Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce, Charitable foundation headquarters in Salvador, Brazil.
Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce is a charitable foundation in Salvador, Bahia, that runs a hospital, schools and social programs for people with low incomes. The complex covers medical care, job training and a museum, all offered free of charge to those who need it.
Sister Dulce began her work in the 1930s by sheltering homeless people in a chicken coop, and formally founded the organization in 1959. In 2019, Pope Francis canonized her, making her the first native-born Brazilian saint in the Catholic Church.
The site includes a museum dedicated to the life of Irmã Dulce, where visitors can see personal objects, photographs and documents from her decades of work. People from across Brazil come here to connect with her story and see firsthand the places where she lived and worked.
The museum area is open to visitors, while other parts of the complex remain reserved for medical operations. It is worth allowing enough time for the visit, as the grounds are large and cover several different buildings.
Irmã Dulce was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is rare for someone whose work was centered almost entirely in a single Brazilian city. The nomination came in recognition of her decades of daily work serving the poorest residents of Salvador.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
