Flu, orphans and education for work at the asilo São Luiz in Curitiba (1918-1937)

Abstract

In Curitiba (Paraná State), in the late 1910s, one of the outstanding
institutions that was dedicated to preparing people for the work
market was the Asilo São Luiz. Founded on 1st January, 1919 by
the Sisters of Saint Joseph to help children orphaned by Spanish
flu, in just a few weeks the orphanage began to take in other
children. The Sisters were concerned with reintegrating the minors
into society and that motivated them to offer primary school
courses and training courses in shoe repair, carpentry and
tailoring. Based on the assumption of the social history of culture,
the present text seeks to recover aspects regarding the history of
these pupils and catch a glimpse of Curitiba’s society in the early
decades of the twentieth century.