Brazilian Alliance wants to serve as a model of community organization and development that will support community leaders, form the next generation of leaders, bridge the cultural differences in the Portuguese-speaking communities, focus attention on the challenges faced by the Brazilian and Lusophone communities, and bring affected communities together in the fight to improve their living conditions in the United States.

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide Social Services to the Brazilians and Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) communities living in the Bay Area by building alliances with local, state, federal, and international community organizations.

People We Serve

We provide a core set of social services aimed at the Portuguese-speaking population residing in the San Francisco Bay Area.  There are nine countries that have Portuguese as their official language, and a significant number of their citizens reside in the Bay Area and in other areas of the United States.

Brazilian Alliance’s services can be captured in the acronym LEAD:

L=Legal Clinic,
E=Education Clinic
A=Access to Health Clinic
D=Domestic Violence Clinic

By providing legal help, educating children and adults, providing access to health care, promoting cultural awareness and pride, and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from violence and disenfranchisement, we are empowering people to thrive in American society and not simply survive at the fringes neglected and needy.

The concept of “Thriving” is illustrated by points from the website “In The Thriver’s Seat.”  (Based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs).  Thrivers are “authentic, conscious and purposeful” and courageous enough to pursue dreams in connection with their values.  They also display calm in the midst of crisis, tap into their creativity, and see an event as an opportunity as opposed to a crisis.  Thrivers are distinguished from “Survivors,” who have abandoned their dreams and only seek to meet basic needs, and “Strivers,” who operate from ego, pursue material things to satisfy a void in their life, and only pay lip service to their dreams.

There are approximately 123,000 Portuguese-speaking people living in the Northern California Bay Area.  Some have been here for many years and others are new to this land.  Regardless of their time here and immigration status, Brazilian Alliance has been founded with the intent to help and support each person to become leaders and to thrive in the pursuit of achieving a fulfilling life in the United States.  We ultimately desire to create a community of “Thrivers” who honorably pursue and achieve their dreams as opposed to simply surviving without a driving purpose or consumed with striving after material needs