people, including the poor and the elderly, lasted for more than 30 years.
Zilda Arns died on January 12, 2010, during the terrible 2010 Haiti earthquake. Five years after she passed away, the Archdiocese of São Paulo began an official investigation. This step could lead to her being recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
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Early Life and Education
Zilda Arns was born in a small town called Forquilhinha. She was one of 13 children born to Gabriel and Helene Arns. Her uncle was Senator Flávio Arns.
Zilda remembered two important things from her childhood. She saw her father ride his horse from house to house to help stop a smallpox disease. She also watched her mother arrange for a sick neighbor to be taken to the hospital. This trip took three hours by cart. These events made her want to become a doctor.
She studied medicine and finished university in 1959 at the UFPR - Federal University of Paraná. Zilda Arns also studied public health. Her goal was to help children in poor areas where many children died young, suffered from malnutrition (not enough good food), and faced violence.
Helping People: Her Career
After working in hospitals and caring for babies, Zilda Arns was put in charge of several clinics. These clinics were in the poor areas outside the city of Curitiba.
Zilda Arns was the founder and leader of Pastoral da Criança (Pastoral Care for Children). This is a social program of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil. This program is one of the biggest in the world for child health and nutrition. It has about 260,000 volunteers. They have helped reduce the number of babies dying by more than half in over 31,000 poor communities.
Arns also led Pastoral da Pessoa Idosa (Pastoral Care for Elderly Persons). This program also helps older people. Her way of helping was to teach families. This helped lower the rates of small crimes and stop diseases that could be prevented.
Her Personal Story
Zilda Arns became a widow in 1978. She was a mother of five children and a grandmother of nine.
She died during the 2010 Haiti earthquake on January 12, 2010. She was in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, doing humanitarian work for Pastoral da Criança. She was hit by falling pieces from the roof of a church where she had just given a speech. She was 75 years old. The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attended her funeral.
Awards and Recognition
Zilda Arns received many awards and was named an honorary citizen in different parts of Brazil. The Pan American Health Organization also called her a Public Health Hero.
See Also
- Joseph Serge Miot
- Sam Dixon (Methodist)
- Casualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
