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THE 2010 GRANTEES

With grants made possible by the support of people like you.

EDUCATION

Organization: Núcleo Amigos da Terra / Brasil (Friends of Earth/Brazil)

Project: Agroflorestando na Escola (Agro-forestry at School)

Location: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul
Website: http://www.natbrasil.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Núcleo Amigos da Terra is one of the oldest environmental organizations in the country and it is dedicated to the protection of the environment and the promotion of sustainable development. One of its objectives is to change the culture of food production in rural settings, promoting sustainable agriculture without the use of agro-toxins and other artificial means. In partnership with the Instituto Educar and with the support of BrazilFoundation, the project offered a technical course in farming with training in agro-ecology, approved by the Ministry of Education. This pioneering program in Brazil qualified 200 youths, many of which are children of rural farmers in the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Goiás.
Organization: Associação Amigos dos Índios (Indigenous Friends Association)

Project: Aldeia Educadora (Educational Village)

Location: Dourados
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Association offers professional and cultural programs throughout the communities of Guarani-Nhandevá, Guarani-Kayowá and Terena communities, which occupy the Indigenous Reserve of Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the Aldeia Educadora project gave scholarships to eight indigenous university students who were taking extension courses in training, research related to the community, on health, professional-training workshops and a course on adult literacy.
Organization: Centro de Estudos e Defesa do Negro do Pará – CEDENPA (Center for the Study and Advocacy for Afro-Brazilians of Pará – CEDENPA)

Project: Alfabetização e negritude (Literacy and Afro-Brazilian Culture)

Location: Belém, Pará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

CEDENPA has identified communities in the state of Pará beyond the reach of public education policy, especially in quilombo communities (Maroon settlements). The project’s goal is to promote literacy among three groups totaling 45 quilombo residents as well as 15 other Afro-Brazilians from poor communities, while highlighting and valuing Afro-Brazilian culture, and raising the collective self-esteem of quilombolas.
Organization: Associação de Desenvolvimento Agrícola e Comunitária da Lagoa da Boa Vista (The Association of Agricultural and Cultural Development of Lagoa da Boa Vista)

Project: Aproximando Escola e Comunidade (Bringing School and Community Together)

Location: Seabra, Bahia
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Arte na Roça (Rural Art) (2007); Aproximando Escola e Comunidade (Bringing School and Community Together) (2008); and Project Brazil Foundation 10 years (2011)

In 2007, when this Association located in the small community of Lagoa da Boa Vista, in the Municipality of Seabra, received the first part of the BrazilFoundation Incentive Award, they set out to create a cultural program for children and adolescents who did not have access to cultural and leisure activities. The continued support by BrazilFoundation in 2008 helped integrate the relationship between the school and the community, which facilitated the organization’s growth. The relationship between parents and teachers was strengthened, and capoeira, theater, soccer, and dance groups were created as extracurricular activities. The project improved students’ performance in school and turned the school into a social and cultural space.
Organization: Movimento Pró-Criança

Project: Arte Fazendo Parte (Art Being Part)

Location: Jaboatão dos Guararapes
Website: http://www.movimentoprocrianca.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Movimento Pró-Criança develops projects that target children and teenagers in the metropolitan area of Recife, where there are alarming rates of violence and poverty. The institution offers psychosocial assistance and art programs to youth in at-risk situations. The project “Arte Fazendo Parte” taught drawing and ceramics to 40 participants in one of the three units of the Association. Among these youth participants, 14 reached a level of professional production, which allowed for the partnership with the Young Craftsman Training Program to form a network of training centers in various communities in the metropolitan region of Recife.
Organization: Associação Frida Kahlo (Frida Kahlo Association)

Project: As Mulheres Negras têm História e as Jovens Negras estão Aqui para Contar (Afro-Brazilian Women have a History and Young Afro-Brazilian Girls are Here to Tell It)

Location: São Paulo, SP
Website: http://afrikaorg.blogspot.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The history of Afro-Brazilian women and their struggle to attain basic rights is still mostly unknown in today’s society. Racial and gender-based discrimination, intensified by generational and class differences, has contributed to the social exclusion and vulnerability of these women, and has kept their story untold. Through projects geared towards diverse populations, the Association aims to improve the living conditions of the local youth. This project’s objective was to promote appreciation for Afro-Brazilian history and culture and strengthen the image of Afro-Brazilian women in the eyes of young girls. They accomplished this by administering workshops and creating educational pamphlets, such as the Cartilha Mulheres Negras: Presente, passado e Futuro (Pamphlet of Afro-Brazilian Women: Present, Past and Future). The organization’s new office serves as a cultural space for the community, creating opportunities for young people to learn about and appreciate the historical advances of the Afro-Brazilian female population.
Organization: Fundação Alavanca (Lever Foundation)

Project: Bom de Escola, Bom de Vela (Good Students, Good Sailors)

Location: Ubatuba
Website: http://fundacaoalavancadeubatuba.blogspot.com/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

Fundação Alavanca provides cultural, social and educational programs to improve social problems faced by the population of Ubatuba, on the coast of São Paulo. The “Good at School, Good at Sailing” project offers free nautical sailing classes to children and adolescents in order to improve academic performance, reduce the dropout rate, and improve physical health. BrazilFoundation's support also enabled teachers to improve the quality of sailing lessons offered to young students who could participate in championships and races. In Addition, the support of BrazilFoundation provided training for instructors to improve the quality of the sailing lessons offered to young students, enabling them to participate in championships and regattas.
Organization: Instituto de Incentivo à Criança e ao Adolescente de Mogi Mirim – ICA (Institute to Incentive the Child and Youth of Mogi Mirim)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Mogi Mirim, São Paulo
Website: http://www.projetoica.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Carpe Diem (2002), ASAS (Wings) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

ICA was founded in 1997 to provide children from poor communities of Mogi Mirim with after-school activities. The organization began a pioneering initiative in the municipality, serving 40 children with after school tutoring, art activities and workshops. ICA has created a best practice methodology in education, earning the respect and recognition of the community. Nowadays, the center multiplies its methodologies in two well-regarded social welfare centers, three local schools and other social organizations. In 2009 ICA was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)*. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Instituto Coração de Estudante (The Heart of the Student Institute)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Pentecoste, Ceará
Website: http://www.prece.ufc.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Pré-Vestibular Cooperativo (Pre-University Cooperative) (2003), Incubadora de Células Educacionais (Incubator for Educational Centers) (2005), Escolas Populares Cooperativas (Popular Cooperative Schools) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003, 2005 and 2010, the Institute prepares local youth for the college entrance exam. Over the years, its methodology has been applied in13 other communities of rural Ceará, and over four hundred students prepared by the Institute have been admitted to Federal University of Ceará. Many of them have graduated and have returned to their communities to assist other students to prepare for the entrance exams and to help the local community. Through educational and social leadership the Institute is promoting the development of local communities in the region. The Institute has become a national best practice in education with its cooperative learning methodology.
Organization: Associação de Desenvolvimento Agrícola e Comunitário de Lagoa da Boa Vista (Association for the Rural and Community Development of Lagoa da Boa Vista)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Lagoa da Boa Vista, Bahia
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Arte na Roça (Art in the Fields) (2007), Aproximando Escola e Comunidade (Bringing School and Community Closer Together) (2008) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Located in a rural community in Bahia, the Association is an example of how a very small organization with few resources but good monitoring and support can achieve solid results. First supported by BrazilFoundation with an Incentive Award in 2007 and 2008, the organization has been recognized by the Municipality’s Department of Education, has partnered with the HSBC Bank, and hasgained respect throughout the Municipality for being the only organization working with children’s education in the area. The Association has also developed theater groups, dance, capoeira and soccer for children and young people from the local community.
Organization: Rádio Comunitária Santa Luz FM (Community Radio Santa Luz FM)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Santa Luz, Bahia
Website: http://santaluzfm.blogspot.com
Project supported by BrazilFoundation: Partilhando Comunicação com a Comunidade (Sharing Communication with the Community) (2007) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Radio Station was created in 1998 to promote the local and regional cultures, discuss issues related to local development and help the local population to monitor the city’s budget and spending, as well as to inform the population about issues related to the rights and responsibilities of the population. After nine years of struggle for an operating license with the Brazilian Ministry of Communications, the Station received the required permits following permits following BrazilFoundation’s support. The Radio Station has an extremely active agenda. It has partnerships with the Universidade de Feira de Santana (University of Feira de Santana), and with the Instituto Maria Quiteria (Maria Quiteria Institute), a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008 and 2009.
Organization: Instituto ACAIA (ACAIA Institute)

Project: CAIA na linha nove (ACAIA on Line 9)

Location: São Paulo
Website: http://www.acaia.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Institute ACAIA works to improve the quality of life of residents from the Favela da Linha (Line Nine Slum). The Institute offers workshops, classes and services to residents and a pre-school program for local children. Acaia na Linha Nove will attend children aged six and under and their mothers and grandmothers. The project will also adapt the organization’s structure and spaces to cater to the general needs of the community.
Organization: Associação Santo Dias (Santo Dias Association)

Project: Canoagem Ambiental e Cidadã (Environmental Canoeing)

Location: Fortaleza, Ceará
Website: http://associacaosantodias.org/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Associação Santo Dias is based in Fortaleza and seeks to guarantee decent working conditions and basic citizens rights. BrazilFoundation supported an environmental education project for poor adolescents living in Fortaleza. The project took advantage of the growing interest in ecological tourism to increase awareness of environmental preservation and concepts of sustainability. With BrazilFoundation´s support, the project trained youth in canoeing and environmental preservation.
Organization: Instituto de Incentivo à Criança e ao Adolescente de Mogi Mirim – ICA (Institute to Incentive the Child and Youth of Mogi Mirim)

Project: Carpe Diem

Location: Mogi Mirim
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Carpe Diem (2002), ASAS (Wings) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

ICA was founded in 1997 to provide children from poor communities of Mogi Mirim with after-school activities. The ongoing work helps in the socialization and development of the children, building a suitable and stimulating environment for approaching educational topics. Over the years, the organization expanded its activities and expanded its capacity, and it now serves over 1,900 students. ICA has created a best practice methodology in art education, earning the respect and recognition of the community. Nowadays, the center multiplies its methodologies in two well-regarded social welfare centers, three local schools and other social organizations. In 2009 ICA was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)*. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Instituto Maramar para o Manejo Responsável dos Recursos Naturais (Maramar Institute for Responsible Management of Natural Resources)

Project: Casa Perequê – Qualificação da Pesca Artesanal (Perequê House– Fishing Craftsmanship Technique)

Location: Guarujá, São Paulo
Website: http://www.institutomaramar.org.br/home.asp
Projects supported by BrazilFountion: Casa Perequê – Qualificação da Pesca Artesanal (2006), Manejo Responsável para Pesca de Camarão (2007)

The Intituto Maramar carries out socio-environmental projects in partnership with local fisheries to promote the conservation of marine and coastal areas along the Santos, São Paulo coastline. The support received in 2006 for the Casa Perequê project in Guarujá, enabled fishermen, shrimpers, and everyone involved in the production chain, to work together for an ecologically and socially sustainable solution, and promote physical infrastructure improvements to increase their performance and production potential. In 2007, the "Responsible Management of Sete Barbas Shrimp" project was supported, expanding the activities already undertaken through Casa Perequê. The training workshops and training for the responsible management of marine resources were extended to four communities, involving more 200 fishermen.
Organization: Associação Comunitária Boágua – Assentamento Curimatã (Community Association “GoodWater”- Curimatã Settlement)

Project: Cores, Livros e Vida no Semi-Árido (Colors, Books and Life in the Semi-arid Region)

Location: Itapiúna, Ceará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The Curimatã settlement, a community of 200 inhabitants in the interior of Ceará, did not have a school. The nearest school was 5 km away. With no transportation, a great number of students were forced to walk this entire distance to school. In reponse, the community mobilized itself and created a forum for governance, a cooperative, and a neighborhood association. Despite poor conditions, these institutions were used to educating children and adults in the community. The support of BrazilFoundation made it possible to reform the infrastructure of the association so that it could operate as a school. It also enabled the implementation of a library to serve the community. This project has improved access to education and culture for the inhabitants of the Curimatã settlement.
Organization: Associação de Moradores do Sítio Jardim (Sítio Jardim Neighborhood Association)

Project: Cuidando do verde que tem vida (Caring for the Living Green)

Location: Fortim, Ceará
BrazilFoundation Incentive Award grantee in 2010

Fisherwomen from Sítio Jardim realized that tourism has negatively impacted the local ecosystem, their main source of income. The project will mobilize a group of 25 children and adolescents to promote environmental sustainability. The youth will be involved in cleaning and planting near the river banks and provided the skills and materials to engage and mobilize the community about sustainability issues, thus potentially influencing local environmental policy.
Organization: Associação Ecos do Vitória - Educação e Gestão Ambiental (Echoes of Vitoria Association – Education and Environamental Management)

Project: Ecoando Ecopontos (Being Ecological)

Location: São Paulo
Website: http://www.ecosdovitoria.org.br/wp/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 (Incentive Award)

Echos of Vitoria Association promotes environmental education activities to develop the area of Vitoria Park in São Paulo. The organization educates the community about environmental issues and implements projects to recover the margins of the Mazzei and Lavrinhas rivers. The Association mobilizes poor communities to develop recycling and other environmental-friendly projects through seminars, courses, practical activities and workshops. The support of BrazilFoundation has allowed the education of the members of this organization, the improvement of the project’s facilities and the extension of the program to other communities.
Organization: Associação Casa da Família Rural (Rural Family Housing Association)

Project: Educação do Campo (Rural Education)

Location: Torres, Rio Grande do Sul
Website: http://www.arcafarsul.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Associação Casa da Família Rural encourages young farmers to remain in their communities by improving their living conditions and offering a comprehensive professional and educational training program. The lack of good-paying job opportunities, especially among young people, has caused an increasing exodus to the cities, which has spurred the expansion of shanty towns in urban areas. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the project trained farmers in crop production techniques and cooperative models, contributing to increased productivity and income, and a reduction in the region’s rural exodus.
Organization: Instituto Tecnológico Alternativo de Petrópolis do Amazonas Vicente Ferreira da Silva

Project: Educação para Cidadania a Serviço de Petrópolis (Education in Citizenship for Petrópolis)

Location: Manaus – Amazonas
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006 (Incentive Award)

The organization promotes education and integration among underprivileged people in Petrópolis, a neighborhood in Manaus. It offers courses, seminars, lectures and art workshops. The project Educação para Cidadania a Serviço de Petrópolis offered university entrance exam preparation courses to 80 low-income young people and adults. In addition, a community library was created and a newspaper published.
Organization: União Popular Pela Vida – UPPV (Popular Union for Life)

Project: Escola Cultural de Dança Popular (Cultural School for Popular Dance)

Location: Missão Velha, Ceará
Website: http://pelavida.ning.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The Popular Union for Life is a community association that assists children who are socially vulnerable as a result of the high incidence of drug abuse in the region. The organization offers services such as after-school tutoring, arts and cultural activities, access to computer labs, and psychosocial care. It also maintains a playroom for the children, and provides food for them. Through this project, BrazilFoundation supported the creation of a dance school for 125 boys and girls. Through the revival of regional folk dances, the project has promoted a sense of citizenship and cultural identity in children and teenagers. In 2010 the organization received the Prêmio Cultura Viva (Living Culture Award) from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.
Organization: Núcleo Experimental Teatro de Tábuas

Project: Escola Livre de Artes – ELA (Open School for the Arts)

Location: Campinas, São Paulo
Website: http://www.teatrodetabuas.com.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006 (Incentive Award)

The Núcleo Experimental Teatro de Tábuas offers educational and cultural programs to low-income population of Campinas and other cities in the outskirts of São Paulo. With the support of BrazilFoundation, a pilot project was implemented to train 20 students to work with stage lighting, visual arts, recording and sound equipment, computer graphics, digital works, dance, theater, and music.
Organization: Instituto Coração de Estudante-PRECE (The Heart of the Student Institute)

Project: Escolas populares cooperativas (Cooperative Schools)

Location: Pentecostes, Ceará
Website: http://www.prece.ufc.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Pré-Vestibular Cooperativo (Pre-University Cooperative) (2003), Incubadora de Células Educacionais (Incubator for Educational Centers) (2005), Escolas Populares Cooperativas (Popular Cooperative Schools) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Founded by College professor Manoel Andrade, PRECE has been transforming municipalities across Ceará by preparing local youth for the college entrance exam. Three hundred students from rural Pentecostes prepared by the Institute have been admitted to Federal University of Ceará. A BrazilFoundation grantee for the third time, PRECE will formalize and evaluate their teaching methodology, produce instructional materials and carry out a training seminar on the Cooperative learning methodology for representatives from other municipalities.
Organization: Instituto Ilhas do Brasil (Brazilian Islands Institute)

Project: Estrelas do Mar (Stars of the Sea)

Location: Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
Website: http://www.ilhasdobrasil.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Instituto Ilhas do Brasil was created in 2005 with the support of ASHOKA to meet the demands of Santa Catarina’s coastal communities, and make a positive social impact on the region. The Institute works in the areas of marine resource conservation, environmental education, income generation, and youth participation. The project “Estrelas do Mar” engaged the young children of fishermen and taught them about environmental preservation, and its importance in perpetuating the natural resources that are indispensable to their survival. The project also steered youth towards tourism and fishing activities, which had been gradually abandoned in recent years.
Organization: Associação Educacional e Assistencial Casa do Zezinho (Educational and Healthcare Association Casa do Zezinho)

Project: Estúdio de Som (Sound Studio)

Location: São Paulo
Website: http://www.casadozezinho.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

Casa do Zezinho believes on education, art and culture, to enable at-risk children and young adults from low-income families, to develop critical thinking and autonomous attitude to make their own decisions in life. Casa do Zezinho offers workshops, professional training, socio-educational activities and sports, among others activities to 1200 children. Created with the support of BrazilFoundation, Sound Studio built the capacity of young people to become music technicians. Using modern equipment, this project has trained youngsters and has given them the skills to pursue a profession and serve their community. The Estudio de Som space also has become a resource to the larger community as a music recording studio and rehearsal area.
Organization: Equipe de Conservação da Amazônia - ACT Brasil

Project: Fortalecendo a Capacidade Indígena para a Conservação Ambiental (Strengthening Indigenous Interest in Environmental Preservation)

Location: Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Amazonas
Website: http://www.equipe.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The ACT Brasil was created in order to strengthen the culture and traditions of indigenous communities, to preserve their environment, and to encourage sustainable development in the Amazon. Indigenous communities have been traditionally vulnerable due to difficulties in implementing public policy and conflicts with farmers in designated indigenous lands. The project supported by BrazilFoundation trained representatives of indigenous groups, located in the municipality of Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, on territorial protection techniques. The leaders learned to promote not only territorial protection, but also the environmental conservation of their lands.
Organization: Núcleo Especial de Atenção a Criança – NEAC (Center for Children Special Care)

Project: Gente é pra Brilhar (Shining People)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.neac.org.br/index.htm
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Center develops educational and cultural projects with children and young people from the ages of 7 to 16 years old in the neighborhood of Campo Grande, in Rio de Janeiro. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the Shining People project promoted more than 150 workshops for children and adolescents, reducing truancy and increasing school performance and environmental awareness. At the end of 2004, the Center received the title of Municipal Public Utility.
Organization: Associação para Apoio e Integração do Deficiente Visual – PARA-DV (Association for the Integration and Support of the Visually Impaired – PARA-DV)

Project: Igualdade na diferença (Equality in Difference)

Location: Araraquara, São Paulo
Website: http://www.paradv.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

In Brazil, public authorities launched an educational policy to include visually impaired student groups who are excluded by society without the provision of a viable plan or concrete guidelines to implement the policy. Recognizing this gap the project will teach Braille to 50 blind and partially blind pre-school age children. Students in this pilot project will also learn computer skills, basic health care, and customized exercises to develop motor skills.
Organization: Grupo de Apoio aos Meninos e Meninas de Rua - GAMR (GAMR - Support Group for Youth Living on the Street)

Project: Inclusão Social Através da Arte e Cultura Popular (Social Inclusion through Art and Popular Culture)

Location: Gravatá, Pernambuco
Website: http://www.gamr.com.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Grupo de Apoio aos Meninos e Meninas de Rua makes use of artistic expression to re-integrate children living on the street into school and family environments. With the support of BrazilFoundation, this project offered workshops on traditional music and dance for boys and girls, ages 4 to 18, living in extreme poverty in the city of Gravatá, Pernambuco. This support enabled the formalization of these artistic groups, and the purchase of adequate musical instruments. The GAMR gained visibility and was named a “Point of Culture” by the Ministry of Culture. GAMR’s various cultural groups have also gained technical and political sustainability.
Organization: Instituto Coração de Estudante (The Heart of the Student Institute)

Project: Incubadora de Células Educacionais (Incubator for Educational Centers)

Location: Pentecostes
Website: http://coracaodestudante.blogspot.com/2008/03/encontrado-carro-do-instituto-corao-de.html
Pré-Vestibular Cooperativo (Pre-University Cooperative) (2003), Incubadora de Células Educacionais (Incubator for Educational Centers) (2005), Escolas Populares Cooperativas (Popular Cooperative Schools) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003, 2005, and 2010, the Institute prepares local youth for the college entrance exam. Over the years, the Institute’s methodology has been applied in 13 other communities of rural Ceará, and over four hundred students prepared by the Institute have been admitted to the Federal University of Ceará. Many of them have graduated and have returned to their communities to assist other students in preparing for the entrance exams, and to help the local community in general. By promoting educational and social leadership, the Institute is encouraging the development of local communities in the region. The Institute has been named a “national best practice” in education as a result of its cooperative learning methodology.
Organization: Associação François Xavier Bagnoud do Brasil (François Xavier Bagnoud do Brasil Association)

Project: Inteligência das Mãos (The Intelligence of the Hands)

Location: São Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The François Xavier Bagnoud do Brasil Association promotes health, education, and human rights for children, teenagers, and their family members who are HIV positive or have AIDS. The services provided include psychosocial assistance, nutrition assistance, and job training. The support of BrazilFoundation made it possible to train 40 families that are infected with HIV to make textiles. This is a way to generate income for these families, and to reduce the social and economic impact caused by AIDS. Some of them have become experts and have received artisan credentials.
Organization: Centro de Estudos Sócio-Ambientais Pangea

Project: Jovens e Bambu (Youths and Bamboo)

Location: Salvador
Website: http://www.pangea.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Pangea Center was founded in 1996 and offers integrated and sustainable solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems in communities across Brazil. The project Jovens e Bambu, supported by BrazilFoundation, trained young people to use bamboo to produce domestic utensils and decorative objects. The students attended classes on corporate values, product design, and sales strategy. They formed a cooperative and acquired the skills necessary to enter the labor market.
Organization: Instituto Maramar para o Manejo Responsável dos Recursos Naturais (Maramar Institute for the Responsible Management of Natural Resources)

Project: Manejo Responsável para Pesca de Camarão (Perequê House– Fishing Craftsmanship Technique)

Location: Santos, São Paulo
Website: http://maramar.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Casa Perequê – Qualificação da Pesca Artesanal (2006), Manejo Responsável para Pesca de Camarão (2007)

The Instituto Maramar carries out socio-environmental projects in partnership with local fisheries to promote the conservation of marine and coastal areas along the Santos, São Paulo coastline. In 2006, the support received for the Casa Perequê project in Guarujá enabled fishermen, shrimpers, and everyone involved throughout the production chain, to work together for an ecologically and socially sustainable solution. The project also enabled improvements to the physical infrastructure of the fisheries and increased their production potential. In 2007, the "Responsible Management of Sete Barbas Shrimp" project expanded the activities already undertaken through Casa Perequê. Training workshops to promote the responsible management of marine resources were extended to four communities, and reached another 200 fishermen.
Organization: Associação Cultural Comunitária Pró-Morato (Pró-Morato Community Center)

Project: Negócios em Família (Family Businesses)

Location: Francisco Morato, São Paulo
Website: http://www.promorato.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Pro-Morato Center was formed by the residents of Francisco Morato, São Paulo, in a movement to improve their quality of life, and increase opportunities for employment, education, leisure, and culture within their community. The organization trains youth between the ages of 16 and 21 to enter the labor market. The activities place value on creativity, ethics, and social participation. The project supported by BrazilFoundation aimed to improve local opportunities, and to strengthen local commerce. By training the children of micro-businessmen in business plan development the project aimed to promote the sustainability of their family businesses.
Organization: Associação de Pais e Mestres da Escola Antônio Ursulino Alves

Project: Olhando para o Futuro (Looking into the Future)

Location: Trairi, Ceará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Associação de Pais e Mestres da Escola Antônio Ursulino Alves works to encourage the involvement of parents, students, and teachers in creating proposals and demanding action from public authorities. The project supported by BrazilFoundation trained teachers of public school in cross-discipline subjects and trained a group of parents, students, and employees to oversee the financial management of the school. The project also enabled the installation of a computer lab.
Organization: Rádio Comunitária Santa Luz FM (Santa Luz Community Radio FM)

Project: Partilhando Comunicação com a Comunidade (Sharing Communication with the Community)

Location: Santa Luz, Bahia
Website: http://www.santaluzfm.com.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Partilhando Comunicação com a Comunidade (Sharing Communication with the Community) (2007) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Radio Station was created in 1998 to promote local and regional cultures, discuss issues related to local development, help the local population monitor the city’s budget and spending, and to inform the population about issues related to their rights and responsibilities. After a nine year struggle to obtain an operating license with the Brazilian Ministry of Communications, the Station received the required permits following BrazilFoundation’s support. The Radio Station has an extremely active agenda. It has partnerships with the Universidade de Feira de Santana (University of Feira de Santana) and the Instituto Maria Quiteria (Maria Quiteria Institute), a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008 and 2009.
Organization: Instituto de Pesquisas Sistêmicas e Desenvolvimento de Redes Sociais - Instituto NOOS

Project: Paz em Casa, Paz no Mundo (Peace at Home, Peace in the World)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.noos.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Instituto NOOS was created in 1994 by family therapists who wished to provide the population of Rio de Janeiro with services to promote healthcare and a better quality of life. Since then, the Institute has been developing mediating methodologies for relationship conflicts, especially related to domestic violence. The project supported by BrazilFoundation trained 20 community leaders from Morro Azul and Santa Marta in Rio de Janeiro to work for the prevention of domestic violence and to support its victims. Besides that, the partnership helped to systematize the methodology, to create new partnerships with civil society organization, and to make the institution a benchmark in the area of domestic violence.
Organization: Associação da Escola Família Agrícola de Lago do Junco (AEFALJ) (Family Agricultural School Association of Lago de Junco)

Project: Pedagogia da Alternância e Desenvolvimento Sustentável no Campo (Alternating Education and Sustainable Development in the Countryside)

Location: Lago do Junco, Maranhão
Website: http://www.pedagogiadaalternancia.com/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

Going to school and doing farm work are incompatible activities for the majority of young people living in Maranhão’s countryside. With the help of the BrazilFoundation, the Association educated local youth in agroecology and collaborated to improve their quality of life. The methodology of “Alternating Education,” consists of 15 day periods at the school center and 15 days on the family farm. The program is implemented directly in the students’ hometown, where they can practice the techniques learned in school with the support of teachers and technical professionals. The project has had a great impact within the group.
Organization: Instituto Maria Quitéria – IMAQ (Maria Quitéria Institute)

Project: Portal do Saber Solidário (Knowledge and Solidarity Portal)

Location: Feira de Santana, Bahia
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Portal do Saber Solidário (Knowledge and Solidarity Portal) (2008), and Portal do Saber Solidário (Knowledge and Solidarity Portal), Portal do Saber Solidário (Knowledge and Solidarity Portal) (2009)

The organization works in the semi-arid region of Bahia, an area known for the “Sisal”, in reference to a native plant (agave) that yields a stiff fiber traditionally used for making twine, ropes and carpets. This region is also infamous for child labor and slavery. What separates people in this area from their rights as citizens is not only geographic, but also political. The project PORTAS (DOORS) took on this challenge through the revival of local oral traditions. Using teaching materials, the project gathered youth from four settlements in Bahia’s sisal-producing area, and trained them as keepers of their stories and transmitters of tradition. Through the support of the BrazilFoundation, these young people became active participants in their communities and were made responsible for the dissemination of local traditions. The youngsters are also responsible for passing on information on health and environmental protection.
Organization: Instituto Maria Quitéria (IMAQ) (Maria Quitéria Institute (IMAQ)

Project: Portal do Saber Solidário (Knowledge Solidarity Portal)

Location: Feira de Santana, Bahia
Website: http://www.imaq.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Portal do Saber Solidario (Knowledge Solidarity Portal) (2008) and Portal do Saber Solidário (Knowledge Solidarity Portal) (2009)

The region where this organization works is marred by the exploitation of child labor and slavery. In order to change this reality, investments must be made in educational activities and in the rehabilitation of families. The objective of this project, which received the second portion of an Incentive Award from BrazilFoundation in 2009, was to broaden the community’s perspectives on life and family, guaranteeing the right to healthy relationships between children and their parents. To accomplish this, the project involved the children as protagonists of the learning process, taking into account their social circumstances at the time they became part of the project. Reading workshops designed to educate youth, research and the organization of academic materials were also implemented as part of the project.
Organization: Instituto Coração de Estudante (The Heart of the Student Institute)

Project: Pre-University Cooperative

Location: Petenconstes
Website: http://coracaodestudante.blogspot.com/2008/03/encontrado-carro-do-instituto-corao-de.html
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Pré-Vestibular Cooperativo (Pre-University Cooperative) (2003), Incubadora de Células Educacionais (Incubator for Educational Centers) (2005), Escolas Populares Cooperativas (Popular Cooperative Schools) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003, 2005 and 2010, the Institute prepares local youth for the college entrance exam. Over the years, its methodology has been applied in 13 other communities of rural Ceará, and over four hundred students prepared by the Institute have been admitted to Federal University of Ceará. Many of them have graduated and have returned to their communities to assist other students to prepare for the entrance exams and to help the local community. Through educational and social leadership the Institute is promoting the development of local communities in the region. The Institute has become a national best practice in education with its cooperative learning methodology.
Organization: Fundação Maurízio Vanini (Maurizio Vanini Foundation)

Project: Pré-Vestibular Popular – Prevesp (Pre University preparation course)

Location: Caxias
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The Maurizio Vanini Foundation offers courses and activities in education and professional qualification areas. Prevesp is college preparation course for low-income young adults in the municipality of Caxias. The project supported by BrazilFoundation prepared 50 young people for the college entrance exam in 2006 and remodeled the space where the Foundation’s activities are held. To this date, 183 people have matriculated to the University through Prevesp.
Organization: Sociedade 1º de Maio de Novos Alagados (May 1st Society of Novos Alagados)

Project: Projeto Cluberê (Cluberê Project)

Location: Salvador, Bahia
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Public school students of Nova Alagados have difficulty perceiving their schools as a resource for learning and their teachers as facilitators of knowledge. Projeto Cluberê aims to improve the relationship between 120 local children, adolescents and their teachers by making learning more relevant and attractive to students through educational and socio-cultural activities. The project also seeks to encourage families to be more actively involved in their children’s school life.
Organization: Associação dos Trapeiros de Emaús, Recife (Association of Trapeiros, Emaús, Recife)

Project: Projeto Educação para a Cidadania em Emaús, Recife (Educational Project for Citizens of Emaús, Recife)

Location: Recife, Pernambuco
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The Association is a part of the larger Emaus International Movement. This Movement was first established in France in 1949, with the objective of helping those who suffered as a result of World War II. In 1996 it was set up in Recife and has since performed various functions, including offering vocational training. The Association serves some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Recife, where notions of citizenship and human rights are distant concepts. This project, supported by the BrazilFoundation, created vocational workshops with a focus on the defense of human rights and environmental preservation. The technical support provided by the BrazilFoundation enabled the organization to strengthen its management and shape its identity.
Organization: Associação de Pais e Professores da Escola de Educação Básica São José Herval d’Oeste (Parents and Teachers Association of the School of São José Herval d’Oeste)

Project: Reciclar é Pensar no Futuro (Recycling is to Think of the Future)

Location: Herval d’Oeste, Santa Catarina
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Reciclar é Pensar no Futuro (To Recycle is to Think of the Future) (2008- Incentive Award), Reciclar é Pensar no Futuro (To Recycle is to Think about the Future) (2009)

With a BrazilFoundation Incentive Award in 2008, the organization carried out environmental education activities that involved the entire community and included garbage collection, pollution containment in particularly affected areas, and the creation of a general atmosphere of cooperation between families, schools, and the community. With the additional support received in 2009, the organization trained the school staff and increased children’s environmental consciousness. In addition, attaining the space for a vegetable garden gave this concept visibility within the state.
Organization: Associação de Pais e Professores da Escola de Educação Básica São José de Herval (Parents and Teachers Association of the School of São José Herval d’Oeste)

Project: Reciclar é Pensar no Futuro (To Recycle is to Think of the Future)

Location: Herval d’Oeste, Santa Catarina
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Reciclar é Pensar no Futuro (To Recycle is to Think of the Future) (2008- Incentive Award), Reciclar é Pensar no Futuro (To Recycle is to Think about the Future) (2009)

Riparian vegetation is responsible for the natural protection of rivers against siltation, and it helps maintain the water quality to avoid diseases. In the Municipality of Herval d'Oeste, areas used as landfills cause the degradation of the riparian vegetation. Educational practices such as waste segregation and recycling programs were instituted in a local public school with very few resources. These programs became a part of school life and an everyday extracurricular activity. With a BrazilFoundation Incentive Award, the organization carried out environmental education activities that involved students, parents, and teachers and included garbage collection, pollution containment in particularly affected areas, and the creation of a general atmosphere of cooperation between families, schools, and the community. The project also provided training and facilitated the expansion of the school garden. This small experiment initiated within the school influenced the government to start carrying out garbage collection throughout the city, eventually reaching regional and state levels. The organization’s project was among Santa Catarina’s top three best environmental projects and its systematic methodology was published in Prêmio Gestão Escolar (School Management Award) in 2009.
Organization: Cooperativa dos Agentes Autônomos de Reciclagem de Aracaju - CARE (Cooperative of Independent Recycling Agents of Aracaju)

Project: Recriarte (Recycle and Create)

Location: Aracaju, Sergipe
Website: http://carese.blogspot.com/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006 (Incentive Award)

CARE was created in 2000 with the support of UNICEF, to promote decent working conditions and to improve income among waste pickers that work at Terra Dura dump in Santa Maria, on the outskirts of Aracaju. Recriarte project provided schooling and counseling to waste pickers’ children, who often work at the dump and are out of school. Educational activities have contributed to improve school attendance, interpersonal relations and self-esteem of these children. The courses and workshops contributed to the formation of a Group of Crafts, whose production is sold in the city.
Organization: OCA – Instituto de Assistência, Tratamento, Capacitação e Pesquisa em Saúde, Educação Cultura (OCA - Institute for Care, Treatment, Training, and Research in Health, Education, and Culture)

Project: Saci-Tererê vai à Escola

Location: Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.institutooca.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Saci-Tererê (2005), Saci-Tererê Vai à Escola (2007)

The OCA - which means "house" in the Tupi Guarani indigenous language - operates in the mountainous region of Teresópolis, developing programs that use artistic expression (in the form of music, literature, theater, and dance) to assist youth living in socially vulnerable situations, and suffering the psychosocial consequences of having alcoholic parents. BrazilFoundation supported the Saci Tererê project in 2005, which worked with an initial group of 20 at-risk children and adolescents on a series of artistic activities. The program culminated in a theatrical performance, presented at the House of Culture in Teresópolis, and the publishing of a children's book entitled SACI-Tererê, A HISTORY OF LIFE. In 2007, BrazilFoundation also supported "Saci Tererê Goes to School," taking the stage production and book produced by the children to six other schools in the municipality of Teresópolis. In 2006 the organization received the Prize Culture Note 10 (State Secretariat for Culture of UNESCO and Rio de Janeiro Brazil) and in 2010 was nominated a “Point of Culture.”
Organization: Associação Vidança Cia. de Dança do Ceará (Association Vidança Dance Company of Ceará)

Project: Tambores do Vidança (Drums of Vidança)

Location: Fortaleza
Website: http://vidanca.org/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Vidança (2003), Tambores do Vidança (Drums of Vidança) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Dance Company works with children and at-risk youth in the Vila Velha neighborhood, on the outskirts of Fortaleza. The Company uses various forms of artistic expression to improve of the quality of life of its participants. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2005, Vidança has expanded its activities and increased the number of projects supported by other partner organizations. The Company makes presentions in Ceara and other Brazilian states. In 2007, they performed at the BrazilFoundation Annual Gala in New York. Vidança was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* in 2009. *Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Instituto de Arte Tear (Art Loom Institute)

Project: Tear de Histórias (Loom of Stories)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://institutotear.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Instituto de Arte Tear has been working since 1980 offering art and education activities to children and teenagers at risk in Tijuca area, one of the city’s neighborhoods with the highest incidence of urban violence. It has a role in mobilizing community to ensure the Rights of Children and Adolescents, in particular the right to culture and education. In 2005, the Institute was recognized as a Culture Point by the Ministry of Culture. The project offered integrated arts workshops with a focus on literature, reading, writing and storytelling, benefiting children and adolescents. Up to date the project reached more than 500 children.
Organization: Associação de Ação e Cidadania Roque de Silva Mota (Action and Citizenship Association Roque de Silva Mota)

Project: Tecnomoda no Semi-Árido (Techno-Fashion in Brazil´s Semi-Arid region)

Location: Tejuçuoca
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Association worked in the municipality of Tejuçuoca to promote the strengthening of rural communities. The Tecnomoda no Semi-Árido project trained 25 youth in the manufacturing of clothing. They were taught design and fashion, with emphasis on the use of the traditional embroidery, creating a collection of clothing that was presented in a fashion show. The project helped to promote regional sustainable development, reinforcing the value of a local cultural tradition.
Organization: Jardim Miriam Arte Clube – JAMAC (Jardim Miriam Art Club)

Project: Um Jardim para o Jardim Miriam (A Garden for Jardim Miriam)

Location: São Paulo
Website: http://www.myspace.com/euamojamac
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

JAMAC is a community center that promotes integration activities and environmental preservation among community residents. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, the residents participated in workshops, lectures, and activities focused on the conservation of the environment. The work resulted in 160 new plants, planted in various parts of the neighborhood. During the workshops, the residents used recycled materials, which beforehand had been discarded as garbage, contributing to a greater

HEALTH

Organization: Rede de Mulheres Produtoras do Pajeú (Network of Woman Producers of Pajeú)

Project: Água limpa, alimento saudável e saúde no quintal de casa (Clean Water, Healthy Food and Health in the Backyard)

Location: Afogados da Ingazeira, Pernambuco
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Água Limpa, Alimento Saudável e Saúde no Quintal de Casa (Clean Water, Healthy Food and Health in the Backyard) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 years (2011)

Residents of Afogados da Ingazeira are poorly nourished and live in un-hygienic conditions. The project intends to stimulate food production in home gardens as a way to promote traditions of self-sufficiency. It also aims at raising awareness about the land and the environment in the new urban setting. About 100 women and their families will benefit from the sustainable food gardens. They will also learn how to make and sell eco-soaps produced from cooking oil collected from local snack bars.
Organization: Sociedade de Amigos da Vila Kennedy (Vila Kennedy Friends Association)

Project: Bate Papo (Let’s Talk)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.savk.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Sociedade de Amigos da Vila Kennedy offers healthcare and educational programs to the low-income population of Vila Kennedy. Among various activities offered by the organization, some are focused women’s and children’s health. In addition, the organization actively participates and influences public policies in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The “Bate Papo” project offered educational workshops about sexual and reproductive health, training 19 teachers and benefiting 233 children/teenagers from 4 public schools in the region.
Organization: Casa de Santa Ana (Saint Ann’s Home)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://casadesantaana.org.br/
Promoção da Saúde do Idoso (The promotion of the Health of the Elder) (2003), Integração Intergeracional (Intergenerational Integration) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Based in the Cidade de Deus (City of God) neighborhood, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Casa de Santa Ana works to improve the quality of life for the elderly, who most often face isolation. The organization focuses on three key areas: the promotion of health, with strategies for prevention and self-care; training workshops for caregivers, to sensitize and empower families and caregivers; and integration among generations, by motivating and encouraging activities to bring generations closer together. Through the support of BrazilFoundation, Casa Santa Ana established an important partnership with the Yale Alumni Chorus, after they made a presentation in the City of God. This partnership has brought encouragement to the Casa de Santa Ana chorus, the “Vozes da Cidade de Deus” (Voices of the City of God) which includes participants from three generations of the community. The partnership also led the project’s chorus to participate in events with other choirs visiting Brazil from countries such as the USA, Canada and New Zealand. In 2010, Casa de Santa Ana was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)*. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova (New Moon Association for Training and Reeducation)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Sorocaba, São Paulo
Website: http://www.luanova.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Lua Nova (New Moon) (2004), Jovem Desafio (Youth Challenge) (2010), and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Associação Lua Nova was established in 2000 in the town of Araçoiaba da Serra, in São Paulo, with the goal of serving young pregnant women who are vulnerable, at-risk, and in extreme poverty. At the Association, the young women and their children receive housing and food, as well as medical, psychological and educational assistance with a focus on strengthening the ties between the mothers and their children. The needs of the young mothers after leaving the Association led to the development of new partnerships, such as the one with Acão Moradia (Housing Action), also a BrazilFoundation grantee, for the construction of affordable houses. The methodology developed by Lua Nova has become highly regarded in Brazil and it has been recognized as “Best Practice” by the Brazilian Secretariat for Human Rights. In 2010 the Association was awarded the Ashoka’s Changemakers prize in the category Social Technology for Women.
Organization: Rede de Mulheres Produtoras do Pajeú (The Network of Women Producers of Pajeú)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Afogados da Ingazeira, Pernambuco
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Água Limpa, Alimento Saudável e Saúde no Quintal de Casa (Clean Water, Healthy Food and Health in the Backyard) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Rede de Mulheres do Pajeú is the result of a project supported by BrazilFoundation in 2009: “Casa da Mulher do Nordeste” (House of the Women from the Northeast). The initiative sought to organize a women’s network to strengthen social, political and economic development of female artisans from the region of Pajeú, in Pernambuco. Through support of the organization, approximately 450 women from the region began selling their handcrafts in street fairs in Afogados and in neighboring towns to increase their families’ income. In 2010, Rede de Mulheres was granted support from BrazilFoundation to diversify their activities through the addition of natural foods production to their current strategies.
Organization: Casa da Criança Paralítica de Campinas (Paralytic Children’s House of Campinas)

Project: Casa Experimental (Experimental House)

Location: Campinas, São Paulo
Website: http://www.ccp.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The Paralytic Children’s House of Campinas has years of experience in the areas of medical, dental and pedagogical support for children with physical and mental disabilities.Its expertise and constant interactions with caretakers and family members, inspired the organization to tackle a new challenge: to offer patients greater autonomy in their day-to-day activities by adjusting therapeutic practices to suit the individual needs of the patient. Through the support of the BrazilFoundation, the organization was able to develop an experimental house entirely adapted for the necessities of the patients so they can learn how to do day-to-day tasks on their own.
Organization: Grupo ASAS – Grupo de Assistência Solidária e Ação Social - (Solidarity Assistance and Social Action Group)

Project: Complexo Maré Saúde (Complexo Maré Health)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The ASAS Group develops sustainable social projects that aim to improve overall health and quality of life in the Complexo da Maré community. The Group also runs a high-quality community vegetable garden in the slum of Maré. The Complexo Maré Health project, with the support of BrazilFoundation, encouraged elderly citizens and other residents, especially those that suffered from diabetes and hypertension, to eat healthy food produced in the garden including the “green juice” – a chlorophyll juice made out of squeezed wheat grass. The project helped to improve the health of the local community. Greater stability in blood pressure levels and decreases in glucose rates were observed among program participants.
Organization: Casa de Santa Ana (Saint Ann’s Home)

Project: da Saúde do Idoso e Integração Intergeracional (The promotion of the Health of the Elder)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.casadesantaana.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Promoção da Saúde do Idoso (The promotion of the Health of the Elder) (2003), Integração Intergeracional (Intergenerational Integration) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Based in the Cidade de Deus (City of God) neighborhood, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, Casa de Santa Ana works to improve the quality of life for the elderly, who most often face isolation. The organization focuses on three key areas: the promotion of health, with strategies for prevention and self-care; training workshops for caregivers, to sensitize and empower families and caregivers; and integration among generations, by motivating and encouraging activities to bring generations closer together. Through the support of BrazilFoundation, Casa Santa Ana established an important partnership with the Yale Alumni Chorus, after they made a presentation in the City of God. This partnership has brought encouragement to the Casa de Santa Ana chorus, the “Vozes da Cidade de Deus” (Voices of the City of God) which includes participants from three generations of the community. The partnership also led the project’s chorus to participate in events with other choirs visiting Brazil from countries such as the USA, Canada and New Zealand. In 2010, Casa de Santa Ana was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)*.

*Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Fundação de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos Margarida Maria Alves (Margarida Maria Alves Foundation for the Defense of Human Rights)

Project: Educação para a Saúde e o Meio Ambiente (Health and Environmental Education)

Location: João Pessoa, Paraíba
Website: http://www.fundacaomargaridaalves.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation:Projetos apoiados pela BrazilFoundation: Espaço Legal (Legal Space) (2004) and Educação para a Saúde e o Meio Ambiente (Health and Environmental Education) (2009)

The right to health implies individual and collective beliefs. To promote this basic right, it is important to be informed of these beliefs. This project was implemented in a community known for its lack of basic services and it consisted of educating the community regarding basic health issues and the environment. As part of the project’s legacy, various action plans were developed, such as a workshop on the production of ecological soap. The battle to build a community balanced on the fundamental principles of human rights and environmental protection empowered community members to articulate the need for public services in these areas.
Organization: ECCO– Associação de Entidades e Amigos do Centro Comunitário do Centro Psiquiátrico Pedro II (ECCO– Friends Association, Community Center, Pedro II Psychiatric Center)

Project: Engenho Cultural Loucura Suburbana (Cultural Mill Suburban Madness)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

In battling against the stigma of mental illness, one community, led by a group of mental health professionals, organized a “bloco de carnaval” (Carnival block or street festival). Through the support of the BrazilFoundation, this group was able to organize a permanent structure for their Carnival block which allowed it to work with mental patients throughout the entire year. The project sought to combat the perceived necessity to keep psychiatric patients in isolation, and contributed to the creation of a friendly coexistence between the hospital patients and members of the community.
Organization: Associação Nacional de Gerontologia (National Association of Gerontology)

Project: Envelhecimento Sem Tropeços (Aging Without Stumbles)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The Association works to develop programs for the elderly population. With BrazilFoundation’s support, the “Envelhecimento Sem Tropeços” project offered special activities to 280 elderly people, aiming to increase their independence, prevent falls, and create a strategy to influence government policy to address the accessibility of public spaces for this age group. As a result, they published a book, in partnership with Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), about Physical Activity and Aging targeting professionals and students in the healthcare industry.
Organization: Lar Escola São Francisco - Centro de Reabilitação

Project: Espalhe Sorrisos (Spread Smiles)

Location: São Paulo, São Paulo
Website: http://www.larescola.com.br/wp/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009 There are barriers to proper dental care for individuals with special needs and financial hardship. These barriers include a lack of training on the part of caretakers, as well as a lack of attention on the part of the patient’s family to the importance of proper oral care. Through this project, a group of health pr

There are barriers to proper dental care for individuals with special needs and financial hardship. These barriers include a lack of training on the part of caretakers, as well as a lack of attention on the part of the patient’s family to the importance of proper oral care. Through this project, a group of health professionals organized a service specifically designed to improve these general conditions, to make the patients aware of the importance of oral health and to train family members and caretakers in oral hygiene techniques to perform on the patient. Related aspects, such as the possible impairment of speech due to poor oral care and proper nutrition, were also addressed.
Organization: Fundação Pró Instituto de Hematologia (Foundation Pro Institute of Hematology)

Project: Jovem Salva-Vidas (Young Life-Savers)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.fundarj.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Institute was created to collaborate with the activities of Hemorio – Arthur da Siqueira Cavalcanti State Institute of Hematology. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the Young Life-Savers project, in partnership with public schools, provided art and education workshops to disseminate information about health and blood donation. As a result, as of December 2009, 3,950 teachers had included the subject of blood donation in their curriculum, 43,961 students had participated in educational activities on the subject, and there was an increase in voluntary blood donation.
Organization: Serviço de Esperança e Incentivo à Vida Agora - Seiva (Service of Hope and Incentive for Life Now)

Project: Levando a Prevenção e Cidadania à População LGBTT (Taking Prevention and Citizenship to the LGBTT People)

Location: Ilha Solteira, Sao Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

This organization has operated for 15 years around issues of HIV/AIDS and sexual diversity in the city of Ilha Solteira, São Paulo, to bring information to the various LGBTT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Transvestite) movements – which are often marginalized, especially in the interior regions of the country. In recent years, due to the increased number of cases of HIV/AIDS and STDs among young members of the LGBTT community, the organization has worked to promote greater integration of adolescents and their families, to prevent new infections, to strengthen citizenship, and to influence public policy in defense of equal rights and respect for sexual orientation. With the support of BrazilFoundation, SEIVA expanded and strengthened discussions on the prevention of AIDS and STDs. The institution has become a reference in LGBTT advocacy and public awareness, replicating the initiative in other municipalities at the invitation of the local government.
Organization: Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova (New Moon Association for Training and Reeducation)

Project: Lua Nova (New Moon)

Location: Sorocaba
Website: http://www.luanova.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Lua Nova (New Moon) (2004), Jovem Desafio (Youth Challenge) (2010), and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Association was established in 2000 in the city of Araçoiaba da Serra, in São Paulo State, with the purpose of serving pregnant young women considered to be at-risk due to vulnerability and extreme poverty. Young women and their children are given shelter and food, as well as medical, psychological and educational assistance to promote mental and social development with a focus on strengthening the ties between mother and child. The needs of the young mothers after leaving the Association led to the development of new partnerships, such as the one with Acão Moradia (Housing Action), also a BrazilFoundation grantee, with professional training workshops on building affordable housing and other professional skills. Lua Nova’s methodology is a point of reference in Brazil and was recognized as “Best Practice” by the National Secretariat of Human Rights. In 2010, the Association received the Ashoka Changemakers Award in the category of Social Technology for Women.
Organization: Nossa Tribo (Our Tribe)

Project: Mais Saúde e Nutrição para o Povo Pankararu (More Health and Nutrition for the Pankararu People)

Location: São Paulo, São Paulo
Website: http://www.nossatribo.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

Originally from the Aldeia Brejo dos Padres, in Pernambuco, the first group of Pankararu Indians went to Sao Paulo in the 1950’s fleeing drought. Since then, the flow of Pankararus between favelas in Sao Paulo and rural villages in Pernambuco has been constant. After contact with city dwellers however, Pankararu children began dying of colds and bellyaches, in the words of the village elders. They wondered why traditional medicine had no further effect. According to FUNASA, the National Foundation for Health, the infant mortality rate among indigenous children is more than twice the national average - many of these deaths are due to pneumonia and malnutrition. Through this project, the Pankararus received assistance with healthcare and child nutrition. In addition, a documentary of the Pankararu people was produced to raise awareness in the community.
Organization: Associação Plantando Paz na Terra (Planting Peace on Earth)

Project: Nutrindo-se com a Comunidade (Self-Nourishment within the Community)

Location: Campinas, São Paulo
Website: http://www.plantandopaznaterra.org.br/novo/entrada.htm
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Associação Plantando Paz na Terra develops social and environmental programs in the areas of education, research, and the development of deprived areas in Campinas. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, the project “Nutrindo-se com a Comunidade” held workshops on hygiene, conservation, and the preparation of food produced in community gardens by 20 women of the Vila Brandina slum. In addition to the revitalization of the area, 20 families benefited directly from the production of vegetables, and the project helped to legalize the occupation of public land by the Association.
Organization: Grupo Vida (Life Group)

Project: Orientação a Familiares de Idosos Dependentes (Counseling to Families of Dependent Seniors)

Location: Barueri, São Paulo
Website: http://www.grupovidabrasil.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

Grupo Vida has worked to defend the rights and citizenship of the elderly since 1997, trying to enhance their quality of life. The activities developed by the organization are focused on physical and mental health, social care, culture, education and sports. With the BrazilFoundation's support, 60 family members and caregivers of physically impaired seniors were trained to deal with the emotional and psychological challenges of their condition. The program received a Social Technology certification in 2007, granted by Banco do Brasil in partnership with UNESCO. This certification recognizes that the program has a replicable methodology that contributes to social transformation. The project benefited 60 elderly people and through the second half of 2010, 335 people were impacted by the program.
Organization: Espaço Terapêutico Antonin Artaud (Antonin Artaud Therapeutic Space)

Project: Os Nômades: Multiplicadores de Cultura Antimanicomial (The Nomads: Movement to Abolish Mental Institutions)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://espacoartaudciadeteatro.blogspot.com/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Espaço Terapêutico Antonin Artaud works in the field of mental health, developing arts and social activities for patients, while also providing clinical support. BrazilFoundation supported the "Multiplicadores de Cultura Antimanicomial” project, enabling the organization to develop a theater group in which patients participated in adapted theatrical performances - an experience that promoted personal development and socialization, and complemented their clinical treatment. In addition, the project provided a course on the effects of psychotropic drugs in people’s daily lives to 150 mental health professionals. The organization received the “Selo Cultura Viva” award, given by the Ministry of Culture in 2006, and the theater group was approved as a Point of Culture by the State Secretariat of Culture of the city of Rio de Janeiro in 2011.
Organization: Associação dos Municípios do Baixo-Sul da Bahia – AMUBS (Association of the Municipalities of Baixo Sul da Bahia)

Project: Programa de Educação Afetivo-Sexual– PEAS (Program for Sex Education)

Location: Baixo Sul da Bahia
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2002

In 2002 the Association sought to develop public policies in the areas of health, education and welfare in Baixo Sul da Bahia. One of the programs offered by the Institution was the “Program for Sex Education” which consisted of educating the local youth on topics such as teen pregnancy, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, child prostitution, and sex tourism. Trained by doctors, social workers and educators, the young project participants acted as peer-educators reaching out to the various communities in the region. They distributed informational pamphlets and held educational lectures, among other activities. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the project reached youth in the 11 districts that make up the Baixo Sul da Bahia region, one of the poorest regions of the state despite its natural beauty and great tourism potential.
Organization: Movimento de Mulheres em São Gonçalo (Women’s Movement of São Gonçalo)

Project: Promotores da vida: adolescentes construindo uma sexualidade saudável, responsável e planejada (Promoters of Life: Adolescents for Healthy, Responsible and Planned Sexuality)

Location: São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.movimentomulheressg.com.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

The high rates of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers in São Gonçalo are alarming. The project will take debates on issues of sexuality to public schools, emphasizing sexual and reproductive rights through seminars and discussion groups. Three hundred children and adolescents will be involved in the project. They will be prepared to learn and share their knowledge with families and neighbors. Detected cases of violence will be sent to child protection centers.
Organization: Instituto Movere de Ações Comunitárias (Movere Institute of Community Action)

Project: Qualidade de Vida de Crianças e Adolescentes Obesos (Quality of Life for Obese Children and Teenagers)

Location: São Paulo
Website: http://www.institutomovere.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The Movere Institute provides assistance to low-income obese children and teenagers who depend on public health services provided by Santa Casa de Misericórdia of São Paulo. The main goal is to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents, through changes in their lifestyle, behavior, and eating habits. With the resources provided by BrazilFoundation, Santa Casa de Misericórdia offered monitored physical activities, nutritional education, familial counseling, and clinical, psychological and nutritional laboratory follow-up tests to a group of 82 children. The program was monitored to verify the efficiency of each exercise and to develop a program to reduce juvenile obesity. The results of this experiment enabled the creation of a specific methodology to be adopted as public policy. The Movere Institute signed a partnership with the City Department of Education to replicate this methodology in 44 schools around the city.
Organization: Instituto Joazeiro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (Joazeiro Institute of Sustainable Development)

Project: Saúde que se Planta (Health that you Plant)

Location: Fortaleza, Ceara
Website: http://www.institutojoazeiro.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

This project was developed in a community on the periphery of Fortaleza, where most families live precariously. The poor conditions are largely associated with the lack of public health and sanitation programs, which have led to a high rate of dermatological illnesses within the community. Through the project, low-income Afro-Brazilian women were taught to use and cultivate medicinal plants in order to prevent and reduce the prevalence of these diseases in children. The program was able to mitigate the vulnerabilities of community members and significantly reduce the incidence of skin diseases by promoting health and prevention tactics. Effective management, visibility, and recognition came naturally, and community participation grew steadily. The organization received the “Prêmio Fundação do Brasil de Tecnologia Social” (Fundação do Brasil Award for Social Technology) in 2009 in recognition of their work, which allowed them to establish nutrition centers in several of Fortaleza’s impoverished communities.
Organization: Terra Viva - Centro de Desenvolvimento Agroecológico do Extremo Sul da Bahia (Live Earth – Agroecological Development Center in Southern Bahia)

Project: Sistemas Independentes de Promoção da Saúde (Independent Systems for the Promotion of Healthcare)

Location: Itamaraju
Website: http://www.centroterraviva.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Terra Viva was founded in 1991 and promotes environmental protection and sustainable development in order to strengthen family agriculture in the region. The objective of the project supported by BrazilFoundation was to train the population and provide strategic technical assistance for the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, and medicinal plants, aiming to improve quality of life and reduce the incidence of the infectious diseases in impoverished rural communities in southern Bahia. As a result, the production and consumption of vegetables increased while the incidence of disease decreased. Five communities are now supported by Terra Viva, and the vegetables and fruits produced have been incorporated into school meals.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Organization: Viva Rio

Project: Agentes de Direito (Legal Advocates)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.vivario.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

Viva Rio was founded in 1993 and has programs in the areas of human rights, public safety, community development, education, sports and environment. The organization reaches out to the population of slums and other poor communities in Rio de Janeiro, partnering with local grassroots organizations in order to curb violence. The Legal Advocates project contributed to facilitate the access of legal information among low-income communities, raising the local population's awareness of their rights and obligations. BrazilFoundation's support enabled the development of local leaders to spread information about social, civil, economic and cultural rights.
Organization: Associação de Apoio ao Projeto Quixote

Project: Atendimento a Crianças e Adolescentes em Situação de Risco (Assistance to Children and Adolescents in High Risk Situations)

Location: São Paulo
Website: http://www.projetoquixote.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Atendimento a Crianças e Adolescentes em Situação de Risco (2005), Moinhos de Luz (Windmills of Light) (2006)

The Quixote Project began in 1996 in the Department of Psychiatry of the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) to create a different approach to the issue of drug use among children and youth at risk. The institution believes in art and education as alternative ways to help these children overcome problems such as violence, abandonment, and drug abuse. The project support by BrazilFoundation offered graffiti workshops to these children and helped disseminate the culture of graffiti within the community. Nowadays the Institution offers weekly workshops and professional training in graffiti. In 2006 the organization received another grant to the project “Moinhos de Luz” and they produced two documentaries.
Organization: Centro de Defesa dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente de Ijuí (Center for the Defense of the Rights of the Child and Youth of Ijuí)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Cri-Ação Gepeto (Cre-action Gepeto) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Center was founded in 1999 to serve children and youth in socially vulnerable situations and/or in conflict with the law through programs and socio-educational projects. The project Cri-Ação Gepeto, a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005, has developed carpentry workshops and created various partnerships, benefiting over 200 children. The Center seeks to change the lives of children and youth with integration, respect and dignity, by showing them that each person is responsible for their own actions and their own future.
Organization: Thydewa

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Salvador, Bahia
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Índio quer Paz (The Indians Want Peace) (2004) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Founded in 2002, the Organization’s goal is to promote intercultural dialogue to reduce prejudice and violence. Thydewa was a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004, with the project Indio quer Paz, which developed activities in schools to promote understanding and respect towards the indigenous people. Since then, the Organization has received several awards in the field of Human Rights, developed partnerships with the Brazilian government, local indigenous organizations and international organizations. The organization became a Pontão de Cultura (Distinguished Point of Culture)* in 2010 and has won the Prêmio de Cultura Digital (Digital Culture Award), granted by the Braziian Ministry of Culture, for the use of new information and communications technologies for the benefit OF indigenous rights and cultural preservation. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação Barraca da Amizade (The Friendship Tent Association)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Fortaleza, Ceará
Website: http://www.barracadaamizade.com/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Reviver (Awakening) (2009)

A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009, the Association focuses on the support of youth and children who face sexual exploitation in the town of Fortaleza and works to grant them access to their rights. The project became a best practice in Fortaleza and the Association was invited to participate in the revision of the National Plan to Combat Sexual Exploitation in 2010.
Organization: Grupo Origem (Origin Group)

Project: Caixa de Pandora (Pandora Box)

Location: Olinda, Pernambuco
Website: http://www.aleitamento_materno.blogger.com.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Grupo Origem works to defend women’s rights, empowering groups of women and training health professionals to assist women and assure the protection of their rights. The Caixa de Pandora project, with support of BrazilFoundation, trained 23 technicians from the public health system in humane and sensitive approaches to the treatment of women. Workshops covering topics such as sexuality, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual and reproductive rights were offered to 20 women with psychological disorders.
Organization: Associação dos Profissionais do Sexo do Vale do Itajaí (APROSVI) (Sex Workers Association, Vale do Itajaí (APROSVI)

Project: Cidadania LGBT: Essa Garantia Começa por Você! (LGBT Citizenship: This Guarantee Starts with You!)

Location: Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina
Website: http://ong-aprosvi.blogspot.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

Equal access to justice, social services, and care for one’s emotional health, is the right of every citizen. As this movement battles against homophobia, it also seeks to reduce the void between sex workers and full citizenship. This association brings resources together in the struggle against homophobia and for the attainment of full citizenship, but has yet to overcome certain institutional challenges.
Organization: Centro de Estudos, Pesquisa e Prevenção da Violência Doméstica contra Crianças e Adolescentes (Center for Study, Research and Prevention of Domestic Violence Against Children and Adolescents)

Project: Crescer sem Violência (Growing up without Violence)

Location: Florianópolis, Santa Catarina
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The center Crescer sem Violência, in partnership with the Federal University of Santa Catarina, works to increase awareness about violence against children and adolescents. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the project Crescer sem Violência held clothing "customization" (artisan technique that transforms clothes with unfashionable designs) workshops for young girls and women who live in a shelter and have been victims of domestic violence. It helped to develop creativity, to increase the women’s self-esteem, and to generate income.
Organization: Centro de Defesa dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente de Ijuí

Project: Criação Gepeto (Gepeto Creation)

Location: Ijuí
Website: www.projetos.unijui.edu.br/cededicai
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Cri-Ação Gepeto (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 years (2011)

The Center for the Defense of Childrens and Adolescents Rights of Ijuí offers psychosocial and educational programs to children and teenagers who have broken the law and are on probation and doing community service. The project Cri-ação Gepeto aims to rescue the meaning of citizenship through the production of wooden toys and the learning of cooperative values. With the support of BrazilFoundation, over 200 children were able to participate in workshops and learn to produce wooden toys. The project represented an opportunity for reintegration into their social environments and for generating income.
Organization: Coletivo Leila Diniz - Ações de Cidadania e Estudos Feministas (Leila Diniz Collective: Civic Participation Actions and Feminist Studies)

Project: Cultura revirando as estruturas de violência (Culture for Overcoming the Structures of Violence)

Location: Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
Website: http://coletivoleiladiniz.org/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

The project’s goal is to combat gender discrimination and to promote a culture of gender equality in Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, and a city with high rates of violence against women. Through seminars, workshops and informational activities, the project seeks to bring new cultural standards to light through work with 25 female community leaders, 400 students and young artists.
Organization: Associação das Mulheres de Nazaré da Mata (Nazaré da Mata Womens Association)

Project: Dando a Volta por Cima (Bouncing Back)

Location: Nazaré da Mata, Pernambuco
Website: http://www.amunam.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Associação das Mulheres de Nazaré da Mata is a group comprised mainly of female rural workers in the municipality of Zona da Mata, Pernambuco. The organization enables women to participate in political decisions, and to defend their own rights in a society where men’s voices predominate. The Association promotes programs that address the prevention of domestic violence, sex education, and gender equality, as well as cultural activities such as traditional folk dance. The “Dando a Volta por Cima” project offered programs on preventing sexual violence and child labor to 100 young people. The project used traditional dances from the region as a means of integrating children into a supportive social environment and re-establishing an emotional connection to their families and heritage.
Organization: Associação Brasileira Terra dos Homens (Men Land Brazilian Association)

Project: De volta pro meu Aconchego (Back to my Refuge)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.terradoshomens.org.br/pt-BR/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Since 1997, the Associação Brasileira Terra dos Homens has been reintegrating families, through a network of institutions that work with the street population to reintegrate children and young people to their family through a gradual and professional manner. Data provided by the organization confirms the success of intervention: 80% of the children and teenagers who return to their families do not go back to the streets. The project supported by BrazilFoundation enabled 26 children and adolescents and their families to receive psychosocial assistance. The organization created partnerships with schools in order to motivate these children to go back to their families and to the school. The methodology was validated and published to teach the method, tools and results. This was important to disseminate the knowledge among professionals that work in this area and also to mobilize partners and sponsors.
Organization: Associação de Trabalhadores em Ofícios Vários, Carroceiros e Catadores de Material Reciclável - Atracar

Project: Educação e Cultura para Crianças e Adolescentes (Education and Culture for Children and Adolescents)

Location: Gravataí
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Atracar is an organization of waste collectors that develops actions to train and organize workers and their children. It is common that children of waste collectors spend part of their day with their parents in the dumps, collecting trash. The project "Education and Culture for Children and Adolescents" supported by BrazilFoundation in 2005 provided educational and cultural services to 58 children and adolescents in the community. Originally scheduled to last six months, the grant allowed the project to last more than one year and enabled the training of a group of children as handcrafters. A cultural center was also created where children could play while their parents received professional training. In 2009 the organization received the Human Rights Award in the Fighting Poverty category.
Organization: Instituto Vida e Esperança (Institute of Life and Hope)

Project: Educar para Prevenir a Violência (Education to Prevent Violence)

Location: Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The institute was founded in 2007, with the objective of consolidating and organizing activities for prisoner populations that were already in place in voluntary form in the penitentiaries of Rio Grande do Norte. The purpose of this project was to give structure to, strengthen, and humanize a social protection net, composed of civic and non-governmental organizations, to prevent criminal recidivism on the part of adolescents. With an emphasis on education, on the creation of opportunities, and a performance strategy built-in, the project achieved efficiency and effectiveness. Through the technical support of the BrazilFoundation, the organization created partnerships with other institutions that strengthened its actions, and allowed it to expand its work to other locations.
Organization: Juspopuli Escritório de Direitos Humanos (Juspopuli – Human Rights Office)

Project: Escritórios Populares de Mediação de Conflitos e Orientação sobre Direitos (Peoples’ Offices for Conflict Mediation and Rights Counseling)

Location: Salvador, Bahia
Website: http://www.juspopuli.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Juspopuli is an organization created in 2001 in Salvador with the objective to promote citizenship by providing counseling services and mediation to the population and consulting services to public and non-governmental organizations. The organization is recognized nationally and it was indicated by the Human Rights Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic as a reference for other projects in Brazil. With the support of BrazilFoundation, it was possible to train neighborhood leaders to work in mediating conflicts, to improve local infrastructure, to expand its operations, to systematize the experience and to expand partnerships. Nowadays there are ten offices in poor communities in the outskirts of Salvador.
Organization: Serviço Ecumênico de Militância nas Prisões – SEMPRI (Ecumenical Advocacy Services in Prisons)

Project: Família de Preso - Cidadania Castigada (Prisoner´s Family: Civil Rights’ Punished)

Location: Recife
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

The organizations works for the humanization of Pernambuco’s prisons and for the access of prisoners and their families to justice and citizenship. The institution conducts seminars to inform the public and monitors the implementation of prison policy. With BrazilFoundation's support, the project trained human rights advocates, chosen among families of prisoners, to monitor the penitentiary system and advice prisoners and their relatives about their rights and obligations. By creating a public forum, the organization plans to reduce the level of abuse and the practice of torture in Pernambuco's prisons. The project also established a system for the reporting of torture and other inadequate treatment in the state’s prisons.
Organization: Centro de Documentação e Informação Coisa de Mulher (Center of Information and Documentation for the Women)

Project: Feminização da Pobreza, da Violência e da AIDS (Women in Prison - Poverty, Violence and HIV)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.coisademulher.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

Coisa de Mulher was created in 1994 by Afro-American and feminist women and acts to guarantee and to protect women’s rights. The Center conducts studies about gender equality, maintains informational programs about sexual and reproductive health to imprisoned or formerly imprisoned women. With BrazilFoundation's support, the project Women in Prison has promoted the reintegration of currently and formerly imprisoned women into their communities through professional development courses and activities that raise awareness of their civil rights. The project's goal was also to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among prisoners, their families and women who work in prisons.
Organization: Instituto Transformance: Cultura e Educação (Transformance Institute: Culture and Education)

Project: Grito do Futuro (Shout Out to the Future)

Location: Eldorado dos Carajás, Pará
Project suppported by BrazilFoundation: Grito do Futuro (Shout Out to the Future) (2008) and Grito do Futuro (Shout Out to the Future) (2009)

Human Rights debates brought to discussion the need for reparation for the descendents of the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre. In 2008, with a BrazilFoundation Incentive Award, the institute helped to honor the memory of the massacre, through study, documentation, and recognition of the event as a symbol of Brazil’s agrarian plight. In 2009, with the second installment of the grant, the organization continued its work with landless communities in Pará, by training leaders and educators to promote human rights principles and the dissemination of the community’s history.
Organization: Instituto Transformance: Cultura e Educação (Institute Transformance: Culture and Education)

Project: Grito do Futuro (Shout Out to the Future)

Location: Eldorado dos Carajás, Pará
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Grito do Futuro (Shout Out to the Future) (2008), Grito do Futuro (Shout of the Future) (2009)

The town of Eldorado dos Carajás in Pará experienced one of the most tragic massacres of the country’s history in 1996. In a clash between protesters from the Movement of Landless Rural Workers and the police, several workers were brutally murdered. The date of the massacre, April 17, became the National Day of Struggle for Agrarian Reform. The Institute carries out artistic and educational activities with communities of landless workers in Pará, made up mostly of migrants and families in extreme poverty. In one of these communities, educators and the young people were brought together to develop cultural projects focusing on human rights, which would later be integrated into the curriculum of local schools. Additionally, they were trained in leadership and organized a forum that included other social organizations. The memory of the tragedy in 1996 was the catalyst for these actions.
Organization: Instituto de Ecocidadania Juriti (The Institute for Ecocitizenship of Juriti)

Project: Grupo de Apoio à Família do Adolescente em Liberdade Assistida – GAF (The Support Group for Families of Youth Offenders)

Location: Juazeiro do Norte
Website: http://www.juritionline.hpg.com.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Instituto de Ecocidadania Juriti works to promote sustainable development through social inclusion and environment preservation. The Grupo de Apoio à Família do Adolescente em Liberdade Assistida Project is part of the Human Rights program, intended for the families of youth who have run into conflict with the law. With the support of BrazilFoundation, workshops, which were extended to the families, were offered, with a focus on supplementing the family income. The city of Juazeiro do Norte adopted the project as a public policy.
Organization: Thydêwá

Project: Índio Quer Paz (Indigenous People Want Peace)

Location: Pau Brasil
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Índio quer Paz (Indigenous People Want Peace) (2004) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011)

Founded in 2002 in Bahia with the objective of promoting intercultural dialogue to reduce prejudice and violence, Thydêwá was supported by BrazilFoundation in 2004 with the “Indio quer Paz” project, which developed school-based activities to the increase awareness of and respect for indigenous cultures in the region. Since then, Thydêwá has received various awards in the area of Human Rights, and attained partnerships with Ministries, local indigenous associations, and international organizations. It became a “Point of Culture*” in 2010, and won the Digital Culture Award, given by the Ministry of Culture, for using new communication technologies in the struggle for the rights and preservation of the indigenous culture.

* Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação de Amigos e Familiares de Pessoas em Privação de Liberdade (Association of Friends and Family of People Deprived of their Liberty)

Project: Justiça para além das grades (Justice Beyond Prison Walls)

Location: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Today there are a total of 12,000 incarcerated people in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais. Prisoners and their family members often report torture and mistreatment to the Association. This project will extend legal assistance to 337 participating families, informing them of their rights. The Association will forward complaints to human rights defense services. Through data generated during the project, they also hope to influence public policy.
Organization: Associação de Apoio ao Projeto Quixote (Quixote Project Support Association)

Project: Moinhos de Luz (Windmills of Light)

Location: São Paulo, São Paulo
Website: http://www.projetoquixote.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Atendimento a Crianças e Adolescentes em Situação de Risco (2005), Moinhos de Luz (Windmills of Light) (2006)

The Quixote Project started in 1996 in the Department of Psychiatry at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) to devise a different approach to the issue of drug use among at-risk children and youth. The institution believes in art and education as alternative ways to help these children overcome problems such as violence, abandonment, and drug abuse. The project support by BrazilFoundation in 2005 offered graffiti workshops to these children and helped disseminate the culture of graffiti among the community. In 2006 the organization received another grant to the project Moinhos de Luz. This project offered technical and educational training to youths coming from FEBEM and indirectly involved about 40 children and young people. The result was the production of two documentaries based on the work in the region of Cracolândia, including graffiti workshops, capoeira, and theater, among other activities.
Organization: Centro das Mulheres da Vitória de Santo Antão (The Center for Women of Vitória de Santo Antão)

Project: Mulheres Raspadeiras de Mandioca Lutando pelo Desenvolvimento Local (Cassava Milling Women FFighting for Local Development)

Location: Vitória de Santo Antão, Pernambuco
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The production of cassava flour is one of rural Pernambuco’s principal economic activities. Cassava is brought in from various other northern states to the flour houses of Pernambuco. The houses operate under precarious working conditions, often committing grave human rights violations, particularly in terms of worker safety regulations, and without any kind of formal registration. The Center was founded in 1988 with the objective of developing projects to prevent violence and combat discrimination, and to address the lack of opportunities for rural women. The organization is also responsible for the creation of municipal councils across Pernambuco’s rural areas. Today, the Center offers advising and training services to local civil society groups to enable their participation in the spheres of social service and public policy. Through this project these women initiated a movement to change these conditions by achieving local government representation as entrepreneurs.
Organization: Grupo Mulher Maravilha – GMM (Group Wonder Woman)

Project: Oficina de Direitos – Uma Campanha de Acesso à Justiça (Workshop of Rights – Access to Justice Campaign)

Location: Recife, Pernambuco
Website: http://gmulhermaravilha.blogspot.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

This group has been in operation in the municipalities of Recife and Afogados da Ingazeira since 1975, assisting women in the rural areas and maroon settlements of the Pajeú region, in Pernambuco – one of the Brazilian states with the highest rate of violence against women. Despite the Maria da Penha law, which guarantees the rights of women in Brazil, its effective implementation depends on the knowledge and ability of those subject to its protection. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the group contributed to this process by establishing young women as peer educators to provide information about this law.The main benefactors from the project have been Afro-Brazilian women from maroon settlements who are at social risk due to gender, race and socio-economic factors.
Organization: Instituto Ambiental Cafundó (Cafundó Environmental Institute)

Project: Plantando Cidadania (Engendering Engaged Citizens)

Location: Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Instituto Ambiental Cafundó works in environmental education, sustainable management, and environmental conservation in the municipality of Cachoeiro do Itapermirim in Espirito Santo. The organization partnered with schools, public entities, and other institutions to improve the quality of life in the community. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the “Plantando Cidadania” project trained 9 prisoners of Monte Líbano prison to become gardeners. The goal was to increase the number of seedlings replanted and to prepare the prisoners for this type of work after they complete serving their sentences.
Organization: Associação Comunitária dos Moradores da Caponga da Bernarda (Caponga da Bernarda Residents Association)

Project: Plantando Sonhos, Colhendo Realidades (Planting Dreams, Harvesting Realities)

Location: Aquiraz, Ceará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Associação Comunitária dos Moradores da Caponga da Bernarda works together with public authorities to implement the Eradication of Child Labor Program (PETI) in the municipality of Aquiraz, Ceará. The Association was recognized as a Child-friendly entity by the City Department of Social Welfare. With the support of BrazilFoundation, 30 children were removed from working in the sugar cane fields to regularly attend school, tutoring classes and other after-school activities.
Organization: Centro de Defesa da Criança e Adolescente Yves de Roussan – CEDECA (Yves de Roussan Center for the Defense of the Child and Adolescent)

Project: Projeto Farol - Prevenção à Violência Sexual nas Escolas (Project Lighthouse - Preventing Sexual Abuse in Schools)

Location: Salvador, Bahia
Website: http://www.cedeca.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

In 2007, more than 260 boys and girls were sexually abused or exploited in Salvador, Bahia, which is the state with the highest rates of murders of children under 18 years of age. Boys are the main victims of murder, while girls are more vulnerable to sexual violence. The CEDECA has been working since 1991 with the Program for the Defense and Promotion of the Rights of Children, ensuring legal and social protection, prevention, and direct care to children, adolescents and their families. Through this project, training workshops with information on sexual violence against children and adolescents were offered to teachers, students, and parents from three schools located in Salvador. Members of the community's historic center also received guidance on the subject. The partnership with BrazilFoundation enabled the expansion of this initiative for the identification and prevention of sexual violence.
Organization: Geledés - Instituto da Mulher Negra (Geledés – The Afro-Brazilian Women’s Institute)

Project: Promotoras Legais Populares (Popular Public Defenders)

Location: São Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2002

The Institute focuses its work on securing, protecting and expanding the rights of Afro-Brazilian women. Through the Popular Public Defenders project they trained women leaders from poor communities of Sao Paulo in basic legal knowledge so that they could defend their rights as citizens. Project participants have become “popular public defendants”, providing legal assistance to people in the communities where they live. Access to lawyers was virtually nonexistent in these communities on the periphery, where most people don’t know their rights. The support of BrazilFoundation contributed to the formation of new popular public defendants. In addition to classes on theory and practice, the program included talks with law professionals and visits to different government agencies.
Organization: NOVA Pesquisa e Assessoria em Educação (NOVA - Educational Research and Assistance)

Project: Proteção e Responsabilização de Violência contra Crianças e Adolescentes (Protection and Prevention of Violence against Children and Adolescents)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.novapesquisa.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

Since the 1970’s, NOVA Pesquisa e Assessoria em Educação has been developing educational projects in collaboration with popular social movements and public institutions. The organization stands out for its workshops to promote the human rights of children and teenagers among professionals who work directly with them. With support of BrazilFoundation, the project Proteção e Responsabilização de Violência contra Crianças e Adolescentes trained 84 policemen in Rio de Janeiro to provide assistance to children and adolescents who have been victims of violence.
Organization: Rede Brasiliense de Redução de Danos do Distrito Federal

Project: Redução de Danos – Uma Questão de Saúde e Cidadania – A Matter of Health and Civic Engagement)

Location: Brasília, Distrito Federal
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Rede Brasiliense de Redução de Danos do Distrito Federal works with drug users in Brazil’s capital city to reduce the effects of substance abuse. The “Redução de Danos” project offered workshops that targeted drug-users living on the streets. The workshops were conducted by community health agents who were previously drug-users in the same position, and who had been educated on topics such as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Hepatitis C, and racism, and trained on the best methods to approach their target audience.
Organization: Associação Barraca da Amizade (Umbrella of Friendship Association)

Project: Reviver (Revive)

Location: Fortaleza, Ceará
Website: http://www.barracadaamizade.com
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Reviver (Revive) (2009), Projeto BrazilFoundation 10 anos (2011)

This project brought together various professionals who were interested in combatting the problem of child prostitution. This group works with young children and their families, providing psychosocial support and protecting their rights in order to facilitate the children’s reintegration into the family environment. At the same time, school teachers were trained in dealing with this problem on a day-to-day basis. The organization was able to stop the sexual exploitation of 45% of the identified population. Today it is a reference point in working directly with this population in Fortaleza, and works with government agencies to prevent rights violations.
Organization: OCA (OCA - Institute for Care, Treatment, Training and Research in Health, Education and Culture)

Project: Saci-Tererê

Location: Teresópolis
Website: http://www.institutooca.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Saci-Tererê (2005), Saci-Tererê Vai à Escola (2007)

The OCA - which means "house" in the indigenous language Tupi Guarani - operates in the mountainous region of Teresópolis, developing activities that use artistic expression (music, literature, theater, dance) to assist children and adolescents living in socially vulnerable situations and suffering the stigmas and psychosocial consequences of being the children of alcoholic parents. The BrazilFoundation supported the Saci-Tererê project in 2005, which worked with an initial group of 20 children and adolescents, considered to be socially at risk, who participated in a series of artistic activities. The program resulted in a theatrical play, presented at the House of Culture in Teresópolis, and the publishing of the children's book entitled “SACI-Tererê, A HISTORY OF LIFE.” In 2007, the BrazilFoundation also supported "Saci Tererê Goes to School," taking the stage production and book produced by the children to six other schools in the municipality of Teresópolis. In 2006 the organization received the Culture Prize - Note 10 (State Secretariat for Culture of UNESCO and Rio de Janeiro Brazil) and in 2010 was nominated as a Point of Culture.
Organization: Instituto Pombas Urbanas (Urban Doves Institute)

Project: Somos do Circo (We are from the Circus)

Location: São Paulo, São Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The institute develops art projects in poor communities, aiming to strengthen cultural identity and develop the potential of children and adolescents. It is located in the neighborhood of Cidade Tiradentes, in Sao Paulo, one of the largest housing complexes in Latin America. With a population of 350,000 inhabitants, the neighborhood was created as "a depository of people, where workers, slum dwellers and homeless people were placed” in the words of the project coordinator, Adriano Mauriz. There was no infrastructure and the first hospital was opened just a few years back. In this project, circus activities were used to promote the physical, psychological, and emotional development of children and adolescents living in the neighborhood. The support of BrazilFoundation allowed for the manufacturing of materials needed for these activities, the organization of events open to the public, and the presentation of a theatrical piece starring the youth of the community.
Organization: Centro de Articulação Retome a sua Vida (Recover your Life Articulation Center)

Project: Teatro Ação (Theater in Action)

Location: Recife
Website: http://www.retome.org.br/novosite/index.php
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Center works to ensure the rights of children and adolescents in Recife, Pernambuco. Teatro Ação Project, supported by BrazilFoundation, involves art and education activities targeting young people in conflict with the law, in order to develop their creativity and contribute to strengthening their cultural identity. The youth participated in the presentation of theatrical pieces that addressed issues from their own daily lives. Thirty cultural agents were trained through the project, using theater/acting as way to disseminate information.
Organization: Grupo Tortura Nunca Mais (No More Torture)

Project: Tempo de Aprender (Time to Learn)

Location: Salvador, Bahia
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Grupo Tortura Nunca Mais was developed out of the movement against the excesses of the Brazilian military dictatorship. With the political opening of the Brazilian society, the group established and positioned itself as an important national reference in the defense of human rights. The group stands out for its follow-up and tight control to ensure that the rights of the prison population are not overlooked. The project Tempo de Aprender trained six high-school educated prisoners to teach 100 prisoners of the Lemos Britto penitentiary in Salvador. The prisoners were trained on human rights, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and hygiene.
Organization: ABRAÇO – Associação de Rádio Difusão do Amapá

Project: Transformando o Mundo, Reinventando o Futuro (Transforming the World, Reinventing the Future)

Location: Macapá, Amapá
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The ABRAÇO was created in 2001 to democratize communication in the State of Amapá. The organization, led by women, holds seminars and workshops in various community organizations in the city to strengthen community connections. The project “Transformando o Mundo, Reinventando o Futuro” trained 30 women in popular communications to create radio programs and broadcast information about women’s rights in a region of Brazil with high indices of violence against women.

PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT

Organization: Centro de Defesa da Criança e do Adolescente – CEDECA (Center for the Defense of the Child and the Adolescent)

Project: A Defesa do Direito à Educação de Crianças e Adolescentes (In Defense of Children’s and Adolescents’ Rights to Education)

Location: Fortaleza, Ceará
Website: http://www.cedecaceara.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The Center is a human rights organization that monitors children and adolescents rights violations of the action or omission of public authorities. Through civil actions, the organization ensures that governments fulfill their constitutional obligations. Through the project, children from two low-income communities on the outskirts of Fortaleza, neighborhoods with high levels of violence, were trained about their rights. Complaints of human rights violations against children in the region were filed. The support of BrazilFoundation enabled the defense of education as a fundamental right.
Organization: Grupo Ação Ecológica Novos Curupiras

Project: Acalanto – Incubadora de Desenvolvimento Sócio-Ambiental (Acalanto – Incubator for Socio-Environmental Development)

Location: Ananindêua – Pará
Website: http://www.novoscurupiras.org.br/index.php
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Grupo Ação Ecológica Novos Curupiras has been working since 1990 to promote the sustainable development of Amazonian populations, offering training workshops in environmental education, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism. The organization acts strongly with extractive populations, especially in the archipelago of Marajo, in the State of Pará. It has twice been elected to represent environmental groups in the northern region with a seat on the National Environment Council (CONAMA) of the Ministry of Environment. The Acalanto project implemented a socio-environmental incubator, to train and empower civil society organizations that aim to generate income and to value art, popular culture and science.
Organization: União Xerente Smizawi (União Xerente Union)

Project: Agricultura Indígena Sustentável (Sustainable Indigenous Agriculture)

Location: Tocantínia, Tocantins
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

An indigenous community facing serious subsistence problems sought to implement organic farming and irrigation techniques. The organization and its technician, however, found these plans to be unviable as they did not incorporate the actual necessities of the tribe. This resulted in the cancellation of the project.
Organization: Associação de Moradores e Produtores da Reserva Extrativista Chico Mendes (The Association of Residents and producers of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve)

Project: Agroecologia e Cultura (Culture and Agro-ecology)

Location: Assis Brasil
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Chico Mendes Association of Extractive Reserve Residents and Workers was created to disseminate new opportunities to encourage local development and sustainable production. Through the Agro-ecology and Culture project, supported by BrazilFoundation, the association opened a cultural space in the city of Assis, to disseminate and encourage agricultural techniques and the mode of interacting with the environment that existed prior to the exploitation of rubber. The project also implemented a demonstration site for farming techniques, where residents would have access to innovations in sustainable techniques such as green fertilization and waste recycling.
Organization: Praticável

Project: Aprendendo Brincando com Nossos Filhos (Learning by Playing with Our Children)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The Praticável organization brings children and teenagers together with their mothers in a space where integration is seen as a path to mitigating the risks they live with on a daily basis. While the mothers work with sewing, children participate in art-education projects. With the BrazilFoundation grant, the work began to take place in a structured space, where women of the community had workshops in cutting fabric, sewing, embroidery and other handicrafts made of cloth to be sold. The work focused on psychosocial assistance and the women had a chance to participate in group discussions guided by psychologists.
Organization: Associação Acordar (Association Waking Up)

Project: Arte de Aprender: Gerando Renda e Cidadania (The Art of Learning - Generating Income and Citizenship)

Location: Belmonte, Santa Catarina
Website: http://www.institutoacordar.org.br/portal
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

Even with no access to sewing machines, low-income seamstresses in this community were producing blankets, coats and other garments using sheep shearing wool donated by local sheep owners. Although the products were completely absorbed by the local market, the informal structure of the local sewing industry was causing a high turnover rate amongst them and it was limiting production. They felt the need to expand their production capabilities. Through the support of BrazilFoundation, they acquired the necessary equipment, and were trained in business management and wool handling techniques. Today, they sell their products at various markets and have significantly increased their income.
Organization: Associação das Artesãs Ribeirinhas de Santarém (The Association of Riverbank Artisans from Santarém )

Project: Artesanato Ribeirinho de Santarém (Santarém Riverbank Crafts)

Location: Santarém
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Association works with low-income women in the Amazon riverbank communities, supporting artisans who create one of Brazil’s most traditional crafts: decorated gourds. The Santarém Riverside Crafts project trained 33 women in business development, packaging, and quality control, and implemented new methods of marketing their products. This work has helped the gourd producers gain access to craft fairs and exhibitions, and increased these artisans’ income. The organization received the “Living School” award from the Ministry of Culture in 2007.
Organization: Casa da Mulher do Nordeste (House of Women of the Northeast)

Project: Articulando em Rede, Tecendo Solidariedade: Acesso a Mercados Justos e Solidários para Construção da Cidadania das Mulheres (Networking and Weaving Solidarity: Access to Fair-trade Markets for Women's Rights)

Location: Afogados da Ingazeira, Pernambuco
Website: http://www.casadamulherdonordeste.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The adverse climate of the semi-arid Northeast and the absence of political structures are among the principal reasons for the social exclusion of a large part of the rural population, especially women. The region of Afogados da Ingazeira has a high rate of rights violations against women. Opportunities for work are scarce, and the average family income is insufficient to cover the most basic needs. As a result, women have developed activities such as the production and sale of artisanal items. The income generated through these activities, although small, contributes significantly to the needs of their households. The House of Women of the Northeast has over 20 years of experience working throughout the state of Pernambuco for the defense of human rights, and the social and economic betterment of women. It has contributed to the creation of a network of female producers of artisanal items as well as agricultural products. Through the House of Women, the local women from the Afogados region developed this project to structure their commercial potential by attaining the skills to manage their products in an autonomous and sustainable manner.
Organization: Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Josué de Castro (Center Josué de Castro for Studies and Research)

Project: Assentamento Nova Canaã (Nova Canaã Settlement)

Location: Tracunhaém
Website: http://www.josuedecastro.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

Founded in 1979, the Josué de Castro Center aims to contribute to strengthening democracy from the perspective of access to human rights through research and social intervention. Nova Canaã Rural Settlement families implemented, with the support of BrazilFoundation, a system of harvesting fish in artificial ponds, a social technology that contributed to better nutrition and income generation in the community, as well as the reuse of rainwater.
Organization: Associação de Artesãos Ateliê de Idéias – Artidéias (Artisans Association Ideas Atelier)

Project: Banco Bem – Dignidade às Moradias (Good Bank - Dignity in Housing)

Location: Vitória, Espírito Santo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

Artidéias relies on community solidarity to create new jobs and generate income to help reduce poverty in communities in Vitória, in the state of Espírito Santo. The organization is composed by a group of artisans and it offers training workshops and proposes ways to facilitate the entry of products into the market. The project Banco Bem, allowed the implementation of an innovative initiative that offered credit to 15 families, enabling them to construct and repair their homes. The loans had low interest rates and no bureaucracy and the families were trained to build their houses using low-cost techniques and to count on collaborative work.
Organization: Centro de Agricultura Alternativa Vicente Nica – CAV (Vicente Nica Center for Alternative Agriculture – CAV)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Turmalina, Minas Gerais
Website: http://www.cavjequi.org/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Fortalecimento da Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares (Strengthening Family Farmer’s Market) (2007), Fortalecimento da Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares de Veredinha (Strengthening Veredinha’s Family Farmer’s Market) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The exodus of rural families in search of better living conditions was a common challenge faced by the residents of the Jequitinhonha Valley. Founded in 1994, the organization’s goal is to support local farmers and their families by encouraging alternative and sustainable farming practices so they can live in harmony with the local natural resources. The farmers actively participate in the Center’s activities, from planning, through management and execution. BrazilFoundation support was an important step for the Center to become recognized as a leader in the movement for small farmers throughout the region to gain market access. Through the development of market access, a channel for selling goods was opened, which has been improving the lives of the farmers and strengthening their ties with the land. After BrazilFoundation’s support in 2007, the number associated farmers with CAV rose from 35 to 76.
Organization: Associação de Paraplégicos de Uberlândia – APARU (The Association of Paraplegics of Uberlandia)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Uberlândia, Minas Gerais
Website: http://www.aparu.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Qualificando para Empregar (Qualifying to Employ) (2003 and 2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Founded in 1979, APARU is an organization established and led by people with physical disabilities for the defense of humanrights and the improvement of the quality of life of the disabled. In 2003, BrazilFoundation supported the project Qualificando para Empregar, which is now in its seventh year. The project has helped to employ 354 people with physical disabilities. APARU has had a strong role in adapting the city of Uberlândia for people with disabilities. Some of its projects are nationally known, such as the campaign ”Uberlândia Without Barriers” and the proposition to make the interstate public transportation accessible to people with reduced mobility. Currently, APARU is working in partnership with the local authorities and it is developing campaigns for athletes with disabilities as well as awareness campaigns against discrimination. In 2010, APARU received the Human Rights award in the category ”Guarantee of the Rights of People with Disabilities”, granted by the Human Rights Secretariat of the Brazilian President.
Organization: Ação Moradia (Action Housing)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Uberlândia, Minas Gerais
Website: http://acaomoradia.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Tijolos Ecológicos (Ecological Bricks) (2003), Tijolos Ecológicos – Sistematizando para Multiplicar (Ecological Bricks – Creating a system to Multiply) (2006), Construção Cidadã (Citizenship contruction) (2007) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Ação Moradia was founded in 2000 with the goal of improving the quality of life of at-risk families through the construction of affordable houses built with ecological bricks. Through its methodology, families make their own eco-bricks and build their own homes, which strengthens family and community ties. Currently, Ação Moradia has developed community enterprises, projects to secure food for the community and to steer community engagement. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2006, the organization has had national and international recognition and it has served over 2800 families. Acão Moradia’s eco-brick technology has been adopted by two other BrazilFoundation grantees, Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova and Banco Bem.
Organization: Centro de Educação Popular e Formação Social – CEPFS (Center for Popular Education and Social Formation)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Teixeira, Paraíba
Website: http://www.cepfs.org/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Convivência com a Realidade Semi-árida (Living with with the Semi-arid Reality) (2006), Difusão de Tecnologias para Segurança Hídrica no Semi-árido (Dissemination of Technologies to Secure Water in the Semi-Arid) (2008) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The CEPFS seeks to promote development through knowledge transfer and the production and diffusion of social, environmental and social technologies in order to achieve sustainable development in the Brazilian semiarid region. The organization encourages community participation, to empower local families so they are able to change their own reality. CEPFS was a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006 and in 2008. In 2007, the project received a donor advised grant from BrazilFoundation for the project “Água para a Vida” (Water for Life). The organization has received many awards as well as national and international recognition, such as the Prize von Martius for Sustainability, sponsored by the German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the accreditation of a CEPFS coordinator as a “ Social Entrepreneur of Ashoka” in 2008. CEPFS is a Brazilian best practice in the field of Environmental Technologies.
Organization: Coletivo Ação Juvenil de Tucano (Tucano’s Youth Action Collective)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Tucano, Bahia
Project supported by BrazilFoundation: Participação Juvenil no Orçamento Municipal (Youth Participation in Municipal Budget ) (2009) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Group was founded in 2004 with the goal of training young leaders for work with public policy on youth related issues in the region. A BrazilFoundation grantee on 2009, the project Participação Juvenil organized youth participation and involvement in the Municipality’s budget. The action resulted in several amendments to guarantee municipal budgetary allocations for sports, culture, education and income generation for youth.
Organization: Movimento de Mulheres Nordeste Paraense (Women’s Movement of the Northeast of Para)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Capanema, Pará
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Mulheres Protagonistas do Desenvolvimento (Women as Protagonists of Development) (2006) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

In 1997, female workers, members of a maroon settlement from a riverbank region joined together to confront the culture of violence against women, and to promote the recognition of women’s rights, while generating concrete strategies for the exercise of their rights. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006, the project Mulheres Protagonistas achieved a seat on the Women’s Rights State Council.
Organization: Centro de Educação Comunitária Rural – CECOR (Center for Rural Community Education- CECOR)

Project: Brotinhos do riacho olho d’água (Little Sprouts from Riacho Olho D’Água)

Location: Serra Talhada, Pernambuco?
Website: http://www.cecor.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Along the banks of the Riacho Olho D'Água river, families suffer the consequences of environmental degradation. The project intends to raise awareness of environmental issues through coordinated local efforts to plant trees. The project will work with 72 families, 17 teachers and over 1000 students on environmental protection. A handbook will be produced and six teenagers will be trained as leaders conducting informational meetings with members of the community about environmental issues.
Organization: Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico do Café – CETCAF (Center for the Development of Coffee Production Technology )

Project: Cafeicultura de Produção Familiar (Family Coffee Farming)

Location: Anchieta
Website: http://www.cetcaf.com.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Center was founded in 1993 with the objective of promoting the development of technologies for coffee production in the Espírito Santo State. With the support of BrazilFoundation the Cafeicultura de Produção Familiar project offered advice to small farmers, who were trained in advanced techniques in soil fertilization without pesticides for the growth, storage and marketing of coffee. It also incentivized the use of grain in the manufacturing of other local food such as cakes, liqueurs, biscuits and sweets, which are produced by women farmers to supplement the family income.
Organization: Instituto Preservar (Preserve Institute)

Project: Capacitação e Geração de Trabalho e Renda em Rizipiscicultura (Training and Income Generation through Rice and Aquaculture)

Location: Viamão
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Institute has a work-training center in the Filhos de Sepé settlement, in the municipality of Viamão, training the local population in the construction of cisterns (water saving tanks) and producing food in an ecologically sustainable manner. The project supported by BrazilFoundation, trained the local population in alternate systems of planting rice and fish farming, using techniques that have minimal impact on the environment and do not employ chemicals or toxins.
Organization: Agência de Desenvolvimento Local do Vale do Médio Curú (ADEL) (ADEL- Agency for the Local Development of the Médio Curú Valley)

Project: Caprinovinocultura: Estruturação e Difusão da Cadeia Produtiva (Structuring and Propagating the Goat and Sheep Meat Production Chain)

Location: Pentecoste, Ceará
Website: http://www.adel.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Célula Social Produtiva (Productive Social Cell) (2008) and Caprinovinocultura: Estruturação e Difusão da Cadeia Produtiva (Structuring and Propagating the Goat and Sheep Meat Production Chain) (2009)

Two young agronomists from the state of Ceará took on the challenge of bringing a community together around an organized and structured production chain. The two had previously been students of the Instituto Coração de Estudante (Student’s Heart Institute), a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2011. Adel’s project trained local goat and sheepherders in modern production techniques, rural management and on the organization of cooperatives and associations. In addition, they built a mini feedlot to increase productivity. In 2010, one of its founders, Francisco Wagner Gomes, was honored with the Prêmio Empreendedor Social de Futuro (Social Entrepreneur of the Future Award), given by the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, in recognition of organization’s work.
Organization: Associação Comunitária dos Agricultores de Canafístula (Community Association of the Canafístula Rural Workers)

Project: Célula Social Produtiva (Productive Social Cell)

Location: Apuiarés, Ceará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

In 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2011 BrazilFoundation supported the Heart of the Student Institute (PRECE), which prepares rural students for the college entrance exam in the state of Ceará. PRECE encourages students to return to their communities after graduation and contribute to their development. The project Célula Social Produtiva is the result of this initiative. It is a partnership between the ADEL- Agência de Desenvolvimento Econômico Local do Médio Curú, (The Local Economic Development Agency) formed by former PRECE graduates and local farmers. Under the coordination of these graduates, cooperative work between small goat and sheep farmers enabled the purchase of necessary equipment to modernize their facilities and increase production. In 2010, one of ADEL’s founders and executive director, Francisco Wagner Gomes, was awarded the Social Entrepreneur of the Future award, given by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, in recognition for the work ADEL has developed in the region.
Organization: SOS Ação Mulher Família de Uberlândia (SOS Action for Women and Family in Uberlândia)

Project: Chegando perto (Getting Close)

Location: Uberlândia, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Silence is one of the greatest challenges in the fight against domestic violence, a crime that affects mainly women. Chegando Perto is a pilot project that will offer psychological, legal, and social assistance to victims of violence at the Basic Family Health Care Center of Uberlândia, which attends about 4,000 patients. It is estimated that 300 women will directly benefit from the project.
Organization: Associação Rural do Chora (Chora Rural Association)

Project: Chora Alegria Beneficiamento do Caju (Benefitting from Cashew)

Location: Santana do Acaraú
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004 (Incentive Award)

Chora Rural Association, founded in 1988, undertakes development activities to generate income and improve the quality of life of rural workers. With resources from BrazilFoundation and technical assistance from Sebrae, the Association revived a small cashew processing plant that was operated by the youth of the Association.
Organization: Sindicato dos Trabalhadores do Serviço Público do Município de Gentio do Ouro – SINDSERV (The Public Service Workers Union of City of Gentio do Ouro)

Project: Cidadania Ativa (Active Citizenship)

Location: Gentio do Ouro, Bahia
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

SINDSERV mobilizes the community to participate in the city's political decisions. The group intends to implement public policies to improve living conditions and quality of life. The Active Citizenship project, supported by the BrazilFoundation, trained 40 community leaders in partnership with two other institutions, to develop instruments of social control and governance and to monitor the preparation and execution of the municipal budget. To help in social mobilization, a community radio station was re-established, in the hopes of encouraging people to attend the local public administration meetings. The project participants gradually assumed important positions in society, particularly within the city, contributing to an improved quality of life for its citizens and the renewed management of community organizations.
Organization: Instituto Amora Carambola (Amora Carambola Institute)

Project: Cidadania em Comunidade Quilombola (Citizenship for Slave Descendants)

Location: Eldorado
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Comunidade Quilombola (Citizenship for Slave Descendants) (Incentive Award 2004), Cidadania em Comunidade Quilombola (Civic Engagement in a Maroon Community (2005)

The Amora Carambola Institute was awarded the Incentive Award from the BrazilFoundation in 2004 to develop an employment training project for young residents of the Maroon settlement Sapatu, in the town of Eldorado. The idea was to train them in banana processing techniques using the structure of an existing production unit in the region. With the support of BrazilFoundation and a partnership with Unicamp University, the Institute trained 30 young people in production management and prepared with the basic skills for activation of the unit, along with lessons on theory and operation of the machinery. Additional support received in 2005, enabled the Institute to buy supplies and fund the costs of the unit in its initial structuring phase. Community mobilization and the empowerment of young people were instrumental in establishing a sustainable model of development in the region.
Organization: Instituto Amora Carambola (Amora Carambola Institute)

Project: Cidadania em Comunidade Quilombola (Civic Engagement in a Slave Descendent Community)

Location: Eldorado
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Comunidade Quilombola (Citizenship for Slave Descendents) (Incentive Award 2004), Cidadania em Comunidade Quilombola (Civic Engagement in a Slave Descendent Community (2005)

The Amora Carambola Institute received the Incentive Award from BrazilFoundation in 2004 to develop a project for the vocational qualification of young residents of the Sapatu Quilombo in the town of Eldorado. The idea was to train them in techniques for processing and commercializing their banana products. With the capabilities of BrazilFoundation and in partnership with State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the Institute trained 30 young people and offered technical assistance to start operating a small production plant. The BrazilFoundation grant made it possible to buy supplies and fund the costs of the project in its initial phase. Today, the plant is operating and already sells banana-based sweets. Youth and community mobilization were key factors in establishing a sustainable model of development in the region.
Organization: Ação Moradia (Action Housing)

Project: Construção Cidadã (Ecological Bricks – Systematizing for Multiplication)

Location: Uberlândia, Minas Gerais
Website: http://acaomoradia.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Tijolos Ecológicos (Ecological Bricks) (2003), Tijolos Ecológicos – Sistematizando para Multiplicar (Ecological Bricks – Creating a system to Multiply) (2006), Construção Cidadã (Citizenship Construction) (2007) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Ação Moradia was founded in 2000 to improve the quality of life for at-risk families by constructing affordable housing through the use of ecological bricks. Through this methodology, families make their own eco-bricks and build their own homes, strengthening both family and community ties. Currently, Ação Moradia has developed community enterprises, and projects to secure food and steer community engagement. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2006, the organization has had national and international recognition, and has served over 2,800 families. Acão Moradia’s eco-brick technology has also been adopted by two other BrazilFoundation grantees, Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova and Banco Bem.
Organization: Centro de Educação Popular e Formação Social – CEPFS (Center for Popular Education and Social Formation)

Project: Convivência com a Realidade Semi-Árida (Living with the Semi-Arid Reality)

Location: Teixeira, Paraíba
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Convivência com a Realidade Semi-árida (Living with with the Semi-arid Reality) (2006), Difusão de Tecnologias para Segurança Hídrica no Semi-árido (Dissemination of Technologies to Secure Water in the Semi-Arid) (2008) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The CEPFS seeks to promote development through knowledge transfer and the production and diffusion of social, environmental and social technologies in order to achieve sustainable development in the Brazilian semiarid region. The organization encourages community participation, to empower local families so they are able to change their own reality. CEPFS was a BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006 and in 2008. In 2007, the project received a donor advised grant from BrazilFoundation for the project “Água para a Vida” (Water for Life). The organization has received many awards as well as national and international recognition, such as the Prize von Martius for Sustainability, sponsored by the German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the accreditation of a CEPFS coordinator as a “ Social Entrepreneur of Ashoka” in 2008. CEPFS is a Brazilian best practice in the field of Environmental Technologies.
Organization: Associação das Mulheres Unidas de Mocambinho

Project: Cozinha Cooperativa (Cooperative Kitchen)

Location: Jaíba, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

The Associação das Mulheres Unidas de Mocambinho was created by women of a rural community in the dry hinterlands of Minas Gerais. At that time, the family farming was the only source of food. The project Cozinha Cooperativa aimed to start selling the local products in regional markets and to integrate the productive chain of the region. With the grant it was possible to train women and young people to manage a cooperative bakery.
Organization: Associação de Moradores do Condomínio e Amigos da Vila Mimosa – Amocavim (Friends and Residents Association of Vila Mimosa)

Project: Damas da Camélia (Ladies of Camélia)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The Friends and Residents Association of Vila Mimosa develops projects and provides services to female sex workers in the community. In the area of health, the organization has achieved significant results in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Currently, the association is diversifying and expanding its area of impact by establishing important partnerships with the Department of Culture and with UNESCO. With BrazilFoundation's support, the association trained 90 women to be tailors and costume designers to work in the carnival industry. The women learned how to create costumes and other clothes. The first products to come from the workshop were carnival costumes for the samba school Acadêmicos do Engenho da Rainha, exhibited at the TEIA, a charity economic meeting organized by the Ministry of Culture.
Organization: Associação dos Assentados da Fazenda Primeiro do Sul (Primeiro do Sul Farm Settlers Association)

Project: Desenvolvimento Socioeconômico e Ambiental da Comunidade Primeiro do Sul (Socio-economic and Environmental Development of the Primeiro do Sul Community)

Location: Campo do Meio, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Associação dos Assentados da Fazenda Primeiro do Sul is located in a region where the majority of small, rural families grow coffee. The project supported by BrazilFoundation improved coffee production in the Primeiro do Sul settlement by teaching growers about modern planting, harvesting, and storage techniques. As a result, they were able to add more value to their product, and thus became competitive in the market, which lead to an increase in the farmers’ income.
Organization: Centro de Trabalhadores da Amazônia – CTA (Center for Amazonian Workers)

Project: Design Solidário (Solidarity Design)

Location: Rio Branco
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

CTA has been working since 1983 to support the communities of the Amazon rainforest. The group develops projects related to the promotion of citizenship, health, education, regional culture, and human rights in various rubber extractor communities. CTA played an important role in securing the recognition of Extractive Reserves and Agroextractivist Settlement, ensuring that these communities have access to their own land. In 2010 the organization received the award from the Government of the State of Acre for 10 years of contributions to local Forestry. The project “Design Solidário” developed a line of handmade products using typical Amazonian seeds, bark, tree trunk, leaves, and vines. The community received technical support from design professionals to create more modern designs and increase their selling potential. The project also helped to reinforce regional cultural traditions.
Organization: Centro de Educação Popular e Formação Social – CEPFS (Center for Popular Education and Social Formation)

Project: Difusão de Tecnologias de Segurança Hídrica no Semi-Árido (Dissemination of Technologies to Secure Water in the Semi-Arid)

Location: Teixeira, Paraiba
Website: http://www.cepfs.org
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Convivência com a Realidade Semi-Árida (Living with Semi-Arid reality) (2006), Difusão de Tecnologias de Segurança Hídrica no Semi-Árido (Dissemination of Technologies to Secure Water in the Semi-Arid) (2008,) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 years (2011).

CEPFS seeks to promote development through knowledge transfer and the production and diffusion of social, environmental and social technologies in order to achieve sustainable development in the Brazilian semiarid region. In 2006, CEPFS received support from BrazilFoundation to build systems for capturing rainwater for families with no access to drinking water, or water of any kind. The cisterns and the training on how to properly manage it has improved the community’s water quality and it has helped to prevent diseases. The organization has won national and international recognition. In 2008, Jose Dias, CEPFS coordinator was accredited as a “Social Entrepreneur of Ashoka.” The new project, supported by BrazilFoundation, trained community leaders, women farmers, students, teachers, and professionals from other organizations to expand, implement and disseminate the technologies developed by the organization in other communities of the semi-arid region.
Organization: Núcleo de Estudos Brasileiros – NEB (NEB - Center for Brazilian Studies)

Project: Direitos para Todos (Rights for Everyone)

Location: Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The NEB was established in 1997 and aims to be an incubator for projects that promote sustainable development among minorities. The “Direitos para Todos” project offered legal advice to residents of the community of Vila Ponta Negra in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte. This project helped to legalize the lands of the Quilombo Acauã (a maroon settlement) for collective use. It also mobilized 290 maroons to form an association and strengthen community bonds.
Organization: Associação de Pequenos Produtores Rurais de Santo Inácio – APRUSI (Small Rural Producers Association of Santo Inacio)

Project: Doce Cidadania (Sweet Citizenship)

Location: Catas Atlas da Noruega
Projects supoorted by BrazilFoundation: Santo Inácio Melhor (premio Incentivo 2004) e Doce Cidadania (2005)

In 2004, APRUSI received an Incentive Award from BrazilFoundation to build a greenhouse for exotic plants and septic tanks for the residents of Santo Inácio. The organization demonstrated an impressive ability to manage its resources and mobilize the community. The greenhouse attained financial sustainability and the septic tanks were installed. To give continuity to this work, the association created the project Doce Cidadania, which formed a unit to produce raw sugar, taking advantage of the region's abundant sugarcane. The project consolidated the cooperative spirit of community residents and generated income for the families. With support from BrazilFoundation, the farmers were trained in qualified planting and production management. The resources were also used to equip a unit of production, providing work for employees and generating local and sustainable development.
Organization: Ação Moradia (Action Housing)

Project: Ecological Bricks

Location: Uberlândia
Website: http://acaomoradia.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Tijolos Ecológicos (Ecological Bricks) (2003), Tijolos Ecológicos – Sistematizando para Multiplicar (Ecological Bricks – Creating a system to Multiply) (2006), Construção Cidadã (Citizenship construction) (2007) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Ação Moradia was founded in 2000 with the goal of improving the quality of life of at-risk families through the construction of affordable houses built with ecological bricks. Through its methodology, families make their own eco-bricks and build their own homes, which strengthens family and community ties. Currently, Ação Moradia has developed community enterprises, projects to secure food for the community and to steer community engagement. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2006, the organization has had national and international recognition and it has served over 2800 families. Acão Moradia’s eco-brick technology has been adopted by two other BrazilFoundation grantees, Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova and Banco Bem.
Organization: Alecrim Cultura & Saúde (Alecrim Culture & Health)

Project: Ecoturismo – Vista-se Desta Identidade (Ecotourism – Adopt this Identity)

Location: Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://ongalecrim.blogspot.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

Known for its beautiful mountains and waterfalls and home to the state of Rio de Janeiro’s highest point of elevation, the city of Itatiaia attracts thousands of tourists year-round. However, the community had yet to explore this potential tourist market by selling clothing and crafts produced by the local community. Women embroiderers from the region formalized a production and marketing clothing cooperative with ecotourism motifs in the Itatiaia National Park. This professional qualification allowed them to participate in the regional market through the production of uniforms, bedding materials, and linens for hotels, restaurants, and hospitals. Through the support of BrazilFoundation the organization created a business plan, which in turn was approved in the amount of R$ 260,000.00, generating jobs, increasing income, and providing economic sustainability for the cooperative.
Organization: Grupo Colméias de Projetos (Group of Beehives Project)

Project: Educação e Cidadania na Geração de Renda (Education and Civic Engagement for Income Generation)

Location: João Câmara, Lagoa de Velhos, Macaiba, Lagoa Salgada e Ielmo Marinho
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

The association conducts environmental research and provides advice to small associations with a focus on ecologically sustainable production of honey and derivatives in extractive communities in semi-arid Northeast. The institution provides technical assistance to encourage local initiatives to develop autonomy and generate income. The project supported by BrazilFoundation trained members of agricultural associations in the semi-arid Northeast to use alternative methods of extracting, warehousing and commercializing products such as honey, beeswax and pollen. BrazilFoundation 's support enabled training and technical support in bee-keeping techniques that seek to transform predatory methods of extracting products from bees, to promote environmental awareness, to increase the quantity and raise the quality of production, thus contributing to local development.
Organization: Associação de Pais e Amigos de Surdos de Campinas (Association of Parents and Friends of the Deaf of Campinas)

Project: Encontro com as Diferenças (Meeting Diversity)

Location: Campinas, Sao Paulo
Website: http://www.apascamp.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The association emerged as an approach to the fight to secure the rights of children and adolescents with hearing disabilities in the city of Campinas in Sao Paulo. The services that the association provides to the hearing impaired and their families follow a multidisciplinary approach, which is aimed to promote personal development and to enable interaction between the hearing impaired and the non-hearing impaired. Through the support of BrazilFoundation, the association worked on the integration between parents and children through workshops and sign language workshops to strengthen communication and understanding between them.
Organization: Centro Comunitário de Reabilitação e Educação Nutricional – Centro de Nutrição do Conjunto Palmeiras (CNCP) (Community Center for Rehabilitation and Nutritional Education - Conjunto Palmeiras Nutrition Center, CNCP)

Project: Escola Comunitária Prato Colorido (Colorful Dish Community Kitchen-School)

Location: Fortaleza, Ceará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The organization is located in the outskirts of Fortaleza, an area with high unemployment rate and alarming social indicators. This project taught culinary skills to a group of local youth and women to develop a social business strategy and to generate income with the creation of a "buffet-school." The “buffet-school” provides catering services for events within the community and beyond, and has prepared project participants with the necessary skills for the job market.
Organization: Instituto Sertão (The Semi-Arid Region Institute)

Project: Escola de Desenvolvimento Local (Local Development School)

Location: Fortaleza
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Institute was founded to develop programs that promote social entrepreneurship and sustainable development in the semi-arid Northeast of Brazil (known as the “Sertão”). With the support of the BrazilFoundation, the Escola de Desenvolvimento Local project trained youth leaders in rural Ceará on themes such as civic engagement, fair-trade, local culture, and strategic planning.
Organization: Associação SEDUP – Serviço de Educação Popular (SEDUP Association – Popular Education Service)

Project: Escola e Participação Cidadã (School and Social Participation)

Location: Guarabira, Paraíba
Website: http://sedupcomunica.blogspot.com/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Among communities located in Paraíba’s wetlands, families are vocal about poor teaching standards in the schools. SEDUP’s project aims at bringing together parents, guardians, and teachers to discuss educational activities so families can actively participate in improving the school curriculum. The project will involve three local schools and 25 parents, benefiting a total of 780 students. SEDUP has plans to implement this model in other communities in the city.
Organization: Programa Social Crescer e Viver (Living and Growing Social Program)

Project: Escola Pequeno Tigre (Small Tiger School)

Location: São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

São Gonçalo is a populous city in the state of Rio de Janeiro with few opportunities for cultural and leisure activities. The Programa Social Crescer e Viver was founded in 2000 to offer extracurricular activities, such as circus training, to poor children and adolescents, and social and psychological treatment to their families. The project “Escola Pequeno Tigre” trained teachers and directly benefited children and their families by strengthening the local social network (family/school/community). Since 2007 the organization has been presenting circus performances with excellent artistic quality, for festivals and meetings on the topic of human rights. In 2010 they performed in Italy, England, Belgium, and Argentina. The organization has received various awards and recognitions, including the Premio Cultura Nota 10 in 2007 and Pontinho de Cultura in 2009.
Organization: Cooperativa de Oficinas Caboclas – OCT (Cooperative of Caboclas Workshops - OCT)

Project: Estruturando uma Cooperativa para a Produção de Móveis Artesanais de Reservas Florestais Comunitárias (Cooperative for Making Artisanal Furniture in Community Forest Reserves)

Location: Santarém, Pará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The OCT was formed by artisan women who produce handmade furniture using environmentally sustainable techniques. The furniture and objects produced express the history and culture of the Tapajos communities. The Cooperative is made up of 56 craftsmen, and uses only environmentally friendly wood, thus preserving the local forest. The project supported by BrazilFoundation trained 18 craftsmen in business management, finance, and sales, to improve the management of the products produced by the Cooperative. They established a shop in the center of the city of Santarém to sell products on the national and international markets. Within Brazil, the primary markets for selling this furniture are located in Santarém, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. The Cooperative has contributed directly to community development, income generation for families, and to the creation of a community development fund.
Organization: Centro de Agricultura Alternativa Vicente Nica – CAV (Vicente Nica Center for Alternative Agriculture – CAV)

Project: Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares (Strengthening Family Farmer’s Markets)

Location: Turmalina, Minas Gerais
Website: http://www.cavjequi.org/
Projetos apoiados pela BrazilFoundation: Fortalecimento da Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares (2007), Fortalecimento da Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares de Veredinha (2010) e Projeto BrazilFoundation 10 Anos (2011)

CAV was founded in 1994 to support local farmers and their families by encouraging alternative and sustainable farming practices. CAV develops programs in five different areas, covering 34 municipalities in the Jequitinhonha Valley. Receiving BrazilFoundation’s support was an important step for the Center, and helped it gain recognition as a leader in the movement for small farmers to establish local farmer's markets. The market is an important channel for selling goods, and leads to improvements in the lives of the farmers, while strengthening their ties to the land. As a result of BrazilFoundation's support in 2007, the number of associated farmers increased from 35 to 76, then reaching 111, and the community investment fund grew to 6 times its previous size.
Organization: Movimento de Defesa dos Direitos dos Moradores em Favelas de Santo André – MDDF (Movement for the Defense of the Rights of Slum Dwellers of Santo André – MDDF)

Project: Formação de lideranças do movimento de defesa dos direitos dos moradores em favelas: resgatando a história e construindo o futuroFormação de lideranças do movimento de defesa dos direitos dos moradores em favelas: resgatando a história e construindo

Location: Santo André, São Paulo
Website: http://mddf.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

The MDDF is a social movement that has advocated for land tenure in the slums of Santo Andre, one of Latin America’s most industrialized cities. This project aims to train 25 new leaders citywide in recording and documenting the history of the Movement, with the long-term goal of influencing public housing policies.
Organization: Instituto de Ecoturismo do Paraná – IEPR (Institute for Ecotourism of Paraná)

Project: Formação de Lideranças Jovens no Parque Nacional do Saint Hilaire/ Lange (Youth Leader Preparation of Saint Hilaire/ Lange National Park)

Location: Curitiba, Paraná
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The Park of Saint Hilaire/Lange, one of Brazil’s oldest environmental preservation areas, became a fully protected national park in 2001. This decision, which was made by the authorities without consulting the 27 surrounding communities, generated resistance and frustration on the part of residents dependent on the area's natural resources for their survival. Mediation by the Instituto Ecoturismo do Paraná (Ecotourism Institute of Paraná) between the communities and IBAMA has paved the way for community participation on the Park’s administrative board. Today, part of the council is made up by old residents, chosen by their communities to represent them in the management of the land. Young people were empowered to also participate in the board’s management, and some were selected as representatives of the surrounding communities. The support of the BrazilFoundation Incentive Grant enabled the group to create an action plan for environmental preservation and a communications plan.
Organization: Sindicato dos Trabalhadores no Serviço Público do Município de Gentio de Ouro – SINDSERV (Union of Public Service Workers of the City of Gentio do Ouro)

Project: Formação Popular Jurídica em Gentio do Ouro (Popular Legal Education in Gentio do Ouro) Location: Gentio do Ouro, Bahia

Location: Gentio do Ouro, Bahia
Website: http://sindservgentio.blogspot.com
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Cidadania Ativa (Active Citizenship)(2007- Incentive Award),Formação Popular Jurídica em Gentio do Ouro (Popular Legal Education in Gentio do Ouro) (2008)

The Union was created to encourage the participation of community members in the Municipality’s public decision making. The project, which received its initial Incentive Award from BrazilFoundation in 2007, trained community leaders to exert political influence in the local public policy making process. The training resulted in greater community participation within local councils. In 2008, with the complementation of the support, leaders of social movements were trained in basic law concepts, in order to address the lack of legal support for the demands of the community and to familiarize local citizens on existing legal mechanisms, mostly unknown to them due to bureaucracy involving lawsuits. The objective was to prepare the leaders of this small town, already engaged and mobilized, to effectively participate in local governance and social control. The support of BrazilFoundation allowed the organization to hire professionals from other regions and enabled it to develop an institutional methodology. The organization has since expanded its activities and now provides legal advice to the community.
Organization: Centro de Agricultura Alternativa Vicente Nica – CAV (Vicente Nica Center for Alternative Agriculture – CAV)

Project: Fortalecimento da feira livre dos agricultores(as) familiares de veredinha (Strengthening Verendinha’s Family Farmer’s Market)

Location: Veredinha, Minas Gerais
Website: http://www.cavjequi.org/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Fortalecimento da Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares (Strengthening Family Farmer’s Market) (2007), Fortalecimento da Feira Livre dos Agricultores Familiares de Veredinha (Strengthening Veredinha’s Family Farmer’s Market) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

50 farmer families from Veredinha, state of Minas Gerais, formed the Center to increase production, and create an open-air market while developing the capacity of producers to manage this initiative. This project will provide micro-credit opportunities for production and marketing activities, taking a step further in the continuation of a successful project supported by BrazilFoundation in 2007 in the town of Turmalina, Minas Gerais.
Organization: Associação de Moradores do Bairro de Três Corações – AMATRECO (Residents Association of the District of Três Corações)

Project: Gari Comunitário (Community-Based Trash Collectors)

Location: Nova Iguaçu
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2002 (Incentive Award)

In 2002 the Association aimed to contribute to the development of Três Corações community, in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu, in Rio de Janeiro, and enhance the residents’ quality of life. The project sought to stimulate community involvement in the issues of garbage collection and preservation of urban space. The project, supported by BrazilFoundation, enabled unemployed residents of the region to work on daily collection of waste and conservation of the neighborhood streets for the course of one year. The project also stimulated the organization of a community center and helped to improve knowledge on health and hygiene in the community, and the quality of life and self-esteem of the population.
Organization: Associação Ecológica Melgassense (Melgassense Ecological Association)

Project: Geração de Emprego e Renda para o Município de Barão de Melgaço (Employment and Income Generation for the Municipality of Barão de Melgaço)

Location: Barão de Melgaço, Mato Grosso
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The Associação Ecológica Melgassense operates in the municipality of Barão de Melgaço in Mato Grosso to promote sustainable development by mobilizing civil society and the private sector around the city’s potential as an ecological tourist destination. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the institution trained low-income youth to work as tourist guides, with an emphasis on cultural and environmental tourism. The project contributed to increased income and the development of tourism in the region, but could not be finalized due to local political issues.
Organization: Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova (New Moon Education Association)

Project: Jovem desafio (Youth Challenge)

Location: Sorocaba, São Paulo
Website: http://www.luanova.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Lua Nova (New Moon) (2004), Jovem Desafio (Youth Challenge) (2010) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 years (2011)

Jovem Desafio aims to transform the lives of 50 youth who face social exclusion due to poverty and drug abuse. The project’s goal is to develop their professional potential and entrepreneurship skills of participants, while highlighting the positive aspects of their lives. The Association had BrazilFoundation’s support in 2004 to attend pregnant teenagers. And after having achieved solid results, it will now expand its activities to encompass issues affecting young boys.
Organization: Fundação Brasil Cidadão para a Educação, Cultura, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente- FBC (Brazilian Citizen for Education, Culture, Technology and Environment Foundation)

Project: Mulheres de Corpo e Algas (Female body and algae)

Location: Icapuí
Mulheres de Corpo e Algas (Female body and algae) (2005) and Memórias da Cultura (Memories of Culture) (2010)

The Brazilian Foundation for Citizen Education, Culture and Technology (FBC) works in the city of Fortaleza, in Ceará, and carries out programs aimed at social responsibility and sustainable development. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, the FBC realized the Mulheres de Corpo e Algas project, which trained 15 women to process seaweed and create products with high commercial value, such as cosmetics, soap, shampoo and culinary items. Moreover, the project implemented an environmentally sustainable method of harvesting the seaweed. The organization received another grant in 2010 to develop a calendar of artistic and literary events and to establish an Eco-museum.
Organization: Associação Cultural e Comunitária de São Gonçalo Sempre Viva (Cultural and Community Association of São Gonçalo)

Project: Mulheres do Cerrado (Women of the Cerrado)

Location: Serro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Led by a group of women, the Association started using natural resources to transform local realities, generate income, and improve the lives of the families in Serro, Minas Gerais. Through the project Mulheres do Cerrado, a group of women began collecting and replanting medicinal plants that are native to the region. BrazilFoundation's support helped train 30 women to use these plants to produce cosmetics. In addition to selling the products and generating income, the women themselves started using the beauty products. Aside from the success of the products, the most important result was the improvement of living conditions and the women’s increased self-esteem. Today the women are better organized to generate income and create other projects focused on sustainable development.
Organization: Centro de Ação Cultural – CENTRAC (CENTRAC – Center for Cultural Action)

Project: Mulheres Gerando Renda e Cidadania (Women Generating Income and Citizenship)

Location: Campina Grande, Paraíba
Website: http://www.centrac.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

CENTRAC was founded in 1987, and is headquartered in Campina Grande, Paraíba. The organization promotes exercises in citizenship, social justice, and democracy. The project supported by BrazilFoundation was implemented by a group of women, heads of low-income families, who worked with food processing. The project gave structure to a cooperative to be managed by these women, and trained them to sell the surplus of food produced. The project generated income and guaranteed food security.
Organization: Movimento das Mulheres do Nordeste Paraense – MMNEPA (Women’s Movement of the Northeast of Para)

Project: Mulheres Protagonistas do Desenvolvimento Político, Social e Econômico (Women as Protagonists in Political, Social and Economic Development)

Location: Capanema, Pará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

In 1993, female workers and members of a maroon settlement from a riverbank region joined together to confront the culture of violence against women and promote women’s rights, while generating concrete strategies for the exercise of these rights. The organization has already mobilized 70 groups of low income women, promoting training courses and professional development. The project supported by the BrazilFoundation trained 40 women from 13 different municipalities to participate in local government decision-making processes. The project achieved a seat on the Women’s Rights State Council.
Organization: Fundação de Formação, Pesquisa e Difusão Tecnológica Para Uma Convivência Sustentável com o Semi-Árido (Training, Research and Information Technology Foundation for a Sustainable Living with the Semi-Arid)

Project: Óleos Vegetais em Campo Alegre (Vegetable Oils in Campo Alegre)

Location: Crato
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The population of Campo Alegre, a municipality of Crato, is composed of small farmers who daily live with the challenges of the semi-arid environment. The region has an abundance of seeds, however, such as pequi, babaçu, girassol and nim, which contain oils that are valuable in the marketplace. To take better advantage of this situation, the Foundation proposed creating an entity for the sustainable extraction of vegetable oils in Campo Alegre. With BrazilFoundation's support, the processing plant was equipped and farmers were trained to use it.
Organization: ONG Pivot Maranhão (NGO Pivot Maranhão)

Project: Olho Vivo (Sharp Eye)

Location: Paulino Neves, Maranhão
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The precarious economic and social situation of the village of Paulino Neves in Maranhão motivated the NGO Pivot Maranhão to undertake the “Olho Vivo” project. Its goal was to use the “buriti,” a native vegetable with several functions, in a sustainable way. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the project received technical assistance for its implementation and trained 80 artisans in the production of handicrafts made from the yarn of buriti, which has great value in the market.
Organization: Coletivo Ação Juvenil de Tucano (COAJ) (Tucano Youth Collective Action, COAJ)

Project: Participação Juvenil no Orçamento Municipal (Youth Participation in the Municipal Budget)

Location: Tucano, Bahia
Project supported by BrazilFoundation: Participação Juvenil no Orçamento Municipal (Youth Participation in Municipal Budget ) (2009) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Despite the fact that the youth represent 25% of the inhabitants of the Tucano Municipality, the local government dedicates little attention to this segment of the population. The Group was founded in 2004 with the goal of training young leaders to work with public policy on youth related issues in the region. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, the project organized youth participation and involvement in the Municipality’s budget. The action resulted in several amendments to guarantee municipal budgetary allocations for sports, culture, education and income generation for youth. As a result, the youth demographic gained representation in 25 city budgets.
Organization: Centro Diocesano de Apoio ao Pequeno Produtor – CEDAPP (The Diocesan Center for the Support of the Small Farmer)

Project: Plantando Esperança (Planting Hope)

Location: Pesqueira
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

The Center promotes the development of rural techniques adequate to the semi-arid climate and capacitates rural families in Pesqueira to use this technology. Through the project Planting Hope, the Center trained residents of fishing communities in the semi-arid regions of Pernambuco to effectively use and conserve water, to raise goats, chickens, and drought-resistant agricultural products. BrazilFoundation 's grant was applied to family farming activities that generate income and improve nutrition, and to programs that teach agricultural techniques to local farmers. The project has contributed to the creation of a seed bank and cisterns to save rainwater, and to the raise of chicks for local subsistence.
Organization: Instituto Dom Luciano Mendes de Promoção da Causa Indígena (Dom Luciano Mendes Institute for the Promotion of the Indigenous Causes)

Project: Povos Indígenas: Resistência, Esperança e Autonomia (Indigenous People: Resistance, Hope and Autonomy)

Location: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

Indigenous populations permanently face impacts and stress on their cultures. The institute was created in 2007 to promote the history and traditions of the indigenous people. This project trained young indigenous leaders to represent their people in public policy forums, to help preserve and disseminate knowledge about local culture, and to defend their status as full citizens.
Organization: Instituto Equipe de Educadores Populares – IEEP (IEEP - Popular Educators Team)

Project: Povos Tradicionais: Visibilidade Social, Direitos Coletivos e Emancipação Social (Traditional People: Social Visibility, Collective Rights, and Social Emancipation)

Location: Irati, Paraná
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The IEEP was created in 1994 and works in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, developing projects that promote civil rights in the region. “Faxinais” are small, traditional farming communities in Brazil that have preserved their unique culture, in part by employing agricultural techniques that are in harmony with nature. People in these communities normally have little access to political institutions, and therefore no ability to defend their unique lifestyle and guarantee its survival. This project trained residents of 15 communities to present their demands to public authorities. The objective was to gain recognition for their cause and influence public policy in their favor.
Organization: Instituto Agroflorestal Bernardo Harkvoort – IAF (Bernardo Harkvoort Agroforestry Institute)

Project: Produção Agroecológica de Plantas Medicinais (Agro-ecological Production of Medicinal Plants)

Location: Turvo
Website: http://www.arvoredobrasil.com.br/iaf/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Institute was created to develop projects for the preservation and restoration of Araucaria Forest aimed at the sustainable use of local natural resources. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the “Agro-ecological Production of Medicinal Plants” project organized the Coopaflora, a cooperative of producers of local products derived from Brazilian plants, such as tea and honey, which generated income for 72 families, expanding the marketing of natural products for laboratories and major cosmetic companies.
Organization: Instituto Brasileiro de Educação e Negócios Sustentáveis – Ibens (Brazilian Institute for Education and Sustainable Business)

Project: Produção de Ostras (Oyster production)

Location: Parati
Website: http://www.ibens.org/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Ibens, the Brazilian Institute for Education and Sustainable Business, implements sustainable local development projects in small rural communities across the country, promoting entrepreneurial initiatives and activities for the management of forest resources - timber, fisheries, organic agriculture, among others. With BrazilFoundation’s support, the “Oysters” project was implemented to promote the production of oysters in ponds, using environmental preservation techniques and optimization of sales. Many activities were carried out in order to consolidate the production of oysters and increase income community, while taking advantage of the natural potential of the Parati region.
Organization: Centro Cultural Areal Livre – CCAL ( Free Areal Cultural Center)

Project: Programa de Atendimento Integral à Família (Program for Integral Family Services)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

The Center promotes educational activities among families in Acari, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The services target, in particular, families headed by women who, although do not formally work, are solely responsible for supporting their families. They usually do so through the sale of small services and homemade products. These women, who are mothers and grandmothers, spend a lot of their time at home caring for the children, and sometimes, become perpetrators of family violence. With BrazilFoundation 's support, the project offered psychosocial and psychological services to these families as well as courses to professionally qualify women and young people.
Organization: Instituto de Elaboração de Projetos, Assistência Técnica, Social e Ambiental – AGROTER (Institute for the Development of Technical, Social and Environmental Assistance)

Project: Projeto macaúba (Macaúba Project)

Location: Augustinópolis, Tocantins
Website: http://www.institutoagroter.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

In two small communities of Augustinópolis, in the Amazonian state of Tocantins in the Amazon, the source of income of 15 families are dependent on the abundant Macaúba plant and the time consuming, dangerous extraction of its nut for their income. Projeto Macaúba project will purchase equipment to simplify this process by enabling the production of derivatives in a quicker and safer manner, while generating income for the community.
Organization: Associação de Paraplégicos de Uberlândia – APARU (The Association of Paraplegics of Uberlandia)

Project: Qualifying for Hire

Location: Uberlândia
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Qualificando para Empregar (Qualifying to Employ) (2003 and 2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Founded in 1979, APARU is an organization established and led by people with physical disabilities for the defense of human rights and the improvement of the quality of life of the disabled. In 2003, BrazilFoundation supported the project Qualificando para Empregar, which is now in its seventh year. The project has helped to employ 354 people with physical disabilities. APARU has had a strong role in adapting the city of Uberlândia for people with disabilities. Some of its projects are nationally known, such as the campaign ”Uberlândia Without Barriers” and the proposition to make the interstate public transportation accessible to people with reduced mobility. Currently, APARU is working in partnership with the local authorities and it is developing campaigns for athletes with disabilities as well as awareness campaigns against discrimination. In 2010, APARU received the Human Rights award in the category ”Guarantee of the Rights of People with Disabilities”, granted by the Human Rights Secretariat of the Brazilian President.
Organization: Associação Quilombo de Ivaporunduva (Slave Maroon Society of Ivaporunduva)

Project: Quilombo de Ivaporunduva (Slave Maroon Society of Ivaporunduva)

Location: Eldorado
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Since 1994, the Associação Quilombo de Ivaporunduva has promoted initiatives that value the community's cultural identity, the preservation of the environment, and the sustainable development of the communities in the Vale do Ribeira. Bananas play a vital role in the local economy and culture. Crafts made with fibers from banana trees are of great importance to families, who create beautiful art work. The organization developed a project to monitor the productive chain of crafts and to organize families from the community in a cooperative administration. Currently, the crafts have been incorporated as a source of income for the community.
Organization: Fundação de Empreendimentos Científicos e Tecnológicos – FINATEC (Technological and Scientific Entrepreneurship Foundation)

Project: Reciclando Papéis e Vidas (Recycling Paper and Lives)

Location: Brasília
Website: http://www.finatec.org.br/site/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The foundation, established in the University of Brasilia (UNB), aims to promote and support scientific and technological development, transfer technology, research and master programs. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, the “Recycling Paper and Lives” project was created to reintegrate former prisoners into the formal labor market, training them in paper-making, binding and the cleaning of books and records. The participants also received psychosocial counseling.
Organization: Instituto ProMundo (Pro Mundo Institute)

Project: Rede Ação (Action Network)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.promundo.org.br/
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

Pro Mundo Institute was founded in 1997 to promote gender equality and seek the end of violence against women and children. Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, the organization has national and international scope. Pro Mundo recognizes the need to qualify the actions of NGOs in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro to improve the quality of the services they provide. The project supported by BrazilFoundation offered training, technical assistance, and other services to civil society organizations working in the Vila Alianca and Vila Nova Alianca communities. They created a network of 48 social institutions that improve public services and promote community development.
Organization: Núcleo Comunitário dos Amigos de Natércia

Project: Redução de Agrotóxicos na Agricultura Familiar(Reduction of Agro toxins in Family Agriculture)

Location: Natércia
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Núcleo Comunitário dos Amigos de Natércia works to change current agricultural practices in the region by reducing the level of agricultural toxins used in plantations and introducing new techniques. BrazilFoundation's support enabled the training of agricultural workers to produce organic coffee, encouraging a model for sustainable and environmentally-friendly production in the region.
Organization: Broto-Brasilis – Associação para o Eco-desenvolvimento (Broto-Brasilis -Eco-Developement Association)

Project: Resgates das Tradições Culturais de Grupo de Mulheres Rurais (Rural Womens Group for the Redemption of Cultural Traditions)

Location: Aiuruoca, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The “Resgates das Tradições Culturais de Grupo de Mulheres Rurais” project trained artisans of Aiuruoca, a city in Minas Gerais, to consolidate the production and commercialization of local handicraft. Training and empowering these artisan women helped them better manage their own businesses.
Organization: Instituto Ágora em Defesa do Eleitor e da Democracia

Project: Responsabilidade Pública e Direitos Humanos (Public Responsibility and Human Rights)

Location: Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

Instituto Ágora promotes the ideals of human rights, democracy, and participative citizenship. The organization implemented an electoral center in the city of São Paulo that made the City Council's operations more transparent and accessible, increasing public participation and awareness. The center has acted as a channel for communication between citizens and their representatives in the local legislature. With the support from BrazilFoundation, the institute replicated this methodology in the city of Rio de Janeiro, with the goal of achieving a pro-active model of participation. The goal was not achieved due to lack of additional resources.
Organization: Associação para Valorização e Inclusão de Pessoas com Deficiência de Araras - AVIDA (AVIDA – Araras Association for the Valorization and Inclusion of People with Disabilities)

Project: Ritmos da Vida (Rhythms of Life)

Location: Araras, São Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006/2007 (Incentive Award)

AVIDA works to inform, train, and develop the skills of people with disabilities, to guarantee their social inclusion and the protection of their civic rights. The project “Teoria Musical,” supported by BrazilFoundation, offered music classes following the Braille method to 30 people who were visually impaired. In 2007, the organization received the complementary grant and expanded its program to reach a larger audience. The Association has since expanded its Braille courses to reach an even greater number of people, and the Coral, a fruit of this work, gave the organization greater visibility.
Organization: Associação de Pequenos Produtores Rurais de Santo Inácio – APRUSI (Association of Small Farmers of Santo Inacio)

Project: Santo Inácio Melhor (Better Santo Inacio)

Location: Catas Atlas da Noruega
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Santo Inácio Melhor (Better Santo Inacio) (Incentive Award 2004) and Doce Cidadania (Sweet Citizenship) (2005)

The Association aims to create alternative jobs and generate income among the community of Catas Altas da Noruega, in the State of Minais Gerais. In 2004, they received an Incentive Award from BrazilFoundation to build a greenhouse for exotic plants and septic tanks for the residents of Santo Inácio. The organization demonstrated an impressive ability to manage its resources and mobilize the community. The greenhouse attained financial sustainability and the septic tanks were installed. To give continuity to this work, the association created the project Doce Cidadania, which formed a unit to produce raw sugar, taking advantage of the region's abundant sugarcane. The project consolidated the cooperative spirit of community residents and generated income for the families. With additional support from BrazilFoundation, the farmers were trained in techniques for planting crops and the administration of production. The resources were also used to equip a unit for production, providing work for employees and generating local and sustainable development.
Organization: Associação para Valorização e Inclusão de Pessoas com Deficiência de Araras – AVIDA (Association to promote social inclusion of people with disabilities in Araras)

Project: Teoria Musical adaptada à Musicografia Braille (Music Theory Adapted for Braille Users)

Location: Araras – São Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006 (Incentive Award) and 2007

AVIDA works to inform, train and develop skills of people with disabilities, in order to guarantee their social inclusion and civic rights. The project Teoria Musical supported by BrazilFoundation, offered music classes using the Braille method to 30 visually impaired people. In 2007, received the complementary grant and could expand the program to reach a larger number of people. The Association managed to continue and expand the Braille courses to reach more disabled, and the Coral, a fruit of this work, helped to give greater visibility to the organization.
Organization: Ação Moradia (Action Housing)

Project: Tijolos Ecológicos – Sistematizando para Multiplicar (Ecological Bricks – Creating a system to Multiply)

Location: Uberlândia, Minas Gerais
Website: http://acaomoradia.org.br
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Tijolos Ecológicos (Ecological Bricks) (2003), Tijolos Ecológicos – Sistematizando para Multiplicar (Ecological Bricks – Creating a system to Multiply) (2006), Construção Cidadã (Citizenship contruction) (2007) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Ação Moradia was founded in 2000 with the goal of improving the quality of life of at-risk families through the construction of affordable houses built with ecological bricks. Through its methodology, families make their own eco-bricks and build their own homes, which strengthens family and community ties. Currently, Ação Moradia has developed community enterprises, projects to secure food for the community and to steer community engagement. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2006, the organization has had national and international recognition and it has served over 2800 families. Acão Moradia’s eco-brick technology has been adopted by two other BrazilFoundation grantees, Associação de Formação e Reeducação Lua Nova and Banco Bem.

CULTURE

Organization: Associação Estação da Cultura (Culture Station Association)

Project: : A Gente Construindo (People Building)

Location: Arcoverde
Website: http://associacaoestacaodacultura.blogspot.com/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: A Gente Construindo (We are Building) (2004) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

In 2001, a young group of local residents occupied a train station, abandoned 20 years earlier, to create a space dedicated to art and culture. That was how the Estação da Cultura (Culture Station) was founded, which then had to fight the Government’s attempt to reclaim the space. BrazilFoundation was the first institution to support the group in 2004 with the “People Building” project. This project trained young people, offering theater and dance workshops, and also helped with the production of the local newspaper and local radio programs. Since then the organization has earned the respect of government, has expanded its activities and has approved other projects. The space has become a thriving cultural center and was the first Point of Culture * to be recognized by the Ministry of Culture.

* Title of recognition awarded by the Ministry of Culture to institutions that develop social and cultural impact in their communities.
Organization: Instituto do Meio Ambiente, Comunidades Tradicionais e Desenvolvimento Sustentável – ANIMA (ANIMA - Institute of the Environment, Sustainable Development and Traditional Communities)

Project: Aconchego (Cosiness)

Location: Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

ANIMA promotes the development of traditional communities motivating people to participate in projects that generate income as an alternative to unemployment and as a sustainable means of survival. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, several women, the majority of whom were descendants of indigenous people, were trained to make saddle blankets, and their products were sold throughout the region.
Organization: Aplysia Cia. de Dança (Aplysia Dancing Company)

Project: Aplysia

Location: Florianópolis
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

Aplysia offers classical dance workshops for at-risk children and adolescents in low-income communities in Florianópolis, South of Brazil. The main goal is to promote a positive transformation of the personal and social reality of the participants through a new perception of their body. The project Aplysia offered dance classes and monthly meetings to gather students, families, teachers and community members together, in order to foster interpersonal relationships and to work over community issues.
Organization: Associação de Desenvolvimento Agrícola e Comunitário de Lagoa da Boa Vista (Association for the Rural and Community Development of Lagoa da Boa Vista)

Project: Arte na Roça (Rural Art)

Location: Seabra, Bahia
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Arte na Roça (Art in the Fields) (2007), Aproximando Escola e Comunidade (Bringing School and Community Closer Together) (2008) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

Located in a rural community in Bahia, the Association is a great example of how a very small organization with few resources can achieve solid results with effective monitoring and support. Initially supported by BrazilFoundation with an Incentive Award in 2007 and 2008, the organization has been recognized by the Municipality’s Department of Education, has partnered with the HSBC Bank, and has gained respect throughout the municipality for being the only local organization to focus on children’s education. The Association has also developed theater, dance, capoeira, and soccer for children and young people from the local community.
Organization: RECICLARTE – Espaço Cultural da Grota (RECICLARTE – Grota Cultural Space)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.espacoculturaldagrota.org.br
Música nas Comunidades (Music in the communities) (2004), Voz e Violinos (Voice and Violins) (2005), Espaço Cultural da Grota (Grota Cultural Space) (2006) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

In 1995, Marcio Selles, a Brazilian orchestral conductor, gathered a small group of children and adolescents in the favela da Grota Bushmaster, in Niteroi, for school tutoring and to teach them string instruments. The Grota String Orchestra was born then and it has since performed in Portugal, Central America and in New York, when BrazilFoundation invited them to play at the 2006 Annual Gala. The partnership with BrazilFoundation began in 2004 when the Foundation granted them support for the first time enabling the organization to make improvements to the small space used for classes and to purchase new instruments. Reciclarte was a BrazilFoundation grantee again in 2005 and 2006, and with the renewed support they renovated and expanded what is now the Grota Cultural Space. The new space enabled Reciclarte to broaden its services to the community. The orchestra has recorded two CDs and 18 of its members are teaching in another 9 communities attending more than 300 students. The organization has been designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* and works with over 250 students. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Grupo Sociocultural e Ambiental Cem Modos (One hundred Ways Social-Cultural and Environmental Group)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Santa Rita, Maranhão
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Remédios e Comidas de Encantados e Voduns (Medicine Enchanted Foods and Voduns) (2003) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Group’s mission is to support the social development of the northern communities of Maranhão, especially quilombo communities (Maroon settlements). A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003, the group has been actively engaged with the local community with positive results and improvements in the quality of life of local residents. The support of BrazilFoundation opened doors for wards and recognitions. In 2010 the Group was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)*. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação Vidança Cia. de Dança do Ceará (Association Vidança Dance Company) of Ceará)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Fortaleza, Ceará
Website: http://vidanca.org/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation : Vidança (2003), Tambores do Vidança (Drums of Vidança) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Dance Company works with children and at-risk youth in the Vila Velha neighborhood, in the outskirts of Fortaleza. The Company uses different forms of artistic expressions for the development and improvement of the quality of life of its participants. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2005, Vidança has expanded its activities and the number of projects supported by other organizations. The Company makes presentions in Ceara and other states of Brazil. In 2007, they performed at the BrazilFoundation Annual Gala in New York. Vidança was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* in 2009. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.C
Organization: Estação da Cultura (The Culture Station)

Project: BrazilFoundation 10 years

Location: Arcoverde, Pernambuco
Website: http://associacaoestacaodacultura.blogspot.com/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: A Gente Construindo (We are Building) (2004) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

In 2001, a group of youngsters from Pernambuco occupied a train station in the small town of Arcoverde that had been abandoned 20 years earlier to create a space for artistic and cultural expression. Estação da Cultura was then established but it had to fight the attempts from the local government to remove them from space. BrazilFoundation was the first institution to support the group in 2004 and since then the initiative has gained the respect of the government, it has expanded its activities and has received grants from other organizations. The Station has become a thriving cultural center and was the first organization to be recognized as a “Ponto de Cultura” (Culture Point). * * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Sociedade Angrense de Proteção Ecológica – SAPE (Ecological Protection Society in Angra dos Reis)

Project: Caminhos do Jongo (Along the Paths of Jongo Music)

Location: Angra dos Reis
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005 (Incentive Award) and 2006

The Ecological Protection Society in Angra dos Reis (SAPE) operates in the areas of environmental education, ecotourism, and the strengthening of local culture. With the support of BrazilFoundation, a project was implemented to rescue cultural traditions including dance, artisan training, tourism, agro-forestry and digital inclusion. The project resulted in greater recognition of native ownership of the remaining Quilombo land, and the construction of the Santa Rita House, a center for cultural preservation. The project won first place in the Ministry of Culture’s Live Culture Prize.
Organization: Centro Popular de Cultura e Desenvolvimento (People’s Center for Culture and Development)

Project: Cinema Meninos de Araçuaí (Araçuaí Boys Cinema)

Location: Araçuaí, Minas Gerais
Website: http://www.cpcd.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

Founded in 1998, the Center seeks to promote popular education and community development with an emphasis on culture. Located in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, a group of youngsters from the Center managed to build a cinema with the funds raised through the performances of their own choir. The city did not have any cultural facilities, and the cinema became a center for cultural activities. It also offered youth training in video techniques. BrazilFoundation's support made it possible to operate the cinema, in which the young people are responsible for the technical operation and film presentations. Two videos produced by the group won first and second place in the Cultural Contest “Histórias que mudam o Mundo” (Stories that Change the World,) sponsored by the Museum of the Person. They participated in the 20th International Festival of Short Films in São Paulo in 2009, which gave visibility to the project and the films they produced.
Organization: Associação de Moradores do Quilombo de Acauã (Association of Residents of the Quilombo de Acauã)

Project: Cultura para a Cidadania Quilombola (Culture and Rights for the Quilombola)

Location: Poço Branco, Rio Grande do Norte
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

In Brazil there are ethnic groups known as “quilombolas,” consisting of descendants of slaves, who resisted slavery and fled to form small settlements called “quilombos.” These groups have fought for decades for the recognition of their ancestral lands and for the preservation of their culture. In 2007, with the support of BrazilFoundation and the legal counsel of the Núcleo de Estudos Brasileiros (Center for Brazilian Studies,) the Quilombo Acauã located in Poco Branco, Rio Grande do Norte, obtained the title to their land, a milestone in the history of the community. This achievement set the precedent for 42 other quilombola communities in the region. The Association also seeks to revitalize their local culture. According to historian Jair Ferreira, the last cultural event at the quilombo occurred fifty years ago. In 2008, with the continued support of BrazilFoundation, Angola capoeira workshops were provided, and cultural practices were strengthened and disseminated amongst the younger generations. The community was also strengthened by the reinstitution of community cooking, recycling programs, and workshops of objects made with recycled plastic bottles.
Organization: Associação Grupo Só Instrumentos (Grupo Só Instruments Association)

Project: Educação, Prevenção e Identidade (Education, Prevention and Identity)

Location: Recife, Pernambuco
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2008

The Group has worked for over 13 years to promote and disseminate the musical culture of Pernambuco. It carries out projects in the community of Caranguejos, an area of extreme poverty where most of the population lives in stilted huts over wetlands. In 2008, three young members of the Group traveled to perform cultural shows in France. This trip had an impact on the community and encouraged other young people to attend the project workshops. Many young members of the community learned how to make instruments from recycled materials. This project created new perspectives and opportunities for the residents of Caranguejos. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the Group has leveraged its activities and expanded its institutional reach by generating income through the sale of instruments at fairs.
Organization: : Projeto Experimental Circo Piauí (Circus Experimental Project)

Project: Escola de Circo Zoin (Zoin Circus School)

Location: Teresina
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005

The Zoin Circus School operated in the outskirts of Teresina, Piauí, teaching circus arts to children and adolescents. The resources provided by BrazilFoundation were used to build a space for the circus school in Teresina's poorest community, Vila Irmã Dulce. Today, the space provides structure for the potential artistic and cultural development of local youth.
Organization: Associação de Amigos do Museu Casa Guimarães Rosa (Friends Association of the Museum Guimarães Rosa)

Project: Estórias Fazendo História (Stories Making History)

Location: Cordisburgo
Project supported by BrazilFoundation: Estórias Fazendo História (Stories Making History) (Incentive Award 2005), Estórias Transformando História (Stories Transforming History) (2006)

The small city of Cordisburgo, Minas Gerais, is the birthplace of one of Brazil's greatest authors, João Guimarães Rosa. Learning about his work is considered essential to understanding Brazil's social history, but the richness of his vocabulary makes the reading challenging. The Associação de Amigos do Museu Casa Guimarães Rosa teaches local youths to tell stories; they narrate the author's texts with the goal of promoting his work and stimulating tourism in the area. The organization received an Incentive Award in 2005, and the rest of the grant was received in 2006 to replicate the workshops in several local schools. The literature workshops are dedicated to preserving the memory and spreading the work of the author, as well as encouraging the habit of reading within the community.
Organization: Associação de Amigos do Museu Casa Guimarães Rosa (Friends Association of the Museum Guimarães Rosa)

Project: Estórias Transformando História (Stories Transforming History)

Location: Cordisburgo, Minas Gerais
Project supported by BrazilFoundation: Estórias Fazendo História (Stories Making History) (Incentive Award 2005), Estórias Transformando História (Stories Transforming History) (2006)

The small city of Cordisburgo, Minas Gerais, is the birthplace of one of Brazil's greatest authors, João Guimarães Rosa. His work is considered essential to the understanding of Brazil's social history, but the richness of his vocabulary makes the reading difficult. The Associação de Amigos do Museu Casa Guimarães Rosa teaches a group of local youths to tell stories; they narrate the author's texts with the goal of promoting his work and stimulating tourism. The organization received an Incentive Award in 2005, and the rest of the grant was received in 2006 to deploy the literature workshops that took place at the Museum to local schools. The workshops are dedicated to preserve the memory and spread the work of the author, besides stimulating reading habits in the community.
Organization: Associação Folia de Rua (Street Festival Association)

Project: Folia Cidadã

Location: João Pessoa
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Association works to preserve the popular culture of Joao Pessoa, in partnership with 25 carnival associations in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the Folia Cidadã project taught musical instruments, and the production of props and “Mamulengos” puppets (giant puppets that are part of regional popular culture). Everything produced by the young participants was used in the Carnaval de Rua, which led to the organization being recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a “Point of Culture.*”

* Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Sociedade Musical 5 de Novembro – Banda Revoltosa (November 5th Musical Society – Rebellious Band)

Project: Fortalecimento da Banda Revoltosa (Strengthening the Rebellious Band)

Location: Nazaré da Mata, Pernambuco
Website: http://bandarevoltosa.blogspot.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

Formed by farm workers and sugar cane cutters, the Band has been active for almost a hundred years and it is today an entity of cultural relevance in Nazaré da Mata. Through an Incentive Award from BrazilFoundation in 2008, the group organized the institution and its management. They purchased new instruments and expanded their performances to other areas of the city. In 2009, the project continued, and the organization faced a new challenge: to expand and revitalize its headquarters in order to enable new activities and to increase its activities. As a result of these successes, the Band was named a Point of Culture by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.
Organization: Sociedade Musical 5 de Novembro – Banda Revoltosa (Musical Society 5th of November — Rebellious Band)

Project: Fortalecimento da Banda Revoltosa (Strengthening the Rebellious Band)

Location: Nazaré da Mata, Pernambuco
Website: http://bandarevoltosa.blogspot.com
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Fortalecimento da Banda Revoltosa (Reinforcement of the Rebellious Band) (2008), and Fortalecimento da Banda Revoltosa (Reinforcement of the Rebellious Band) (2009)

Banda Revoltosa was created in the small town of Nazaré da Mata 94 years ago by a local trumpeter’s curious motivation: to revolt against the two existing local bands at the time. Today, the band performs at street events and processions, plays at marches, local anthems and disseminates local rhythms. Its headquarters, located in the central square, serves as a community cultural center. The band brings generations together in a city that lacks cultural institutions. At the helm of this work is the Musical Society 5th of November, formed by local farm workers and sugar cane cutters. The nearly one hundred year old band counted on the support of the BrazilFoundation to strengthen its organization and its structure. New instruments were purchased, and its facilities and organizational management were improved. Its visibility increased and performances during Carnival generated a significant increase in revenues. The Band was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* in 2009. * Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação Grãos de Luz (Grains of Light Association)

Project: Griô - A Tradição Viva (Griô - A Life Tradition)

Location: Lençóis
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2004

The Association develops actions to guarantee the inclusion of Afro-Brazilian history and values in the city’s cultural activities and in school programs, primarily benefiting children and youth. With the support of BrazilFoundation, the Griô project (Griô is an old storyteller in Afro-Brazilian culture) trained teachers as cultural agents to develop educational projects that enhance the local culture. Content about the Afro-Brazilian role in Brazilian history and culture was eventually adopted in schools, in partnership with the City of Lençóis’ Department of Education. The Association also influenced the Ministry of Culture to implement the Griôs category in its program fostering Brazilian traditions.
Organization: Fundação Brasil Cidadão para a Educação, Cultura, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente- FBC (Brazilian Citizen for Education, Culture, Technology and Environment Foundation)

Project: Memórias da cultura (Memories of Culture)

Location: Icapuí, Ceará
Website: http://www.brasilcidadao.org.br/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Mulheres de Corpo e Algas (Female body and algae) (2005) and Memórias da Cultura (Memories of Culture) (2010)

Fundação Brasil Cidadão, a 2005 BrazilFoundation grantee, has significantly expanded its activities in the local development of the city of Icapuí. Fishing, natural remedies, festivals, and crafts make this town a valuable cultural heritage site. The project intends to develop a calendar of artistic and literary events and to establish an Eco-museum.
Organization: Instituto Eco das Artes (Eco Institute of the Arts)

Project: Meninas-Mães: Experiência de Vida, Arte e Educação (Adolescent Mothers: Experiences of Life, Art, and Education)

Location: São Paulo, São Paulo
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

Teenage pregnancy is one of the most serious problems in Brazil today, particularly among girls from poor communities. The project Meninas-Mães supported young mothers by offering cultural activities as a way to re-establish relationships between mother and child, and to nurture a healthier environment for each of them. BrazilFoundation supported a project that offered artistic activities, visits to museums, theaters, and exhibitions to these young mothers.
Organization: Projeto Crescendo com Deus (Growing with God Project)

Project: Música instrumental com inclusão digital (Instrumental Music with Digital Inclusion)

Location: Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

In a poor community of Natal, local youth have few prospects, no access to social services, and continuous exposure to violence and drug abuse. The project will offer computer, theater and music classes to 80 children and adolescents from the community. The activities aim to awaken the values of participatory development, concern for the environment as well as professional training.
Organization: Reciclarte – Espaço Cultural da Grota (Reciclarte – Grota Cultural Space)

Project: Música nas Comunidades (Music in the Communities)

Location: Niterói
Website: http://www.espacoculturaldagrota.org.br/new/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Música nas Comunidades (Music in the communities) (2004), Voz e Violinos (Voice and Violins) (2005), Espaço Cultural da Grota (Grota Cultural Space) (2006) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

In 1995, Marcio Selles, a Brazilian conductor, gathered a small group of children and adolescents in the favela da Grota do Surucucu, in Niteroi, for school tutoring and and music classes on string instruments. The Grota String Orchestra was born then and it has since performed in Portugal, Central America and in New York, when BrazilFoundation invited them to play at the 2006 Annual Gala. The partnership with BrazilFoundation began in 2004 when the Foundation granted them support for the first time enabling the organization to make improvements to the small space used for classes and to purchase new instruments. Reciclarte was a BrazilFoundation grantee again in 2005 and 2006, and with the renewed support they renovated and expanded what is now the Grota Cultural Space. Today the organization is a “Point of Culture*,” has its own office, and works with over 250 students. The orchestra has recorded two CDs and 18 of its members are teaching in another 9 communities attending more than 300 students.

* Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Reciclarte - Espaço Cultural da Grota (Reciclarte Institute – Grota Cultural Space)

Project: Música nas Comunidades e Escolas (Music in the Communities and Schools)

Location: Niterói
Website: http://www.espacoculturaldagrota.org.br/new/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Música nas Comunidades (Music in the communities and Schools) (2003 – Incentive Award/2004), Voz e Violinos (Voice and Violins) (2005), Espaço Cultural da Grota (Grota Cultural Space) (2006) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

In 1995, Marcio Selles, a Brazilian conductor, gathered a small group of children and adolescents in the favela da Grota Bushmaster, in Niteroi, for school tutoring and to teach them string instruments. The Grota String Orchestra was born then and it has since performed in Portugal, Central America and in New York, when BrazilFoundation invited them to play at the 2006 Annual Gala. The partnership with BrazilFoundation began in 2004 when the Foundation granted them support for the first time enabling the organization to make improvements to the small space used for classes and to purchase new instruments. Reciclarte was a BrazilFoundation grantee again in 2005 and 2006, and with the renewed support they renovated and expanded what is now the Grota Cultural Space. The new space enabled Reciclarte to broaden its services to the community. The orchestra has recorded two CDs and 18 of its members are teaching in another 9 communities attending more than 300 students. The organization has been designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* and works with over 250 students.

* Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação de Parentes e Amigos dos Pacientes do Complexo Juliano Moreira (The Juliano Moreira Family & Friends Association)

Project: Oficina cultural: o que não é fantasia? (Cultural Workshop: Isn’t Everything Fantasy?)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

Carnival is a cultural event of great importance in the lives of patients of this psychiatric hospital. Patients will produce carnival costumes and floats solely with recycled materials. It is expected that about 300 people will directly benefit through the project’s activities.
Organization: Grupo Sócio - Cultural Código (Socio-Cultural Code Group)

Project: Oficinas Culturais do Grupo Código - Criando uma Nova Linguagem (Cultural Workshops of the Code Group’s Cultural - Creating a New Language)

Location: Japeri, Rio de Janeiro
Website: http://www.grupocodigo.blogspot.com
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2009

The municipality of Japeri has one of the lowest human development indexes in the entire state of Rio de Janeiro. The city does not have access to cultural facilities and has high rates of illiteracy and unemployment. Cultural initiatives rarely succeed due to a lack of incentives in this area and the immediate need for income generation. This organization, formed by local artists, established its headquarters in Japeri. Their mission was to act as cultural and educational facilitators, believing themselves to be vectors of citizenship and social integration within the community. Since 2006 they have offered free workshops to the community, shown films, and planned activities that have integrated various artistic regions. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, they have made culture accessible to youth and adolescents through workshops in dance, drawing, theater, capoeira, singing, and crafts. The products of these workshops - shows, plays and exhibitions - were presented and performed for the community. Technical and managerial aspects of the organization were strengthened, and it was deemed a Point of Culture in 2010 by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture.
Organization: Instituto Boimamão de Preservação do Patrimônio Histórico e Cultural do Município de Bombinhas (Boimamao Institute to preserve the history and culture of Bombinhas)

Project: Oficinas de Cultura e Cidadania (Culture and Citizenship Workshops)

Location: Bombinhas, Santa Catarina
Website: www.institutoboimamao.org.br
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

Since 1997, the Boimamão Institute has worked within the municipality of Bombinhas, in the state of Santa Catarina, to preserve and promote aspects of popular culture - including architecture, cuisine, literature, dance, music, traditional beliefs and handicrafts. The Institute created the Museu Engenho do Sertão, a cultural tourist attraction, which has become a historical reference in the region. In 2007 it was recognized as a Community Museum, and in 2008 was deemed a Cultura Viva (Live Culture - an award given by the Ministry of Culture). In 2009 it also named a Point of Culture. With the support of the BrazilFoundation, 120 children and young adults were able to participate in music and ceramic workshops.
Organization: CRAVO – Centro de Revitalização Alternativa da Vila Operária (CRAVO – Vila Operária Alternative Revitalization Center)

Project: Palco para Todos (A Stage for All)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

The project “Palco para Todos” offered cultural and theatrical activities to 60 young residents of Barros Filho, one of the poorest and most violent neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. The project contributed to the reduction of the school drop-out rate and encouraged a sense of belonging in the community among youth, ages 14 to 21. At the same time, the project offered professional orientation workshops to help these young people enter the job market.
Organization: Sociedade Angrense de Proteção Ecológica – SAPE (Ecological Protection Society in Angra dos Reis)

Project: Pelos Caminhos do Jongo (Along the Paths of Jongo Music)

Location: Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2005 (Incentive Award) and 2006

SAPE emerged in the 1980’s to react against the changes taking place in Angra dos Reis, with the installation of Nuclear Plants and Oil Terminal, and the construction of the Rio-Santos highway. The organization works in the areas of environmental education, ecotourism and the strengthening of local culture. The project “Pelos Caminhos do Jongo” won an Incentive Award in 2005, and the project received the rest of the grant in 2006. The project was formed by a group of descendants of Maroons in Bracuí, and sought to recover the tradition of “Jongo” (a dance of African origin) to strengthen the community and preserve their traditions. The project was crucial in structuring the Association and strengthening its fight for land ownership. The project also offered workshops in handicrafts, tourism, agroforestry, and computer skills, funded by the Ministry of Agrarian Development, and helped to start the construction of the community’s house of culture. The project won the “Cultura Viva” prize, awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
Organization: Sabiá – Arte e Cultura Popular Brasileira (Sabiá – Art and Popular Culture)

Project: Quixabeira

Location:
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003

Sabia’s mission is to rescue citizens’ rights, to strengthen democracy and to reinforce the presence of popular culture in the Brazilian society. The Quixabeira movement was born out of meetings between singers and regional poets who began to save and distribute their cultural manifestations. Quixabeira plans to value the vast musical heritage kept alive by rural workers in Bahia, Northeast of Brazil, including musical styles such as chulas, bois e roça, sambas Santos Amarenses, aboios, samba martelo and reis. Meetings, rehearsals, workshops and lectures led to the Quixabeira festival, which is the ultimate exchange among these rural artists. BrazilFoundation ´s support made this meeting possible, which has become a cultural reference in the region.
Organization: Grupo Sociocultural e Ambiental Cem Modos (One hundred Ways Social-Cultural and Environmental Group)

Project: Remédios de Encantados e Voduns (Medicine Enchanted Foods and Voduns)

Location: Santa Rita
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Remédios e Comidas de Encantados e Voduns (Medicine Enchanted Foods and Voduns) (2003) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Group’s mission is to support the social development of the northern communities of Maranhão, especially Maroon settlements (quilombos). A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003, the group has been actively engaged with the local community with positive results and improvements in the quality of life of local residents. The support of BrazilFoundation opened doors for awards and recognitions. In 2010 the Group was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)*.

* Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Grupo de Tradição Marajoara Cruzeirinho (Marajoara Cruzeirinho Tradition Group)

Project: Resgate da Arte Cabocla através de Oficinas de Bordado (Rescuing Cabloco Art through Embroidery Workshops)

Location: Soure, Pará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2007

Founded in 1987, the Group works to integrate the youth of Marajo, in the State of Pará, into society through socio-cultural activities that rescue, preserve, and disseminate their culture. The project supported by BrazilFoundation offered workshops on sewing and the embroidery of costumes and set pieces used in cultural events to encourage young people to value these aspects of traditional Brazilian culture.
Organization: Associação de Moradores da Fazenda de São Paulo (São Paulo Ranch Residents’ Association)

Project: Styllus da terra (Styllus of the Land)

Location: Canindé, Ceará
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2010

With little to no access to state or municipal cultural services, youth from three settlements in the region develop their own activities to keep local traditions alive. The project will engage 60 youth in promoting an appreciation of northeastern Brazilian culture and providing theater production services for festivals of neighboring settlements.
Organization: Associação Vidança Cia. de Dança do Ceará (Association Vidança Dance Company of Ceará)

Project: Tambores do Vidança (Drums of Vidança)

Location: Fortaleza
Website: http://vidanca.org/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Vidança (2003), Tambores do Vidança (Drums of Vidança) (2005) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Dance Company works with children and at-risk youth in the Vila Velha neighborhood, in the outskirts of Fortaleza. The Company uses different forms of artistic expressions for the development and improvement of the quality of life of its participants. A BrazilFoundation grantee in 2003 and 2005, Vidança has expanded its activities and the number of projects supported by other organizations. The Company makes presentations in Ceara and other states of Brazil. In 2007, they performed at the BrazilFoundation Annual Gala in New York. Vidança was designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* in 2009.

* Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.
Organization: Associação Cultural Grupo do Beco (Alley Group Cultural Association)

Project: Teatro na Laje (Theater on rooftop)

Location: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
BrazilFoundation grantee in 2006

Grupo do Beco, located in the Santa Lucia neighborhood, one of the largest slums in Belo Horizonte, uses slum rooftops (known as “laje,” a space used for integration between neighbors) for art. The institution develops theater activities based on local cultural traditions to expand the possibilities of self-expression for this population. The project “Teatro na Laje” helped the organization expand its rooftop performances to seven other communities facing similar social conditions.
Organization: Reciclarte – Espaço Cultural da Grota (Reciclarte – Grota Cultural Space)

Project: Voz e Violinos (Voice and Violins)

Location: Niterói
Website: http://www.espacoculturaldagrota.org.br/new/
Projects supported by BrazilFoundation: Música nas Comunidades (Music in the communities) (2004), Voz e Violinos (Voice and Violins) (2005), Espaço Cultural da Grota (Grota Cultural Space) (2006) and Project BrazilFoundation 10 Years (2011).

The Grota String Orchestra was born when a small group of children and adolescents in the Grota do Surucucu favela, in Niteroi, gathered for academic tutoring and musical instrument lessons. With BrazilFoundation’s support enabled the organization to make improvements to the small space used for classes and to purchase new instruments. Reciclarte was a BrazilFoundation grantee again in 2005 and 2006, and with the renewed support they renovated and expanded what is now the Grota Cultural Space. The new space enabled Reciclarte to broaden its services to the community. The orchestra has recorded two CDs and 18 of its members are teaching in another 9 communities attending more than 300 students. The organization has been designated a “Ponto de Cultura” (Point of Culture)* and works with over 250 students. *Title of recognition awarded by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture to institutions that have made socio-cultural impacts in their communities.

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