Helping others isn’t only good for others and a good thing, it also makes us happier and healthier and can reduce stress levels in some cases. The then-18-year-old, Valdinar, reportedly told local news outlets that when he was just 18, he made a life-changing decision. That decision didn’t only change his life, but also the life of another. While walking through the park, to go and visit his brother, the young man saw a baby boy. 

He asked the local people who the baby was and heard baby Eduardo’s sad story. The baby’s mom was reportedly ashamed of the child she gave birth to, because he was reportedly the product of pr-stitution. So she dropped him off with relatives and left town. The baby was passed from one relative’s home to another. But no one wanted him. It was clear to Valdinar that Eduardo, abandoned and unloved, would have no future.

The young man reportedly told local news outlets that there was a reason for his bold choice. He was also abandoned as a child. But he had survived because a compassionate woman whom he calls mother, Raimunda, took him in. Over the years, without any children of her own, she took several abandoned children into her home, like Valdinar, whom she considers her own. After years of raising children, Raimunda was looking forward to a future of peace and quiet. But when Valdinar told her that a baby had been abandoned at his brother’s house, she agreed that they should bring him into their home.

Despite their financial constraints, Valdinar and Raimunda knew that if they didn’t do something, Eduardo’s life would be in peril. The education assistance, health care and other benefits that Eduardo receives at the center are a huge relief to Valdinar and Raimunda. They allow Eduardo to focus on school. Many years later, when people hear the 10-year-old boy’s joyful laugh can’t imagine the terrible circumstances of his first months of life. But Eduardo is loved by everyone around him, from his neighbors to all Brazil. When he grows up, Eduardo says he wants to be a truck driver so that he can visit different places.