Fight For A Kid
2440 Calle Narciso, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360, Agoura Hills, ME 91360
Fight for a Kid is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 82-3658712) dedicated to empowering disadvantaged youth through the practice of martial arts. Founded by Professor Rodrigo Carvalho, the organization works directly with underprivileged children living in poverty in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro and Macapá, Brazil, offering them a means to fight for a better life and positively affect the world in the process.
Professor Rodrigo Carvalho has been teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over twenty years. Originally from Brazil, his devotion to the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle inspired his international teaching journey through Ljubljana, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, and Italy, where he witnessed firsthand how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu transformed lives. After teaching at former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten's academy in California, Rodrigo founded Fight for a Kid to provide similar opportunities to the youth of his homeland. The organization currently serves children and adolescents in the Curicica and Rocinha favelas in Rio de Janeiro, as well as communities in Macapá, North Brazil.
The program provides martial arts training to children and adolescents after school, requiring participants to maintain satisfactory grades and a clean record. Through sponsorship, the organization provides uniforms, educational support, and opportunities to compete in local and international tournaments, including the Pan American Kids Championship in the United States. Over 40 percent of Brazilian children under 14 live in poverty—17.3 million young people—and Fight for a Kid offers them a practical means to change their circumstances, providing a daily escape from the streets in a safe, healthy community environment that keeps them away from drugs and violence.