Brookfield companies in Brazil provide direct support to a large number of philanthropic and local communities’ activities and to various focused programs related to their areas of business, helping entities that work with issues related to education, health and culture. Some of our social responsibility projects and initiatives in Brazil are:
The Pineapple Project: The project is located in Canápolis, Minas Gerais, and demonstrates the importance of the social role of land in Brazil’s countryside. Currently, the project direclty benefits more than 70 families, who have become pineapple entrepreneurs in their own right through subsidized land leases. The project is developed in partnership with Canápolis City Hall, Embrapa and Banco do Brasil.
Junior Firefighter Program: In partnership with local governments and other forestry companies, the project’s objective is to give children basic notions of citizenship and community service, through education.
Citizenship Day: The project periodically promotes basic services to the rural communities.
Health in the Field: The objective of this project is to give orientation and raise awareness about hypertension, sedentary behavior, dental care, glycemia, socialization activities, balanced diet, the risks of alcohol and tobacco abuse, and other issues. The initiative is organized in partnership with health institutions and benefits about 400 people, including farmers and their families.
Horse Therapy Center: We maintain a horse therapy center with local partners in Rancharia, São Paulo. The project helps physically handicapped children and works with several dozen young people during the year. Sanctioned by the Federal Medical Council, horse therapy is used to help the handicapped restore motor abilities, and interaction with the animal stimulates self-esteem, affectivity, and socializing skills, and helps overcome learning difficulties. The project’s partners include the municipal governments of Rancharia and Martinópolis. We will expand the project into Delfim Moreira and Canápolis, in Minas Gerais.
Estrela Dalva: The program seeks to give a group of gifted children and adolescents from impoverished communities extracurricular activities to develop their cognitive, cultural, social and emotional potential, going beyond what is offered in public schools. It selects gifted students and prepares them to enter schools of excellence, as well as offering them opportunities to develop critical and creative thinking and to participate in cultural activities. This means developing conscientious citizens, capable of being agents of change within their communities.
Adult Literacy School: In operation for over 7 years, this continuous educational program was developed in order to give selected employees access to formal education. Employees with difficulties in reading and writing, hired by our construction operation, are eligible to enroll in the Adult Literacy School. The school has a teacher who applies the SESI learning methodology and is located in one of our construction sites in Rio de Janeiro. The company provides materials (workbooks, pencils, pens) and pays the teacher’s salary.
Brazilian Symphony Orchestra Foundation: We are a cultural sponsor for this 70 year-old institution. Through various projects, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra has presented the symphonic universe to a larger public, making its artistic excellence a constant discovery to Brazilian audiences.
Rio Festival: In 2009 and 2007, we sponsored the largest film festival in Latin America, with over 300 national and international movies screened in 30 theaters around the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Granada Women’s Association (Asmugra): We sponsor equipment for bread production for this women’s association. Revenue obtained from the sale of home-made bread is channeled to the promotion of layette production and courses for pregnant teenagers.
Nova Lacerda Nursery Home: We gave support for the refurbishment of Pedacinho do Céu Nursery, located in the municipality of Nova Lacerda, Mato Grosso. The nursery houses 96 children. Thanks to the refurbishment, they were given a safer place to live.
Read and Create: One of our shopping malls in Rio de Janeiro created a community library to foster reading among people from several age groups in the surrounding areas. The library is used extensively by elementary and high school students, as well as by local community members. "Read and Create" also encourages book donations to further expand the project.
Seeds of Good: Since 2004, we have been involved with important social initiatives in the city of Mogi das Cruzes (São Paulo). Our first social project began when mall employees volunteered to help charities that assist children and the elderly. From this effort, Seeds of Good, a charitable association, was founded. Today, the association has its own space to offer teaching and handicraft workshops, administered by volunteers and targeting the families of children and teenagers. It also sponsors bazaars and Christmas charity events.
Donation Campaigns and Free Courses: Some of our malls in Rio de Janeiro promote regular campaigns to collect books, winter clothes, blankets, toys and geriatric products, which are donated to charities approved by Viva Rio, a local NGO. In order to forge a stronger relationship with the local community, these malls provide free courses such as decoration, behavior, handicrafts and fashion. Participants need to donate one kilogram of food in order to participate.
Coin Race Donations: One of our shopping malls in Minas Gerais started an ongoing project to receive cash donations using the Coin Race system. The donations are passed on to social projects by the municipality of Contagem in the state of Minas Gerais where the mall is located. At the end of twelve months all donations collected are given to the selected project.
Campaign Against Sexual Exploitation: In 2007, one of our shopping malls located in São Paulo engaged in a campaign against sexual exploitation of minors. In partnership with the World Childhood Foundation – Brazil, leaflets were distributed with information for parents on how to protect their children from sexual crimes on the Internet. The same content was included in a short film exhibited prior to movies in the mall’s theaters.
First Job Campaign: One of our malls in Rio de Janeiro offers underprivileged teenagers (aged 14 to 18) an opportunity to get their first job, providing assistance to customers such as helping them locate stores and services. These young people receive special training before joining the mall’s team.