# 164 vol. XL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 English Edition

ESSENTIAL ACTIONInitiatives that make it possible for Odebrecht Group

companies to fulfill their social responsibility

II informa

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Online edition Online archive

> An Angolan group brings together personal statements to form an archive and produce a documentary on their country’s independence.

> Based on interactive experiments, a museum in Camaçari, Bahia, teaches science to children and adolescents.

> A competition awards prizes to schools that produce sustainability projects and fosters environmental education.

> Blood donations and professional education mobilize company members building Pier IV, and their families.

> Access all back issues of Odebrecht Informa since no. 1, and download full issues in PDF.

> Odebrecht Annual Reports since 2002.

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# 164 vol. XL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013English Edition

ESSENTIAL ACTIONInitiatives that make it possible for Odebrecht Group

companies to ful� ll their social responsibility

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Video reports Blog

> Production of red propolis, a unique Brazilian commo-dity on the global market, revs up the economies of Alagoas communities.

> At Frontiers of Thinking 2012, Mozambican writer Mia Couto discusses the importance of Africa for Brazil.

www.odebrechtonline.com.br > Online edition of Odebrecht Informa.> Reports, features, videos, photos, animations and infographics.

> Support for small businesses and malaria prevention are some of the initiatives that are contributing to the development of communities in Guinea.

> The principles of cooperativism applied to plastic recycling produce skilled workers and sources of income.

> In Valongo, a region of low-income communities in Santos, São Paulo, soccer is a tool for the social inclusion of local youths

> RECYCLING IS LIVING

Through its support for recycling projects, Braskem creates work and income opportunities in the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Alagoas, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul.

> Follow Odebrecht Informa on Twitter and get news in real time @odbinforma

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SOCIAL PROGRAMS #164Born on the Santo Antônio Dam construction site in Brazil, the Acreditar professional education program is going global

For highway concessionaires, paths are also built by investing in basic education, training young professionals and supporting small businesses

Panama: a partnership for health is getting highly positive results, inside and outside the jobsites

Folks: Rafael Tamashiro, Minerva Gómez and Thamara Wanderley are helping improve life in their communities in Peru, Panama and Brazil

Fonte Nova Arena provides opportunities for ex-convicts to rejoin society

While revamping Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the company scores some important victories, including literacy for its members

In São Lourenço da Mata, Pernambuco, the Arena Education Program offers computer classes for youths and adults

A program developed in Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo, Bahia and Tocantins spotlights the important social role of health workers

Interview: Francisco Martins and the stories, learnings and current challenges of a person whose greatest passion is helping people grow and develop

Theater, dance, music, lectures: the various (and highly qualified) facets of Braskem’s contribution to the arts and culture

Support for small businesses, digital inclusion and combating malaria raise fresh expectations for growth in Guinea’s communities

Soccer guarantees fun, activity, and especially prospects for children and youths in the Valongo region of Santos, São Paulo

The joint venture responsible for building the Abreu e Lima Refinery in Suape energizes Olinda’s already lively Carnival

Transnordestina opens up its jobsites to the community, giving them a detailed look at how the railroad is being built

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Cover: Lauren Pereira, from Odebrecht, with children and young people from the village of Tamiandou in the Kissidougou region of Guinea.

Photo by Guilherme Afonso.

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CAPAIlustração de Rico Lins

SOCIAL PROGRAMSA story about the joy and pride of learning to read and write, from the Trensurb construction project in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region

Recycling projects in four Brazilian states focus on used plastic as one way to overcome a major environmental challenge

Community: in Rondônia, a professional education initiative has become more than a business tool - it forms a strong social bond

Angola: in Huambo and Cambambe, initiatives help promote citizenship, health, education and professional training

Luanda’s Structuring Routes Project confirms the positive value of getting families involved in the day-to-day operations of a construction project

A youth orchestra goes on a tour that includes the Teles Pires Dam construction site

Portugal: an example of appreciation for and preservation of intangible heritage in the vicinity of the Baixo Sabor Dam project

Profile: Cláudio Castro and his everyday interaction with the type of worker he got to know and learned to admire as a child

An inspiring transformation in the lives of a group of women, made possible thanks to a pioneer’s persistence

Argument: Ana Cristina Barros and the need for businesses to play an active role in improving the living conditions of the communities in which they operate

Southern Bahia Lowlands: practicing the principle that everyone can contribute to the balance of their local habitatThe map shows

the countries and Brazilian states (in beige) where the projects and programs described in this issue of Odebrecht Informa are located, and where the people who feature in these stories live and work

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EDITORIAL

Initiativesthat make the

differencen Guinea, Madeleine Kondiano knows that her dream of sending her six children to college is closer to coming true. Orlando Quintero is better able to carry on his fight against HIV/AIDS in Panama. Geraldo Simme, Roberto Silveira and

Gabriel Garcia are experiencing a new phase in their lives be-cause their recycling project has created fresh prospects in Rio Grande do Sul. In the same southern Brazilian state, Fran-cisco Alves and Claudino Guareski are discovering the fasci-nating world of the written word. In Portugal, archaeologist Rita Gaspar is celebrating the circumstances enabling her to provide more encouraging results for the community through her work; and in Angola, Conceição Jamba can, as she says herself, go anywhere now, because she has finally managed to obtain an ID card.

These are some of the exciting, exemplary and inspiring stories you will find in this issue of Odebrecht Informa, which showcases social programs carried out with the participation of Group companies in the context of the organization’s opera-tions in Brazil and around the world. These initiatives are fo-cused on improving health and education, providing job skills, creating jobs and sources of income, regaining citizenship, and other areas of decisive importance for enabling people to enjoy a better quality of life.

Firmly and enthusiastically grounded in the principles of the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO), the Group’s teams seek to offer contributions that make the difference. When it is lived the way it should be, that is, continuously en-hanced and deepened, the ethos of service leads to the desire and the need to do more, and do it better. This practice dem-onstrates the positive social impact a company can and must have.

Good reading.

“When it is lived the way it should be, that

is, continuously enhanced and deepened, the

ethos of service leads to the desire

and the need to do more,

and do it better”

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believingThe Acreditar Program’s international experience attests to its ability to adapt to the most varied and challenging situations

he Department of Malargüe, in the Ar-

gentine province of Mendoza, is nothing

like the famous wine-producing provin-

cial capital. Malargüe’s main products

are potatoes, onions and garlic. Another

strong point for the local economy is mining. Techint and

Odebrecht are building the Rio Colorado potash mine in

Malargüe for Vale, with a production capacity of 2.9 mil-

lion metric tons per year. The mine’s arrival and the eco-

nomic boost it brought with it have generated growth in

Malargüe and six other Mendoza departments. And the

demand for skilled workers has grown along with them.

This was the situation when the first edition of Creer

(Believe), the Spanish-speaking version of the Group’s

Ongoing Professional Education Program, was born in

Argentina.

TClaudio Alejandro Flores, 36, used to work as a brick-

layer. He had no specialized job skills when he enrolled

in Creer and took the electrician course. “It’s good to ac-

quire a skill and learn about all stages of a project,” he

says. After finishing the course, Claudio started his own

small construction business. Former seamstress Orfilia

Roca, 47, graduated from the program as an electrical

technician to set an example for her kids. “I was never

8

written by Fabiana Cabral (Coordinator and MozaMbique, Cláudio lovato Filho (PanaMa), elea alMeida (Guinea), Júlio César soares (arGentina) and luCiana lana (anGola)

SeeInG IS

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In 2009, the program arrived in Angola and adapted to

the realities of that rapidly growing country. The first step

was to determine the demands of the Group’s various

projects. The survey revealed what would become one of

the biggest challenges: the low level of schooling and the

disparity between the workers’ education levels.

“Based on the Brazilian experience, we developed an

educational method that was adapted to and by the An-

golan people,” explains Adriana Correia Bezerra, the offi-

cer Responsible for the program. More than 3,200 people

signed up in the first year, and 1,200 were certified (Ode-

brecht hired almost 100% of the graduates in some fields).

Today, the program has more than 2,900 graduates and

6,200 applicants. Other companies are hiring people who

acquired job skills through the program, which is also en-

abling women to enter the labor market.

Women are also a highlight of the program in Mo-

zambique, where Odebrecht is building Nacala Interna-

tional Airport and expanding the Moatize Coal Project:

20% of Acreditar’s participants are female.

In a country where 48% of adults cannot read or write,

the rate in Nacala is even more alarming: 81% of women

are illiterate. The Acreditar Literacy program was developed

in August 2012 to train local teachers with a method that

emphasizes reading and writing. Forty-five literacy teachers

were certified in three months.

able to finish school, and this has always been some-

thing I needed to do,” she says. Two of her children have

completed the basic module of Creer.

According to program coordinator Jorge Alfredo De

Angeli, since Creer got started in Mendoza Province in

December 2011, more than 2,800 people have applied,

775 have completed the basic and technical modules,

and 85 are working on the potash mine project. Marina

Gonzalez Ugarte, the officer Responsible for the pro-

gram at Odebrecht Argentina says: “We have to think

about local development along with social inclusion.”

From Brazil to the worldCreated by Odebrecht in 2008 in Porto Velho, Bra-

zil, with the Portuguese name Acreditar (Believe), the

program was initially intended to enable local workers

to acquire the job skills they needed to build the Santo

Antônio hydroelectric plant. Four years later, the initia-

tive is now being successfully deployed in 10 Brazilian

states, with more than 117,000 applicants. A total of

53,300 have graduated, and 34,500 are working on Ode-

brecht projects. Currently, nine countries besides Bra-

zil are implementing the program (Angola, Argentina,

Cuba, Colombia, Liberia, Mozambique, Peru, Panama

and Venezuela), with a total of 36,900 applicants, 18,200

graduates, and 7,600 people hired.

Jennifer Bartley and Mauricio Castillo, in Panama City: professional education benefits individuals and society

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Young Mozambicans (aged 13 to 18) are also getting

a chance to start a career through Acreditar Apprentice,

introduced in Nacala in April 2012 with a focus on com-

pany members’ families. “We believe that teens are the

protagonists of social change,” says Adriana Brito, the

officer Responsible for Odebrecht Social Programs in

Mozambique. In seven months, 65% of the program’s

56 young graduates showed improved academic perfor-

mance, and more than 90% demonstrated positive be-

havioral changes. Using their new skills, the apprentices

have created the Young Protagonists Association (AJP),

which organizes cleaning task forces, collects clothing

and helps sell pictures made from recycled materials.

Sofia Saide, 17, is the coordinator of AJP. “Being a pro-

tagonist means being the first to play their part and join

forces to find solutions.”

The Acreditar Professional Education Program got

started in Nacala in January 2012, and has graduated

1,244 people. Also deployed in Moatize in July 2012

through a partnership with Vale, the program has trained

578 people there to work as carpenters, bricklayers and

excavator operators.

Just as it did in Angola and Mozambique, so Acredi-

tar has also undergone adaptations in Guinea. The first

thing to change was its name, which is Programme

Espoir, since the country’s official language is French.

According to Lauren Pereira, the Odebrecht Institutional

and Community Relations Coordinator, the Guinean pro-

gram is intended for residents already on the company’s

payroll who are working in the region of Kissidougou,

the host city of the Simandou road project. The basic

module provides information on health, the environment

and behavior in such a way that company members can

share what they learn with their relatives and neighbors.

“By influencing workers, we are imparting knowledge to

people outside the company,” says Lauren.

One group of 16 members is taking part in the pilot

program and another 72 have already studied equipment

ho

lan

da C

ava

lCa

nti

The Creer Program in Argentina: instructor Miguel Arturo Conesa (right) with students Ramón Chaile (center) and Walter Javier Molina. Opposite, Acreditar graduates in Mozambique: development and social inclusion

11informa

maintenance at the jobiste. “Espoir has been very well

received by the client, Rio Tinto, which has a 50-year plan

in that country,” says Equipment Training Coordinator

Raimundo Filho.

The instructor Souleymane Doumbouya was recruited

from the mechanics hired to work on the project. Fluent

in French, English and local languages, he is such a good

teacher that his fame has spread throughout the com-

munity. He is now giving free lessons in his own home.

“Because they know that Odebrecht is educating people

here, young people are striving to do better in school so

they can improve their lives and grow,” he says. “We want

to enable Guineans to work for other companies and even

start their own businesses,” adds the project’s Construc-

tion Manager, Daniel Fernandes.

More work, less violenceBack in the Americas, we are now in Panama, where

Jennifer Bartley, 30, and Mauricio Castillo Harding, 45,

have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded by

the Creer program. They live in Chorrillo, the low-income

community of Panama City where they were born. That is

where Odebrecht is working on stage three of the Coastal

Beltway project.

“My mother used to say that construction work is for

men,” says Jennifer, “but I like to build and transform

things.” After working in a beauty salon and doing some

carpentry, she took the basic module of Creer in October

2011. She started working on the Coastal Beltway III proj-

ect as a general assistant, sought out fresh challenges

and worked in the stockroom before becoming the op-

erations manager on the People team. “I want to learn to

read blueprints. You never stop learning at Odebrecht,”

she says. Mauricio Castillo used to own a barbershop. He

had also done some welding and sold snacks for a living

before taking the basic module of the program. After that,

he became a general assistant and went on to his current

job as a welder. “I want to study engineering,” he says.

The Creer program was introduced on the Coastal Belt-

way III project in October 2011. The first two groups to take

the course were made up of 500 company members. All of

them were from Chorrillo, an area with a long and serious

history of urban violence. “The program certified 440 people,

and over half of them were hired to work on the project,”

says Administrative and Financial Manager Arturo Graell.

The participants are between the ages of 18 and 60

years, and 30% of them are women. The Coastal Beltway

was the company’s first project to introduce Creer, and

the program’s benefits for the community go beyond the

creation of job and income opportunities. “Violence has

gone down. Creer is helping raise the Chorrillo commu-

nity’s self-esteem,” says Arturo.

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ahead,

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written by Eduardo Souza Lima photos by ÉLvio Luiz, FErnando vivaS and rogÉrio rEiS

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ahead,Concessionaires are developing social outreach programs on several fronts – from health to digital inclusion, from training entrepreneurs to promoting citizenship – in four Brazilian states

written by Eduardo Souza Lima photos by ÉLvio Luiz, FErnando vivaS and rogÉrio rEiS

concession is a two-way street. This concept guides and

lends its name to the professional education program

adopted at the Bahia Norte and Litoral Norte concession-

aires. It also directs initiatives at Odebrecht TransPort’s

other concessionaires, such as Rota dos Coqueiros’s Via

School, in Pernambuco; Rota das Bandeiras’s Route of Education, Hit the

Net, and Action Against Dengue, in São Paulo, and the SuperVia Apprentice

program, in Rio de Janeiro.

The Two-Way Street program is providing skills to 400 small business own-

ers in Bahia established along highways BA-093 and BA-099, Via School aims

to benefit about 4,800 students in Pernambuco, and SuperVia Apprentice is

giving 160 young Rio residents an opportunity to acquire their first job experi-

ence. More than enough reason to hope for a decent and rewarding future.

“My neighbor was invited to participate but didn’t want to. Now, I think

she regrets that decision,” says Marcos Santana, who inherited his father’s

small restaurant, Mário do Mocotó, in Vila de Abrantes, Camaçari. Marcos’s

business stands alongside the BA-099, better known as Estrada do Coco

(Coconut Highway). Organized by the OAS-Odebrecht joint venture, the Ba-

hia Norte and Litoral Norte concessionaires, and SEBRAE, Two-Way Street

was first implemented in January 2011 by the Institute of Applied Research

and Technology Management (IPGA), with support from the Invepar Insti-

tute. The program covers the municipalities of Lauro de Freitas, Camaçari,

Simões Filho, Dias D’Avila, Mata de São João, Ipojuca, Entre Rios, Esplana-

da, Conde and Jandaira.

The first challenge was gaining the trust of small business owners along

the route. “We realized that they were skeptical. It’s a new project. No one

had ever taken an interest in them before, and they were afraid of losing their

businesses,” says Wellington Ribeiro, IGPA’s manager for this project. “We

A

Mariana Lopes “I’m coming out of my shell”

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14 informa

are working with everyone from the guy selling corn on

the cob on the street to the owner of a tire repair shop.

It’s not an easy job to get these entrepreneurs into the

classroom. They think that if they close their business

to study, just for a minute, they’ll lose money. But when

they start trusting us, we become part of the family,”

says IGPA supervisor Arlete Cruz.

The small business owners received training from

SEBRAE agents through classes that cover the ba-

sics of food handling, financial management, personal

marketing and environmental education, among other

topics. “The idea is not only to qualify them profession-

ally but to help them regain their sense of citizenship

and boost their self-esteem,” says Wellington Ribeiro.

In addition to taking classes, the entrepreneurs

receive monthly visits from SEBRAE mentors, are en-

couraged to register their companies, and can use a

support fund to enhance and expand their businesses.

“We realized that physical limitations were inhibiting

their growth. It’s hard to talk about giving good cus-

tomer service when they often lack the basics, like ta-

bles, chairs, shelves and a freezer,” says Leana Mattei,

who is in charge of Social/Environmental Development

at the Bahia Norte Concessionaire.

Using resources from the project’s support fund,

Marcos Santana not only bought another freezer for

his establishment but registered his restaurant and

obtained a federal tax number (CNPJ). His initiative

is already paying off: “Sometimes I’d lose customers

because I couldn’t issue invoices and official receipts,”

he says. Aquelina Moreira, who owns a small tailor

shop near his restaurant, can now take large orders

since she bought an industrial sewing machine and

obtained a business permit: “I’m making a company’s

uniforms.”

In Simões Filho, sales at Livro da Vida (Book of Life),

a bookshop and stationery store run by Maria Apare-

cida Ribas, have almost doubled thanks to a few simple

measures: “It used to be hard to sell our merchandise.

We had plenty in stock but no way to display it. My only

customers were the neighbors. Now, people some-

times drive by, see the items on display, and come in to

buy them.” Another valuable lesson: controlling costs

and setting a monthly withdrawal. “I’ve also learned

to buy, sell, and take care of the inventory. It used to

be that I’d go shopping and have no idea of what was

needed in the store. I’ve also started adding our costs

to the final price. I didn’t used to take into account what

I spent on gasoline, on lunch... And I’d get the store’s

earnings mixed up with the household budget. Pre-

viously, my daughter would ask me for BRL 10 and I

wouldn’t keep a record of it. Now I have things under

control,” explains Maria Aparecida.

Dengue prevention, traffic education and digital inclusionThe Rota das Bandeiras Concessionaire, which

runs the Dom Pedro Corridor highways, has deployed

Marcos Santana: losing business without official invoices

15informa

three social projects covering 17 counties in São Paulo

State. The Action against Dengue program is staging

a play called “The Lost Boys against Captain Dengue

and his Mosquitoes” in schools in Campinas, Paulínia,

Atibaia, Cosmópolis, Mogi Guaçu and Louveira. More

than 1,200 students have seen the play to date. “We

found that there were dengue epidemics in six towns

and cities on the Dom Pedro Corridor, so we produced

the play and are presenting it in schools in the districts

with the highest incidence of the disease, according to

the Municipal Health Department. The idea is to teach

kids to prevent and combat dengue,” explains Rota das

Bandeiras Social Responsibility Manager Adherbal

Vieira da Silva.

Elementary school students are also the target

audience of Route of Education, a traffic education

program that also enables kids to learn about mo-

bility, citizenship and the environment. The program

is currently underway in 22 municipal schools in

seven towns: Conchal, Igaratá, Jarinu, Bom Jesus

dos Perdões, Artur Nogueira, Mogi Guaçu and Ita-

tiba. “We provide training for teachers from the 1st

to 5th grades. The goal is for children to pass on

what they learn to their families and friends,” ex-

plains Adherbal.

Hit the Net, in turn, is directed at people of all ages

and will be deployed in 17 municipalities. The five-

year goal for this program is to set up 150 classrooms

throughout the Dom Pedro Corridor. “This is a digital

inclusion project that aims to offer communities ac-

cess to information, knowledge and relationships.

The local governments provide the facilities where

the classrooms are installed, and we cover the costs

of remodeling and equipment,” explains Adherbal. Hit

the Net offers 20-hour courses on the basics of com-

puting. Currently, it is active in 10 classrooms in three

towns, with a total of 280 students.

Helping passengersSuperVia Apprentice is a project focused on the

company itself: it is part of the program of improve-

ments that the concessionaire is implementing in rail

transportation in Rio de Janeiro. “The focus is on cus-

tomer service; the goal is to better serve our clients,”

explains Roberta Tanajura, the officer Responsible for

People and Organization. The project has selected 160

young people between the ages of 18 to 22, many of

them the company members’ children. Their job is to

answer questions and help passengers with disabili-

ties to get around.

Aquelina Moreira: “I’m making a company’suniforms

16 informa

“The idea arose when I paid a visit to Companhia

Paulista Trens Metropolitanos in São Paulo, which

has a similar project. Our young apprentices receive a

grant that goes beyond what the Apprentice Law stipu-

lates. They are entitled to social security, health care

and their full rights according to Brazilian labor laws.

And we have already received numerous compliments

about their work through the Customer Service Cen-

ter,” says Sonia Antunes proudly. She is the company’s

Commercial Officer and the creator of the program.

SuperVia trains carry 540,000 passengers per day,

on average. The company operates 270 km of tracks

that run through Rio de Janeiro and 11 counties in

the metropolitan area (Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu,

Nilópolis, Mesquita, Queimados, São João de Meriti,

Belford Roxo, Japeri, Magé, Paracambi and Guapi-

mirim).

The program received more than 2,000 résumés

during the process of selecting apprentices. The young

participants, most of whom live near the railway sta-

tion, were recruited and trained for two weeks by the

Mudes Foundation, where they took classes in citizen-

ship, customer service, Portuguese and basic infor-

mation about rail systems.

They are also applying what they learned in the

classroom to their personal lives. “I’m very shy. I came

here with the aim of coming out of my shell, and get-

ting over my shyness. Another thing I’ve learned is to

be more patient and not get stressed out,” says Mari-

ana Lopes, 19, who lives in Morro da Providência and

wants to go to college and become an archivist or so-

cial worker. The opportunity to work for SuperVia, her

first job experience, has also enabled Mariana to con-

tinue taking a prep course for college admissions ex-

ams. “I’ve started studying in the mornings. It’s a piece

of cake – I work six hours a day,” she says.

A resident of Engenho Novo, Lucas Silva Carvalho,

18, is a high school graduate who is looking for his

first job opportunity before going to college. He wants

to study Advertising, and can already see a future for

himself with the company: “I’ve heard that SuperVia

is thinking of putting apprentices to good use in other

17informa

areas after our contract expires. I could find a place in

their marketing or PR program.”

Quality education“Most concessionaire members live in neighbor-

ing communities, and some have kids who are study-

ing in schools participating in the Via School Program,

which helps get them more involved in their children’s

education,” says Flávia Queiroz, the Sustainability co-

ordinator at the Rota dos Coqueiros concessionaire in

Pernambuco. The company started Via School in 2012

in partnership with the Cornélio Brennand Group. This

social responsibility program aims to help develop ba-

sic education through the continuous training of edu-

cators from schools in the highway’s sphere of influ-

ence in the municipalities of Jaboatão dos Guararapes,

Cabo de Santo Agostinho and Ipojuca. A pilot project

that is expected to be firmly consolidated by 2014, Via

School is already active in 19 schools.

Using a method developed by the Chapada Educa-

tion and Research Institute (ICEP), the program encour-

ages students to read and write in the early years of el-

ementary school. To do so, Via School provides ongoing

training to 397 educators, including teachers, supervi-

sors, principals and members of the technical staffs of

the Departments of Education in the three participating

municipalities. “Our social outreach programs in gen-

eral used to be carried out on an ad hoc basis in certain

communities for a specific time. We were looking for

a more enduring program that all the concessionaires

could adopt. Via School is the first step in this new pol-

icy. We’ve decided to focus on basic education, but the

initial stages of literacy are a crucial time in a child’s

education. The idea is to replicate the program in all our

concessionaires and share this experience with other

companies,” explains Odebrecht TransPort Regional

Director (North/Northeast/Midwest) Renato Mello.

“I’ve worked in the municipal school system for 17

years, and now I see a program that makes me happy and

excited. This focus on training was exactly what we need-

ed. We’re just getting started, but today the library is no

longer closed,” says Arleide Santana Vieira, an Elemen-

tary School 1 educational supervisor at José Rodovalho

Municipal School in Jaboatão dos Guararapes. “They used

to read because they had to, but now they like it. Today, the

students know the authors’ names, and take better care

of the books,” adds Vilma Guedes, who teaches the early

grades of Elementary School 1 at Maria Madalena Tabosa

Municipal School, in Cabo de São Agostinho.

“The project works directly with the technical staff

and indirectly encompasses the entire school system,

but the dream is to reach all the schools. We want a

project that is not paternalistic; one that the local gov-

ernment can keep going with its own teacher trainers,”

explains Flávia Queiroz.

This is already starting to happen in Jaboatão dos

Guararapes: “The pilot schools we chose were the

ones with the lowest IDEBS (Basic Education Develop-

ment Index). The results of education take a long time

in coming, but the improvements are already visible.

We want to raise educational indicators and reduce

the dropout rate and age/grade disparity. Supervisors

at the pilot schools are training other supervisors who

go on to train their teachers. We have also exchanged

experiences with other municipalities. The goal is to

ensure this is not a government policy but a State

policy,” says Edilene Soares, the Municipal Education

Secretary for that county.

“They used to read because they had to, but now they like it. Today the students know the authors’ names, and take better care of the books”

Vilma Guedes

18 informa

TRuSTInG TheIR Own

abilities

18In Panama, a partnership takes information about combating HIV/AIDS to the jobsites

written by CLaudio Lovato FiLho photos by gEraLdo PEStaLozzi

Workers at the Metro Line 1 jobsite in Panama City: beneficiaries and agents of an exchange of information

19informa

rlando Quintero’s daily routine involves

a profusion of visits to communities,

government agencies and educational

institutions, media contacts, and more

recently, construction sites. Those more

attached to numbers would say he does not show

the 57 years shown on his ID card. A pediatrician by

training, he could not slow his pace if he wanted to.

Quintero is the founder and Executive Director of the

Foundation for the Welfare and Dignity of Persons

Affected by HIV/AIDS (Probidsida), an NGO that is a

model for combating the AIDS virus in Panama.

Using a map on the wall of his office at Probid-

sida’s headquarters in downtown Panama City, Quin-

tero shows the Odebrecht Informa team the situa-

tion of his country with regard to the incidence of HIV

infection. Quintero, who discovered that he was HIV

positive 25 years ago and created Probidsia in 1998,

points to the colors and numbers on the map and

says, with a tone of regret but without dismay, that

Panama is among the six countries with the highest

rates of the disease in the Americas. Estimates are

that there are 20,000 to 30,000 HIV-positive people in

Panama. That’s a large number for a country with a

population of under 3.5 million.

“This situation is due to a combination of factors,”

says Quintero. “We have large ports on the Pacific

and Atlantic coasts, there is a steady influx of tour-

ists, and the nightlife in our major cities is quite hec-

tic. But the main problem is the lack of sex educa-

tion. We face many obstacles to speaking openly, in

the classrooms, about the importance of using con-

doms, for example.”

These barriers, erected by stubborn conservatism

in powerful sectors of society, are not the only ones

that Probidsida has had to face. Until recently, it was

a major challenge for Quintero and his team to get

the financial and material resources they needed

to keep the foundation going. It has 42 people on its

staff, who are responsible, among many other ser-

vices, for hospital and home visits, producing edu-

cational materials, providing psychological guidance

and legal aid, and organizing information campaigns

focusing on prevention, besides conducting tests

(HIV and general), and providing aftercare following

HIV tests. Despite the Federal Government’s support,

the challenges were growing.

OFortunately, Probidsida got a significant boost

in its struggle to overcome those obstacles in 2011

when it signed a partnership with Odebrecht Pana-

ma. The company views supporting the foundation

Orlando Quintero heads as an opportunity to help

the country find a solution to a serious problem by

strengthening some of its most reputable, experi-

enced institutions. Through this partnership, Probid-

sida is now conducting all the employment medical

tests for Odebrecht’s projects in that country. This,

however, was just the first step in their relationship.

Contributing its specific focus and primary mis-

sion, Probidsida has worked synergistically with

Odebrecht Panama’s Sustainability team to orga-

nize an extensive campaign to combat HIV/AIDS that

benefits company members, their families and the

communities where they live. However, they also

involve a broad alliance between businesses and

exchanges between Panamanian and Brazilian re-

search institutions to share experiences and trans-

fer technology.

Cooperation agreements are currently being stud-

ied and defined, but 15 companies based in Panama

have already joined the Business Committee for the

program, which means that they have undertaken to

adopt corporate policies and projects to combat HIV.

“Odebrecht is the spearhead in Panama in this pro-

cess in which large companies have taken an inter-

est due to the importance of this issue. They need to

understand that they must ensure the protection of

their most important asset, which is people and their

knowledge.”

Life at the jobsitesOn the jobsites, workers’ participation in the cam-

paigns that the Probidsida and Odebrecht team orga-

nized have surpassed the highest expectations. The

attendance rate at lectures is over 90%. After the lec-

tures, which are given by foundation members who

share their personal experiences, almost everyone in

the audience decides to take the HIV test offered and

administered by the Probidsida team. The results are

completely confidential. One of the campaigns, titled

“AIDS is not a game,” carried out throughout 2012,

included the distribution of publications and an invi-

tation to be tested. It raised the awareness of more

than 3,000 workers.

For the Metro Line 1 construction project in Pan-

ama City, Probidsida has set up a clinic through its

own investments in equipment. That unit has con-

ducted more than 20,000 tests, including audiom-

etry (hearing), EKGs, EEGs and X-rays, in addition to

testing for HIV.

Dr. Belkis Santamaría, a specialist in emergency

and occupational medicine, is the officer Respon-

sible for Health on the Metro Line 1 project. She

leads a team of 28 people with the support of 20

Probidsida members. Belkis is a constant presence

at the construction site, where she visits the various

work fronts, chatting with members, checking their

working conditions and establishing a relationship

of trust.

“There are more than 4,000 people working on

this project, which has tremendous national visibil-

ity,” observes Belkis. “Our partner companies view

the work we are doing with our partner Probidsida

as a model and a benchmark,” she adds. This is

Probdsida team member Marlene Ribas’s first ex-

perience of working on a construction site. Previ-

ously, she had never left the lab. “It’s very moving to

watch people struggle to get well and improve their

quality of life,” she says.

Probidsida arrived at the Metro Line 1 construc-

tion site in September 2011. According to Project

Director Marcos Tepedino: “Probidsida is doing

excellent work, providing high-quality services to

the company and therefore to society. Through this

partnership, we have been able to help the insti-

tution develop a corporate vision and strengthen

itself.” Orlando Quintero agrees with Tepedino’s

observation: “This has been a new experience for

Probidsida, with the hallmark of education. It’s a

win-win relationship.”

20 informa

Doctors Orlando Quintero and (standing, rear) Belkis Santamaría with Probidsida members: a partnership that is producing results for the nation

21informa

FOLKS

Foto

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Getting to know the neighbors

uring her work for the United Nations, for several

years Minerva Gómez closely followed the elections

held in Nicaragua, El Salvador, South Africa and Mozam-

bique after armed conflicts. She explains that before she

joined Odebrecht, she had no idea that there were peo-

ple right there near her home on the Panama Canal who

were living in poverty and violence similar to what she

had seen in those countries. Minerva holds a law degree

and has led Odebrecht’s social programs at the Curundu

Urban Renewal Project in Panama City for two and a half

years. Odebrecht is supporting government initiatives to

educate and place people in the job market. “I would like

the urban and human transformation that we are seeing

in Curundú to happen in other communities. I feel that I

am being useful to my country,” she says.

Minerva and the feeling of being of use to her country

A professional in his environment

hamara Wanderley, 24, was born in Alagoinhas, Bahia. Currently a chemical

industrial processes technician, she is about to get a degree in Engineering.

She now works as an operator at the Thermal Unit of the Energy and Essential

Services Industry (IESE), which is responsible for generating steam for Braskem

units and several clients at the Camaçari Complex in Bahia. Thamara has taken

part in one of the most rigorous selection processes to get where she is today. The

Camaçari Industrial Advancement Committee (Cofic) offers a course for industrial

operators. There were 3,000 candidates in February 2010, and just 60 were selec-

ted to take the course. Thamara was one of the 18 participants invited to become

a trainee at Braskem’s Basic Feedstocks Unit. “The entire process was terrific. I

want to become a Braskem leader one day,” she says.

A rewarding journey

Rafael and a pioneering program to rescue plant and animal life

Young Thamara, and her dream of becoming a leader at Braskem

Ge

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iologist Rafael

Tamashiro,

41, was born in Lima

and has worked in

Peruvian conserva-

tion parks in recent

years. He is currently

the officer Respon-

sible for Environment

at Odebrecht Peru

during construc-

tion of the Chaglla

hydroelectric power

plant, which is underway in a region located between the rain

forest and the peaks of the Andes. Created almost 50 years

ago, Tingo María National Park is nearby. Rafael and

his team have implemented a pioneering plant and ani-

mal rescue program in Peru. They study orchids, pro-

vide support for research at the Universidad Nacional

Agraria de la Selva (Unas), and have identified new rep-

tile species, thereby increasing our knowledge of Peru-

vian biodiversity. Rafael also helps rescue and relocate

fish from rivers in the project area. “We are innovating

through environmental programs that help preserve

and add value to my country’s natural heritage,” he

says, clearly pleased.

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22 informa

A jOBSITe ThAT

schoolsLiteracy,

professional education,

social reinsertion: the Fonte Nova Arena is already the setting

of memorable victories

22

very batch of concrete mixed to make

the Fonte Nova Arena’s massive sup-

porting piers in Salvador, Bahia, con-

tained a dose of sweat from Edmilson

da Silva Santos, 39. A carpenter, he

is one of the workers who produce the concrete

pieces that make up the new arena’s monumental

structure. However, the greatest masterpiece Ed-

milson (better known as Galego) has produced is

something else altogether: his own signature. He is

one of the 15 workers at the site who completed a

one-year literacy course at the Productivity School

in September.

That initiative is part of a range of social programs

developed by the joint venture building the arena,

formed by Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infrastructure)

and OAS, and which has benefited both company mem-

bers and the community.

As he says himself, before taking the course, Ga-

lego’s Portuguese was “rough, really rough.” He ob-

serves that he learned to read and pronounce “hard

words” during the course. “Now I’m much better at

communicating, and I can help my daughter [Mônica,

age 9] with her homework,” he says proudly.

Going from literacy to first-class citizenship is just a

small step forward. “Thanks to this course, I feel better

Ewritten by riCardo sanGiovanni

photos by MárCio liMa

23informa

qualified; I feel that I am a professional and am worthy,

that I am a Brazilian citizen,” says Salvador Lisboa Con-

ceição, 59, one of Galego’s co-workers. Salvador, who

was already literate but needed to refresh his knowl-

edge, is a steelfixer (a member of the team responsible

for assembling the steel beams that support the con-

crete). “My work doesn’t get that much attention, since

it’s going to be out of sight,” he jokes.

However, Salvador will have something much more

valuable to show: a “passport” from the Odebrecht/

OAS joint venture awarded to the course’s graduates as

certification for the training program. “This will help us

to open doors in the future. It’s quite a ‘résumé’.”

OpportunityAttention soccer fans: please don’t forget that it was

Márcia da Conceição Santos, 31, who painted the facilities

at the Fonte Nova Arena from top to bottom: “You should

know that it was me who painted everything you see when

you come to watch a game,” she stresses. She was hired

nine months ago, thanks to the Next Step program, which

selects Family Grant beneficiaries to work at the jobsite.

The joint venture selected and trained 18 people

to participate in that program in partnership with the

Department of Labor, Employment, Income and Sport

in Bahia (SETRE) and the National Industrial Training

Service (SENAI) and hired 10 of them. The 200-hour

Edmilson da Silva Santos: “Now I’m much better at communicating”

24 informa

of the Fonte Nova Arena’s social programs: “We want to

show that this is not just a construction project; not just

a stadium. We are a group of people who want to leave

a legacy.”

In addition to the programs that focus on members,

there are others which benefit the general public. One

example is Hit the Net, a partnership with 15 suppliers

that has financed the purchase of computers which will

eventually be donated to the community. Hit the Net of-

fers digital inclusion courses for residents in the neigh-

borhoods in the vicinity of the Arena.

This program has already benefited 131 people. One

of them is secretary Leila Góes Pereira, 46, who had

been unemployed because she lacked computer skills.

The intensive 15-hour course was an important boost

for her career. “I didn’t want to be left behind anymore,”

she says, clearly thrilled with her achievement.

The Arena’s social outreach programs also include

a partnership with Junior Achievement, a company

that concentrates on identifying potential entrepre-

neurs among children and adolescents. Professionals

from various areas of the Arena project have provided

training and taught introductory courses on entrepre-

neurship attended by about 1,000 young people from

public schools in Salvador through this partnership.

One of the “teachers” was engineer Igor Coelho Dan-

tas, 26, who has taught the basics of finance, adminis-

tration, feasibility studies and marketing to young people

between the ages of 15 and 17. “People from the low-

income segment of society face so many hardships that

it sometimes puts a damper on young people’s desire to

become entrepreneurs. Junior Achievement shows that

becoming an entrepreneur is not as hard as it seems,”

he observes.

ChallengeOf all the programs that Thiago and his team coordi-

nate, one is more sensitive and, at the same time, more

audacious. It is the New Start program, an initiative that

focuses on the social reinsertion of people convicted by

the courts.

Developed in partnership with the National Justice

Council (CNJ) and SETRE, the program selects prison-

ers who qualify for a work-release program and en-

ables them to learn construction skills before recom-

mending them for employment. Fourteen people have

taken part in the program at the Arena so far.

course included 40 hours of general knowledge (read-

ing, logical reasoning and occupational safety, among

other topics), and 160 hours of technical training, such

as steelfixing for beam rebars, carpentry, scaffolding

assembly and masonry.

Márcia explains that she has already done “something

of everything” at the site. “My strong point is painting, but if

a co-worker needs help with something else, I’m ready to

lend a hand. I come to work on public holidays; I’m a ‘Jill of

all trades’.”

Tatiana Próculo dos Santos, 34, who has been working

at the Arena for just over a year, was also hired through the

Next Step program. She started out as an assistant brick-

layer, and was promoted in just six months. “I took the

blueprint interpretation course [at SENAI, with the Arena’s

encouragement], and now I’m an appropriator [the profes-

sional who checks the progress of each procedure for a

sector of the job].”

Motivated by her new responsibilities, Tatiana has al-

ready decided on her next step: she will take a technical

construction course next year, as soon as the Arena proj-

ect is completed.

LegacyThe officer Responsible for Communication, People

and Organization and Social Outreach at the joint ven-

ture, Thiago Cunha sums up the aim of the full spectrum

Tatiana dos Santos: decision to take a construction course in the near future

25informa

Their inclusion in the consortium’s teams follows strict

confidentiality procedures regarding their status among

their co-workers. Only their direct leaders have access to

this information and undertake a commitment to fully in-

tegrate them and give them equal treatment.

One of the members who started working at the

construction site through this program has been a scaf-

folding assembler since December 2011. He asked the

Odebrecht Informa team not to publish his name, and

says he is reaching the end of his 16-year sentence. One

day is deducted from his jail time for every three days

worked, so he hopes to be released in 2013.

For now, his daily routine includes getting up early,

going to work at the Arena and returning to the facility

where he is confined at the end of the day. According

to the program’s regulations, he has a right to 70% of

the pay of a conventionally employed company member.

However, due to his good behavior and performance, he

has received the same pay as regular co-workers since

his second month there, as well as overtime, basic food

supplies and a 13th-monthly salary.

“You have to want things. It’s a feeling that has to grow

inside you. And I wanted this: I saw the opportunity and it

came,” he says. “This opportunity makes me very happy.

It’s a joy and a pleasure. I feel like I’m just the same as

anybody else,” he observes, adding, with a repressed

smile: “The truth is, I am.”

Márcia da Conceição Santos: “You should know that it was me who painted everything that you see when you come to watch a game”

Salvador Conceição: feeling more qualified and valued

26 informa

SPIRIT OF

champions

26

written by boéCio vidal lannes photos by aMériCo verMelho

27informa

SPIRIT OF The Maracanã

stadium jobsite houses several

educational and social outreach

programs

hen Maracanã is delivered to the public in

February 2013, Brazil will be getting much

more than a soccer stadium, revamped

after 30 months of work. Its 60 concrete

piers, bleachers seating up to 79,000 peo-

ple and reinstalled grass are evidence and testimony to numer-

ous stories of overcoming challenges. This is the experience of

the 5,700 members – 5,400 men and 300 women – who make up

Maracanã Rio 2014, the joint venture of Odebrecht and Andrade

Infrastructure Gutierrez that is revamping the stadium.

Over the course of the project, managers, field engineers and

supervisors are guiding each professional working in their ar-

eas to ensure maximum quality, efficiency and safety for Mário

Filho Stadium (as it is officially called). It is named for a sports

journalist who fought a veritable battle with the authorities of

his time to ensure that that huge circular structure, a temple of

world soccer, was erected on the Maracanã River 62 years ago.

Alongside the technical education Group members receive,

classrooms have been set up with a focus on educational and

social outreach programs the joint venture has organized to

offer digital inclusion and first-class citizenship to members

who want something more in life and their profession. After

work, they set their tools aside and use pens, notebooks and

computers. With watchful eyes, they follow every explanation

their teachers give them in five different programs. All of these

members share traits in common: grit, motivation, optimism

and commitment.

Professional education and citizenshipField Education project student, José Ronaldo Dias, 32, is a ce-

ment mixer operator. Born in the northeastern state of Alagoas,

he is now working on his third Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infra-

structure) project in Rio. Previously, he worked on João Havelange

Olympic Stadium (Engenhão) and provided services through the

Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) in the Complexo do Alemão

shantytown, where he lives with his wife and 6-year-old son.

Carried out in partnership with the Social Service of Industry

(SESI), the Field Education project provides an opportunity to

study for people who cannot read or write, or never went past

the 5th grade. José Ronaldo says that his life is much better

since he enrolled in the project in January 2012. “Now I can

talk about hydroelectric, wind and solar power. I learned it all

from my teacher,” he says, referring to Lídia Mota, who teaches

at Maracanã stadium Mondays through Thursdays. For her,

teaching her 25 worker-students is “a pleasure,” especially

when she sees how hard her class works to catch up.

W

Schoolteacher Lídia Mota and her class of worker-students: “It’s a pleasure to see how hard they try”

28 informa

“Companies should not only train skilled profes-

sionals but also introduce programs that foster citi-

zenship,” argues Wilson Busanello, the Administrative

and Financial Manager for the project. Known as the

“Mayor of Maracanã,” he joined Odebrecht in 1978 and

now leads a team of 300 professionals. “Every day, our

kitchen produces 12,000 bread rolls, and cooks 450

kilos rice, 250 kilos of beans and 1,200 kilos of meat,”

he says.

Breakfast with the LeaderAnother outstanding initiative being carried out

during the Maracanã project is the Breakfast with

the Leader program. For the first 15 minutes, the at-

mosphere is tense. After all, having breakfast with

the “boss” is not the easiest situation for a group of

13 professionals, including 11 men and two women.

They are in that room with a single goal: to speak

openly with their leaders about various work-related

issues and find solutions on the spot. To break the

ice, the first topic of the day is soccer. But gradually,

between one cup of coffee and another, the group

comes up with several suggestions and joint reflec-

tions and guidelines that help the joint venture’s

management make decisions about the project’s

day-to-day operations.

The only two women in the breakfast room, Kássia

Angelo de Oliveira and Débora da Silva Oliveira, both

23 years old and working as electricians on the Ma-

racanã project, say that their lives have changed for

the better after learning a trade. Débora, whose nails

are impeccable, shares her secret: “I paint them ev-

ery week there in Morro da Mangueira, where I live.”

Kássia observes that, strange as it may seem, she

loves “the work environment.”

Every edition of Breakfast with the Leader brings a

surprise: a former professional soccer player is invit-

ed to join in and motivate the team. The guest for the

seventh edition, which the Odebrecht Informa team

attended, was Ricardo Rocha, who played on the

Brazil squad in two FIFA World Cups, in 1990 in Italy,

and in 1994 in the United States. He suffered a seri-

ous injury in the opening game in the US, but stayed

on the bench at his teammates’ request to keep their

spirits up with his good cheer. In fact, being cheerful

and upbeat is his registered trademark. After telling

a few jokes, he faces the rest of the group and con-

cludes, seriously: “Today, you are [Brazilian soccer

star] Neymar. You’ve got the ball. When Maracanã

is ready, bring your children here and tell them you

built it.”

Project Director, Paulo Falcão, introduced Ricardo

Rocha to the participants and took the opportunity to

reveal a secret. He told them that he had arranged

with the authorities in Rio de Janeiro to have the

names of all the joint venture’s members engraved

on a large plaque at Maracanã. They all loved the

news.

The 10 Commandments and Hit the NetOther programs that are a source of pride for

everyone working on the jobsite are the Maracanã

Leaders’ 10 Commandments and Hit the Net. The 10

Commandments, introduced on April 28, 2012, is a

document put together by 284 leaders and supervi-

Hit the Net student Elder de Souza Santos: personifying a legacy that goes far beyond a soccer stadium

29informa

sors during the joint venture’s two-month leader-

ship training course. They all agreed to follow the 10

commandments they had drawn up themselves, and

to meet the deadline for delivering the project. The

commandments are written on colored badges the

leaders wear on their chests. In view of all this en-

thusiasm, Paulo Falcão observes: “Motivation makes

things get around, and now I feel that everyone is

motivated.”

“My life began again with the resumption of Ma-

racanã,” confessed Elder de Souza Santos, 30, when

he was about to receive his certificate of completion

for the Hit the Net project, where students learn the

basics of the Internet. He is keen to stress the prog-

ress he has made with his computer skills. “I’m go-

ing to use Excel to plan my finances.” The father of

two girls, Thainá and Eliza, this bricklayer from Rio

de Janeiro seizes every opportunity the joint venture

offers. Besides Hit the Net, he has also taken two oc-

cupational safety courses – First Aid and Confined

Space. Elder says he will spend Carnival 2013 in Ar-

raial do Cabo, a town with beautiful beaches on the

north coast of Rio de Janeiro State. “But this year I’ll

search the web for a house to rent,” he adds.

Young ApprenticeA successful partnership with SENAI, the Young

Apprentice program has already provided job skills to

more than 100 young people, helping them become

electricians, carpenters, administrative assistants

and bricklayers. Students must pass an eight- to

12-month course to receive their certificates.

Andressa Miguel da Costa graduated in July 2012,

and is already part of the team revamping Maracanã.

At 23, she dreams of becoming an architect or civil

engineer. “I took the course because it represents

another step in my career. I want to go to college, but

right now I need to work to pay my tuition. The brick-

layer’s certificate is just the first step.”

José Ronaldo Dias: opportunity to read, write and express himself better

Former Brazil squad member Ricardo Rocha: “When Maracanã is ready, tell your kids that you built it”

30 informa

CAReFuLLY

cultivatingThe Arena Education

and Acreditar programs create growth prospects

in Pernambuco, Brazil

30

The FuTuRewritten by renata Meyer photos by lia lubaMbo

Elivaldo dos Santos: “Acreditar is making dreams come true”

31informa

When she hung up

the phone that day

in October, Gra-

ziele da Silva Bri-

to, 20, could barely

hide her joy. She had just been called by

a recruitment company, which invited

her to take part in the hiring process for

the operations area of a major super-

market chain. That opportunity came

days after Graziele received her certifi-

cate of completion of a computer course

through the Arena Education project,

which Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infra-

structure) offers in the Santa Mônica

community near the Pernambuco Are-

na construction works, underway in São

Lourenço da Mata, in the Recife metropolitan area.

“The course has made a big difference to my

résumé and opened the doors of the job market.

Today, almost all areas of a supermarket require

computer skills,” says Graziele, who took the first

class available, from June to September 2012. “I

learned to use a computer, access the Internet and

run some programs. Today, I feel better prepared to

use this tool,” she adds.

Ivonete da Silva Brito, Graziele’s mother, decided

to follow in her daughter’s footsteps and enroll in

the program. At 38, she is making her first forays

into the digital universe. “Computer skills have be-

come a basic requirement for any job. I saw lots of

people being laid off at the company where I worked

because they didn’t know how to use a computer. I

don’t want to be left behind,” says the housewife,

who plans to return to the job market in the near

future.

Organized in partnership with the Social Service

of Industry (SESI), Arena Education contributes to

the digital inclusion of adults by teaching them ba-

sic computer skills free of charge. The hour-long

classes are held twice a week, and include theory

and practice. The educational program expects to

have trained 100 people by the time the construc-

tion project is completed.

According to course instructor Rafael Batista

(whose total workload is 60 hours), knowing your

way around a computer is a prerequisite for deal-

ing with the challenges of the future. “This kind of

program is essential for every company that has a

broad view of what society will require going for-

ward. More and more, we are going to need profes-

sionals who can work with new technologies, and

the attention that Odebrecht is devoting to the Santa

Mônica community will surely be repaid in the form

of a better-qualified workforce.”

The power of AcreditarArena Education is not the only program that is

creating fresh prospects for workers who live in the

vicinity of the Pernambuco Arena jobsite. Elivaldo

Paulino dos Santos, 28, is proof of that. A former

shopkeeper, Elivaldo was working as a clerk in a

candy store in São Lourenço da Mata’s Public Mar-

ket when he heard a car equipped with loudspeak-

ers announce enrollment for Acreditar (Believe), an

Odebrecht program created to provide workers with

job skills in the construction trade.

Elivaldo says that many of his friends thought

the program was too good to be true, because it is

free, but his desire to work in a different field for a

large company motivated him to apply. After joining

Young Graziele Brito and her mother, Ivonete: ready for the requirements of today’s world

the eighth class and passing a test, he was hired to

work on the Pernambuco Arena project. His voice

is choked with emotion when he describes how he

felt that day: “I really wanted that opportunity. I be-

lieved that my day would come, and thankfully it did.

Acreditar is making dreams come true, and thanks

to this opportunity, I was able to put my daughter in

private school, pay for a health plan and open a sav-

ings account so she can go to college one day. Now

I can also take my daughter to the playground at the

mall, and for me, her smile is priceless,” he says,

clearly moved.

Elivaldo took the Acreditar course in July 2011.

Then, in September of that year, he began working at

the Pernambuco Arena jobsite as an assistant and was

soon promoted to operations manager. That’s when

a new opportunity arose: working in the environment

area, a long-held aspiration for Elivaldo. Born and

raised in São Lourenço da Mata, he is now responsible

for operating the jobsite’s wastewater treatment plant.

He has also helped set up the plant nursery used to

restore the Permanent Protection Areas on the banks

of the Capibaribe River near the future stadium.

Now growing 622 seedlings, the nursery is also

the target of some of the waste the jobsite gener-

ates. “Here, plastic cups, ice bags and sawdust get

put to different uses,” says Elivaldo, who is also one

of the instigators of the Environmental Education

Program, which Odebrecht Infraestrutura spon-

sors in São Lourenço da Mata. Through this initia-

tive, company members visit local schools to teach

children and adolescents the basics of environmen-

tal preservation. The visitors choose multipliers

to pass on the lessons they have learned to their

classmates and families. Finally, the children and

company members plant seedlings in the school-

yards.

“We hope to ensure the continuity of all the so-

cial programs we have implemented in this region.

Through Acreditar alone, we have empowered

more than 500 people and invested BRL 600,000.

This is essential to keep pace with the state’s high

growth prospects, which will generate a strong

demand for skilled workers in the coming years,”

says Pernambuco Arena Project Director Bruno

Dourado.

32 informa

Rafael Batista: commitment to future citizens

33informa

eAGeRLY AwAITeD

visitsFoz do Brasil’s

program to train health visitors has

already groomed over 1,200 people

33A

na Paula Cabral de Castro’s childhood was

no bed of roses. Her father and mother had

problems with alcoholism in the small Bra-

zilian town of Cristalândia, Tocantins. Thin,

her skin dark from the sun, the young girl

heard whispers that she “would never get anywhere in life.”

She was eventually raised by her grandmother, Rosa, a tough

woman who smiled little and believed in strict discipline.

Accustomed to swimming against the tide, at the age

of 9, Ana made posters with cardboard and magic marker

for meetings of the local Residents’ Association, chaired

by an uncle. During those meetings, she would sit on a

stool, concentrating, her eyes narrowed, listening to the

residents’ complaints. Everything she heard fermented in

her mind.

written by João MarCondes photos by Celso doni

Egon Hoennicke with his wife, Alzira: “An angel saved my life”

34 informa

Fast forward to 2012. Now working for the City of Pal-

mas, Ana Paula goes from house to house in the state

capital of Tocantins as a health visitor for the Family

Health Program. The home of Luiza Lima França, 76, is

one of her favorite stops. Luiza suffers from diabetes and

lost her husband, Vicente, just two months ago. She is

in a state that is only relieved by a warm hug from the

health visitor.

Ana Paula visits over 200 homes on her route. Chil-

dren, workers, pregnant women, teenagers, they are all

under her care. “But what I like most is working with the

elderly because they remind me of my grandmother,

who taught me everything in life.” Luiza serves coffee

and cheese buns, and says: “Ana Paula is the one every-

one wants. She is one of us. An extension of the family.”

“Public service from the viewpoint of health”Ana Paula is now 34 years old. Like other health

visitors in Tocantins, she has taken a training program

organized by Saneatins, a subsidiary of Foz do Brasil,

which aims to include sanitation in the approach to fam-

ily health visits. At Luiza’s home, for example, Ana Paula

discusses the need to clean the water tank and reuse

water from the washing machine to clean the floor, as

well as talking about waterborne diseases and sewage

treatment.

Focused on health visitors, the program is currently

being deployed in Foz’s operations in Cachoeiro do Itape-

merim, Espírito Santo; Blumenau, Santa Catarina; Sal-

vador, Bahia, and most of the state of Tocantins. It has

groomed over 1,200 health visitors through lectures by

specialists who reveal the connection between health

and sanitation to multipliers from the federal Family

Health program.

According to Mônica Queiroz, the officer Responsible

for Sustainability at Foz do Brasil, the company aims to

develop programs that familiarize the public with sanita-

tion issues so they will understand how it impacts their

health and quality of life. In addition to training health

visitors, Foz has partnered up with the Ministry of Health

to sponsor a dengue prevention program. “These activi-

ties allow us to view public service from the perspective

of health,” says Mônica.

In Brazil, 15 children aged 0 to 4 years die every day

due to a lack of sanitation (according to data from the

Getúlio Vargas Foundation/Trata Brasil). The relation-

ship between water and health should be obvious to ev-

Health visitor Ana Paula Cabral de Castro with Luiza França: a very special visit

35informa

eryone, but it is not. Even during their training, the health

visitors first have to make a change in themselves, their

homes and their families. “The best way to get people to

follow your lead is to set an example,” says Lenice Fer-

nandes, who is responsible for the program at Saneatins

and trains and empowers health visitors.

Adriana Abel Penedo, a consultant who has trained

over 400 health visitors, follows a line of reasoning: “Wa-

ter as ethics for life.” She explains: “People assume they

can just let water go to waste, like leaving a faucet run-

ning while brushing their teeth, because they pay the bill

and it won’t make much difference. That attitude has to

change because it affects the welfare of countless other

living beings.” Worldwide, about 1.2 billion people con-

sume unsafe water (according to the World Health Orga-

nization) that has not undergone any kind of treatment,

while others who have piped-in water in their homes let

the precious liquid go down the drain.

Green valleysFounded by 18 German immigrants in a verdant val-

ley in a bend of the Itajaí-Açu River, the city of Blumenau

now entrusts part of its precious environmental assets

to Foz do Brasil, which treats locally produced sewage.

The company gets a warm welcome when it visits

people’s houses, many of them half-timbered, built in a

typically German style. The home of retiree Egon Hoen-

niche, 72, is no exception. “That blonde angel saved my

life,” he says enthusiastically, pointing to head nurse Vera

Janete Piesanti, from the Family Health Strategy Unit, lo-

cated near the Glória district. Her team came to Egon’s

aid when he was suffering from acute gastroenteritis.

Vera got her training “indirectly” by sending her health

workers to a Foz-sponsored event. When they returned,

she noticed that they were all commenting excitedly about

what they had learned, and she wanted to learn all about

it. “I didn’t know what sewage treatment was all about. I

didn’t even know there was a plant near here.”

She found that out from Liliana Dias Correa, 45, a

health visitor who took the course. Charismatic, Liliana

has the gift of sharing knowledge, Whether with Egon

and his wife, Alzira, or with Vera, her boss. “Around here,

the hardest thing is to get people to clean the water tank

and convince them that water from septic tanks is often

a danger to their health,” she says. “This kind of work

has to be done bit by bit, one person at a time. The most

important thing is for us to change ourselves so we can

influence everything around us,” she argues.

Health visitor Mirian Ferreira da Silva with the Nunes Lopes Family: building new habits bit by bit

36 informa

INTERVIEW

36

people

Francisco Martins: relationships that last forever

37informa36

written by CLáudio Lovato FiLho photo by gEraLdo PEStaLozzi

keePInG hIS MInD On

peopleo this day, he still remembers Sev-

erino, a small farmer of smaller

means who coupled a pulley to the

wheel of his Chevette to run the

pump that irrigated his vegetable

garden in jataúba, in the arid region of the Bra-

zilian state of Pernambuco in the late 1980s. he

also recalls Salvador, an organic coffee producer

in the Cordillera escalera region of Peru who fi-

nally managed to get decent sales for his prod-

uct, changing his life and those of many other

people in his community over the past decade.

And then there’s hector, a teacher who does so-

cial work in Chorrillo, one of the poorest com-

munities in Panama City. But there are more

than just names etched in his memory. Fran-

cisco Martins does not forget any of them and

many others because he doesn’t want to and

never could. “People are made up of their rela-

tionships with other people,” he says. “They are

my baggage.” The officer Responsible for Sus-

tainability at Odebrecht Panama, and an agron-

omist by training, Francisco Leite Martins neto

was born in Caruaru, Pernambuco. As a child,

he went to live in Olinda, a city that he still loves

with all his heart, along with the Recife Sport

Club. Along with his wife, Barbara (who also

sets an example of belief in sustainability prac-

tices by leading a movement to improve condi-

tions for cyclists in Panama City), he misses his

son, Leo, 18, who lives in Recife. Displaying mo-

tivation typical of someone who is doing what he

Tlikes best with every word he says, in this inter-

view Francisco speaks, above all, about personal

bonds. “we need to put ourselves in the place of

the people we interact with and work for.”

Odebrecht Informa – Since the beginning of your

career in 1986, when you graduated in Agronomy

from the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco

(UFRPE), you have devoted yourself to social work

in one way or another. What attracts you most to

this type of activity?

Francisco Martins – People. The opportunity to

get to know them, to work with them and learn

from them. Once I graduated, I went to work at the

Pernambuco Department of Agriculture, where I

worked on irrigation projects for small farmers.

My first professional experience had a very strong

social component. I realized that the biggest chal-

lenge was adapting solutions to the situation on

the ground, and to do that, it was essential to un-

derstand the beneficiaries’ daily lives.

OI – And how is that done in practice?

Francisco – By talking to people. when I worked at

the Agriculture Department, I was based in Recife,

but I traveled all around the state, in the arid region,

the hinterland… I would visit the homes of small

farmers and talk to them. They’d invite me to lunch

and I’d listen to their stories. I remember how they

felt honored by our visits. They were very simple folk

who put the fruits of their labor in their homes, on

their tables. They were people with skin in the game.

38 informa

OI – In 1991, you left Pernambuco and went to

Europe to do graduate work in Water Resource

Management. To what extent was that experience

important for you?

Francisco – I went to the uk on a scholarship from

the British Council and spent nearly two years at

the national College of Agriculture. It was a very

rewarding experience. I made friends from all over

the world. And I learned even more about the im-

portance of listening and paying attention to others.

OI – On your return from the UK, you had your

first experience in the private sector. What was

that like?

Francisco – In 1993 I went to work for Souza Cruz.

Once again, I was working with small farmers, but

this time they grew tobacco on properties in the

semiarid region of Pernambuco, Rio Grande do

norte, Paraíba and Ceará. At the time, I was living

in Patos, Paraíba. It was a very important learning

experience. After working in the public sector, I ex-

perienced the reality of working for a large private

company. That’s where I had my first contact with

performance indicators. It was an extraordinary ed-

ucation. Then, in 1995, I went back to work for the

State Government at the invitation of the late Miguel

Arraes, and headed the Small Producer Support

Program (PAPP). Four years later, I returned to the

private sector. I joined Projetec’s team of consul-

tants and spent 11 years there. It was a wonderful

working environment. The focus was always on the

social area. It was through Projetec that I started

interacting professionally with Odebrecht.

OI – What was your first contact with Odebrecht

like?

Francisco – when I was in ecuador, I had another

opportunity to provide support for small producers

in an important agricultural development project

called Carrizal-Chone, led by Project Director eleu-

berto Martorelli. After that, I worked for the IIRSA

north [highway] in Peru, again with Martorelli, a

leader who is very attentive to community relations

and taught me a lot. Those early experiences with

Odebrecht deepened my conviction that you don’t

gain people’s trust with words, but with deeds. In

Peru, it was challenging to work in a socially and

environmentally sensitive area. Among a range of

initiatives, we provided support for coffee producers

and the cooperative system in the Cordillera escal-

era. That was one of the most remarkable episodes

of my life, because of the results achieved when

it came to improved socioeconomic conditions for

those communities.

OI – Then, in September 2010, you finally joined

Odebrecht...

Francisco – Yes, that’s right. Sérgio Leão [Re-

sponsible for Sustainability at Odebrecht] and Fe-

lipe Cruz [now Investment Director at the Capanda

Complex in Angola] knew about my work in ecuador

and Peru, and invited me to take on the challenge

of being responsible for community outreach and

climate change programs at Odebrecht Panama.

At the time, the CeO, André Rabello, and his direct

team were structuring the company’s Sustainability

Program in that country. In 2013, I am also provid-

ing support for environmental programs.

OI – Panama is a small country, but at the same

time it is socioeconomically and culturally diverse.

To what extent does this present a challenge in

your work?

Francisco – It’s both challenging and rewarding. On

the Coastal Beltway project [an extensive initiative

that involves road works and urban renewal, now

underway in central Panama City], for example,

the beneficiary communities belong to all levels of

society – from residents of impoverished areas like

Chorrillo to the upper-middle-class folks on Ave-

“You don’t gain people’s trust with words, but with deeds”

Francisco Martins

nida Balboa. And they all have to be treated with the

same respect and the same dedication.

OI – The Curundu Project, which is renewing one

of the poorest, most violent communities in Pan-

ama City, was the first project you worked on in

Panama. What kind of lessons did you learn from

that experience?

Francisco – The lessons I learned while accompany-

ing the work of [Project Director] júlio Lopes Ramos

and his social outreach team were priceless. They

managed to win the community’s trust, established

effective communication channels, and through

them, met all the requirements of sustainability. As

a result, they made a decisive contribution to carrying

out the project in a way that was fully adapted to the

local environment.

OI – And to what do you attribute the Curundu

team’s success?

Francisco – It is a team of well-qualified and mature

professionals who knew how to develop a profile of

the community and identify its characteristics. To

do that, they worked closely with people, listened to

them, visited their homes, and helped them under-

stand that changes being made were going to im-

prove their lives.

OI – Can you describe your day-to-day work rou-

tine?

Francisco – My mission is to provide support for

projects within the scope of a decentralized organi-

zation. Support is not imposed. It is either offered or

requested. we are always trying to identify opportuni-

ties that might be of interest to the projects.

OI – One of the highlights of Odebrecht’s social pro-

grams in Panama today is the Program to Combat

HIV/AIDS (see article in this issue). What’s your

analysis of the importance of this initiative?

Francisco – hIV/AIDS is a critical issue in Panama.

The country has one of the highest rates in the Ameri-

cas. Odebrecht, in turn, has followed a specific policy

on hIV/AIDS since 2008. we have partnered with Pro-

bidsida [the Foundation for the welfare and Dignity of

Persons Affected by hIV/AIDS], a highly credible and

competent Panamanian institution, and designed a

program that covers our six ongoing projects in that

country. All construction sites receive lecturers from

the Probidsida team, organize awareness-raising

campaigns and offer the possibility of voluntary and

confidential testing. we have seen excellent results,

especially with regard to disseminating solid informa-

tion and debunking myths about the disease, while

encouraging early diagnosis.

OI – An innovative environmental education and

community relations project is now underway as

part of the construction of the Panama City Waste-

water Treatment Plant. How would you describe it?

Francisco – In its initial phase, juan Diaz Mangrove

Park will cover 10 acres and will be dedicated pri-

marily to environmental education and scientific

research. The protected mangrove area is adjacent

to the construction site for the project, which was

designed to make an historic achievement: stop-

ping domestic sewage from polluting the rivers of

Panama City and Panama Bay. Because it is a place

where people can clearly understand the effects of

pollution on nature and reflect on their bad habits,

like littering the streets and waterways, the Man-

grove Park initiative could even serve as a model for

other countries.

OI – With regard to sustainability, what is the cur-

rent situation in Panama and for Odebrecht in that

country?

Francisco – The company has been building essen-

tial projects and offering additional contributions

whose impact and scope have attracted widespread

public attention. Our projects as a whole implement

consistent community outreach programs conducted

by well-organized teams. we seek to establish a net-

work of strategic alliances with the business world,

in a mobilization that is reflected by gains in image

and productivity for our clients. Internally, the con-

solidation of Sustainability, health and Safety, Com-

munication and Institutional Relations, spearheaded

by Paul Levita [the leader of the CeO for Odebrecht

Panama’s direct team] has helped tremendously.

And we’ve managed to encourage our members to

lead by example in their daily lives. The sustainability

of the planet begins at home, and it’s the responsibil-

ity of everyone who breathes!

39informa

40 informa

AnD TheIR POweR FOR ChAnGethe arts

written by dieGo daMasCeno photos by MárCio liMa

40

41informa

The Braskem Theater Award, Frontiers of Thinking, Neojiba, Porto Alegre on Stage. Facets of the contribution from a company that values and lives the arts and culture

Director Luiz Marfuz, a Professor at the UFBA Theater School: emphasis on preservation

42 informa

n 2007, a few months after winning the state of

Bahia’s most important theater award for her

performance in the “The House of Specters,” ac-

tress Jussara Mathias received a phone call she

will never forget. Director Fabiana Monsalú was

on the other end of the line with an invitation for her.

“She asked me to play a role in Lorca’s ‘House of Ber-

narda Alba’,” recalls Jussara. The actress repeats the

director’s words verbatim: “She put it this way: ‘I know

that you’ve just won the Braskem [award], and it’s just

a small part.’ I agreed on the spot.”

The only prize of its kind in Bahia, the Braskem The-

ater Award since 2003 has selected the best shows, di-

rectors, playwrights, actors, actresses and profession-

als who have excelled in Bahia’s theater world. “The

award was a major leap for me. People start looking at

you after that,” says Jussara.

The recipient of a special honor at the 2011 award

ceremony, stage and screen actor Wagner Moura re-

ceived the trophy from his father, José Moura, who

died later that year. On stage at the ceremony, Wagner

recalled winning the Braskem Theater Award in 1997,

and said it was the most important honor he ever re-

ceived in his career.

The trophy in the Breakthrough category in 2010 also

put the spotlight on the work of theater director José

Jackson. His award-winning production, “Two Men Lost

in a Dirty Night,” was originally staged as Jackson’s de-

gree project. He graduated with a BA in Performing Arts

from the Federal University at Bahia (UFBA) Theater

School. “The award has changed the way the actors see

me. After that, I stopped being just a drama school stu-

dent whose work had little impact,” he comments.

Born in Caruaru, Pernambuco, Jackson was first

invited to join a theater group when he was in his teens.

The stage has been his world ever since. “Art plays a

transformative role in an individual’s life. When I joined

the group at the age of 15, I could barely read or write.

It was a major growth experience.”

With 25 years’ experience in theater, dance and

music under her belt, lighting designer Irma Vidal

has won two trophies. However, she believes that just

being nominated for the Braskem Award is already a

prize. “It recognizes the work of the entire group,” she

says. Irma thinks the private sector has a role to play in

promoting the arts. “Today there aren’t many compa-

nies that invest in culture in Bahia.”

Director Luiz Marfuz, a professor at the UFBA The-

ater School, was able to revive his production of “My

Name is a Lie,” on account of five nominations for the

2011 edition of the award. He believes that the prize

plays a role in preservation. “Theater takes place in

the moment, and after that, all that’s left is a photo-

graphic or audiovisual record of the work. This award

covers the entire year [the nominees are announced

the year before the awards ceremony] and organizes a

memory of that period. It rescues the theater from its

own ephemerality.”

In 2012, the Braskem Theater Award held cultural

and artistic training workshops for young people.

Thirty public school students participated in free au-

diovisual workshops, an 80-hour course including

practical and theoretical activities taught by experi-

enced professionals, covering script writing, direct-

ing, art direction, production and sound and lighting

techniques. The results of this work were showcased

at the 19th awards ceremony, held on April 4 at the

Castro Alves Theater.

I Jussara Mathias: “The award was a major leap for me”

43informa

Now in its 20th edition, the Braskem Theater Award

is making a major contribution to the appreciation of

art and culture, but it is by no means the company’s

only contribution in this area, as you will see.

Frontiers of ThinkingBringing the stage and audience closer together

through reflection is also the aim of Frontiers of Think-

ing, a Braskem project that has become one of the

most important events in Brazil’s cultural calendar.

An advanced course held in a lecture format, Fron-

tiers brings together thinkers, scientists and leaders

from around the world who are at the cutting edge of

their fields of expertise. The main theme is the identity

of the 21st century. Every year since the project began

in 2006, this debate has guided lectures by personalities

such as literary critic Beatriz Sarlo, writer Ayaan Hirsi

Ali, philosopher Alain de Botton, journalist Christopher

Hitchens, writer Camille Paglia, scientist Miguel Nicole-

lis, anthropologist Edgar Morin, physician Denis Muk-

wege, writer Mario Vargas Llosa and economist Eric

Maskin (the last two are also Nobel Prize winners).

The Frontiers program does more than just orga-

nize debates. It also encourages other cultural and

educational activities, particularly the Frontiers Edu-

cation: Dialogues with Generation Z project.

“Frontiers is a major platform for content produc-

ers, but it wasn’t reaching students. So we just had

to think of a format that was more suitable for young

people,” explains Braskem Institutional Relations

Manager João Freire.

Since 2009, the program has organized meetings

between Frontiers speakers, Federal University at Rio

Grande do Sul (UFRGS) professors, and public school

students from the city of Porto Alegre. Writer Fabrício

Carpinejar is the mediator in this dialogue between

students and specialists. The project also distributes

educational publications based on several editions of

Frontiers of Thinking lectures.

Language, sustainability, science and African cul-

ture were the themes chosen for the 2012 edition of the

project. During the most recent meeting, held on No-

vember 13, about 3,000 students conversed with writer

Mia Couto, from Mozambique, and UFRGS professors.

Mia Couto’s lecture topic was inspired by the name of

the event. “Talking to students has everything to do with

expanding frontiers. We have to cross these boundaries

between younger and older people, between the more

erudite and the less erudite.” In the Mozambican author’s

assessment, getting to know Africa is a way for Brazil to

become a better – and more Brazilian – country.

Alexia Martis, 13, was in the audience. By the end

of the lecture, she had developed an interest in Mia

Couto’s stories. “I think it is important for us to leave

the classroom and learn in other places,” she says.

For Alessandro da Silva, 17, the talk was important

because it presented content in a different language

from the kind used in the classroom. “I can talk to my

family about what I learned here.” Fabíola Silveira, 11,

points out that it was interesting to discover that Brazil

and Africa are similar in many ways. “There is conflict

in Africa because of the color of people’s skin.” Joana

Soares, 15, says: “I enjoyed meeting Mia, who is a for-

eigner and came to talk to us about his country. I didn’t

know that there were so many different countries in

Africa.” Éderson Luiz de Lima, 15, remarks that he only

knew the names of a few African countries, and very

little about their cultures. “It was a surprise to learn

that African literature is well-known here in Brazil.”

Young director José Jackson: winning recognition

44 informa

In the assessment of Jaqueline de Oliveira Natel,

who teaches Portuguese at the Chapéu do Sol school,

the project is a new type of didactic and pedagogical

activity. “Today, the classroom is too small to contain

the students’ aspirations. This opportunity helps us

prepare more interesting lessons.” History teacher

César Augusto Queirós believes that it is essential to

put students in contact with other learning environ-

ments. “This encounter between the university and the

schools should take place more often. The university

must go to school, too.”

Schoolteacher Ricardo Menegotto has participated

in the last three editions of Frontiers Education. He

notes that the format of the event, which includes vid-

eos and intense interaction with the audience, is at-

tractive for students. “Sometimes the theme is new

and enriches our work at school. In the case of the

discussion about Africa, we had already been dealing

with that, so it’s a plus.”

NeojibaYuri Azevedo, 21, had his first opportunity to learn

about Neojiba (the State Youth and Children’s Orches-

tra Centers of Bahia) after a piano recital by conductor

Ricardo Castro in 2007. Yuri was 14 years old and tak-

ing a percussion lessons at the Federal University at

Bahia (UFBA). Until then, he had thought that Neojiba

was just an orchestra for young musicians. “I had no

idea of the scope of the project, but I signed up to try to

join the group. I auditioned and passed.”

At Neojiba, Yuri decided to study to become a con-

ductor instead of a musician. This year, he won the El-

eazar de Carvalho Award, the top prize at the Campos

do Jordão Winter Festival. The most important honor

of its kind in Brazil, it gives the winner a one-year

scholarship. Yuri will be going to the Peabody Institute

in Baltimore, one of the best music conservatories in

the United States, to study conducting. “Ricardo told

me I had a talent for conducting, and I didn’t even know

there was a talent for it.”

The first initiative of its kind in Brazil, Neojiba is run

by the State of Bahia with Braskem’s support. Ricar-

do Castro founded the project in 2007, inspired by El

Sistema, the Venezuelan program of youth orchestras

composed of 350,000 young people from that country.

Clé

ber

Pa

ssu

s

Frontiers: thinkers, scientists, world leaders, youths and adults

reflecting about the world

Ricardo Castro: “In the orchestra, we’re all equal”

Neojiba runs a Management and Professional Edu-

cation Center (NGF) based in the Castro Alves Theater

in Salvador, a rehearsal space for the 2 de Julho Youth

Symphony Orchestra, with 90 musicians, the Castro

Alves Orchestra, with 80 members, the Experimental

Teaching Orchestra, which trains musicians between

the ages of 7 and 15, and a choir with 40 young mem-

bers. There are also three Orchestra and Choir Prac-

tice Centers (NPOs) in Salvador and its metropolitan

region, and the resort town of Trancoso.

The NGF grooms monitor musicians – young people

who can pass on what they learn. “Multiplication is the

basis and the differentiator of our program. You don’t

need a diploma to multiply knowledge. A child can do

it,” says Ricardo Castro.

The monitors are key agents of the orchestral

mapping project underway in the interior of the

state. Today, Neojiba supports 23 of them. “What

these groups need is training, not financing,” ex-

plains Neojiba’s Managing Director, Elizabeth Ponte.

Neojiba trumpet player and flautist Esdras San-

tana, 25, will soon be in charge of a center in Bairro

da Paz, a low-income district on the outskirts of Sal-

vador. “We will bring people together to form a sym-

phony band. It’s a major challenge, because that’s a

very poor neighborhood,” he observes.

Neojiba debunks the idea that classical music is

just for the elite. About 75% of the musicians come

from the middle and working classes. “The orches-

tra is a model for the ideal functioning of a society,

where everyone comes together to create beauty. In

the orchestra, we’re all equal,” says Ricardo Castro.

Elizabeth Ponte adds: “One person alone does not

make an orchestra. If someone plays well and others

don’t, the orchestra won’t sound good. So you learn to

cooperate, listen and be heard. More than musicians,

what we do is shape better people through Neojiba.”

Porto Alegre on StageSince 2006, Braskem has organized the Braskem

on Stage Award, which selects the best performances

among participants in Rio Grande do Sul’s Porto Alegre

on Stage festival, one of the most important theater

events in Latin America.

For actress Isandra Ferminano, the producer of the

Cerco Group, which won the award in three categories

of the 2012 Edition for “Incident in Antares,” investing

in the theater is justified by the socializing role it plays.

“The theater teaches you how engage in joint reflection

on society. It is a means of intervention, because the

audience shares something with the actor.”

Daniel Colin, an actor in the Sarcáusticos Group, the

winner in the Best Play category for “Brief Interviews with

Vicious Men,” says that funding channels have increased

in recent years, but many businesses are still reluctant to

invest in theater productions. “We need to wake up to the

importance of the performing arts,” he says.

45informa

Mat

hia

s C

ra

MM

er

Esdras Santana: the challenge of setting up a symphonic band in a low-income district of Salvador, Bahia

Actress Isandra Ferminano: the socializing function of theater

46 informa

46

SMALL AnD

Focused on supporting small businesses, the Petit et Puissant program is one of the initiatives

that are boosting community development in Guinea

written by elea alMeida photos by GuilherMe aFonso

strong

47informa

Madeleine Kondiano and her co-workers: making progress in a small business with support from the Petit et Puissant program

48 informa

or five years, Madeleine Kondiano has worked

with 11 other women, making soap from re-

cycled oil to pay for her children’s schooling

in the southern Guinean town of Kissidou-

gou (600 km from the capital, Conakry). Her

dream is to see her six boys go to college. A few months ago,

the institution that Madeleine helped found began operating

with cash reserves. This was possible because Odebrecht

had partnered up with an NGO active in that country to pro-

vide cooking oil and give financial and management advice

to help the business thrive. The NGO is Les Humanistes de

Guinée (The Humanists of Guinea). Madeleine is a member.

This partnership is part of an initiative that provides sup-

port for small businesses and income generation. Called

Petit et Puissant (Small and Strong), this social program is

deployed in the vicinity of the works of the Simandou Proj-

ect - General Road Works Area 3, under the responsibility

of Odebrecht Africa, UAE and Portugal. Petit et Puissant is

just one example of how the Group’s presence in Guinea,

and its various social programs are contributing to the lo-

cal community’s development. The deployment of a digital

inclusion program called Réseau-lution (adapted from Hit

the Net), awareness-raising activities in the field of health

and a volunteer campaign, part of the Partagez program,

are also making the difference by helping improve the

quality of life of rural Guinean communities.

Petit et Puissant aims not only to transfer knowledge

but to help increase business efficiency and, consequent-

ly, the earnings of the community near the General Road

Works Area 3 Project, which includes the construction and

renovation of more than 300 km of highways and prepar-

ing the terrain for the future installation of remote camps.

All these measures are aimed at making the client Rio

Tinto’s project feasible. The Australian mining company

has arrived in Guinea to develop the Simandou Mountain

Range, which contains one of the largest known reserves

of iron ore. The project involves building the infrastructure

for the mine, a railroad running across the country, and a

port for exporting the product.

Gaining the community’s trust“We started deploying social programs as soon as we

arrived, by making contact with local authorities, always in

sync with the client. We have gradually gained the confi-

dence of the local community, and the response has been

very positive,” says Daniel Fernandes, the project’s officer

Responsible for Construction.

F

The starting point for the Petit and Puissant program

was the need to find a safe way to dispose of used cooking

oil, which can be very harmful to the environment if it is

not done properly. Now, the idea is to expand the program

to include partnerships in the area of farm production,

since there is demand for food in the region, but most of

what is currently consumed there is not produced locally.

“We always try to get the community involved in social

programs so it can grow through them and understand

why these programs are in place. Any company can make

donations, but we want to educate instead, because that

has a sustainable, long-term impact,” explains Institution-

al and Community Relations coordinator Lauren Pereira.

Digital inclusionThis principle also led Odebrecht to devise strategies to

make the Réseau-lution program more effective, consid-

ering that Guineans have limited access to electricity and

computers. According to Lauren Pereira, the program’s

goal is to ensure the digital inclusion of the poorest resi-

dents of the Kissidougou region, a very remote rural area,

far from the capital, before most of the country has access

to that kind of technology.

Recruited by the company, local teacher Michel

Bamy joined the Group a few months ago with the

mission of teaching two classes for the Hit the Net in

Guinea program: the basic and advanced modules,

with a total of about 40 students. Because the classes

are just getting started, that number is expected to

grow, although the program is only open to company

members.

49informa

Michel says that the most important aspect of Hit the

Net in Guinea is to familiarize participants with computers

and encourage them to share what they learn with their

families. “Computers and technology are the basis for de-

velopment. When a person learns about them, a barrier to

development falls,” he argues.

Encouraging local people to share the knowledge they

acquire is one of the key points for Odebrecht, to ensure

that the social programs it deploys will have an even

greater impact. Because, like the rest of the country, Kis-

sidougou lacks all kinds of infrastructure and services, it

is important for the programs’ direct participants to mul-

tiply their knowledge within the community.

Health and volunteer workThe company’s work in the field of health is also fo-

cused on sharing knowledge and raising awareness.

According to nurse Geraldo Bruno, who is responsible

for these activities at the General Road Works Area 3

Project, these initiatives are primarily conducted among

local company members who know little about the se-

rious diseases that affect the Kissidougou area, such

as malaria, cholera and typhoid. To raise awareness,

Odebrecht has organized lectures for local community

members and prevented the spread of malaria by dis-

tributing mosquito nets.

The challenge is discovering how far these programs

can go without disrespecting cultural differences. “We’ve

tried to question some internalized habits that can be

harmful to people’s health. We are here to educate and

train people, as well as to learn without trying to change

the unique characteristics that make each people spe-

cial,” observes Geraldo.

This application of the concept of influencing others

and being influenced by them is most clearly evident in

the Partagez program, which encourages members to

do volunteer work. Every two weeks, Odebrecht expats

and local company members mobilized in Kissidougou

are invited to spend a day at the local orphanage, La

Joie des Orphelins. Its director, Marie Simone Cama-

ra, has run that institution since 1983, and it currently

shelters 45 children. When they visit the orphanage,

company members usually take mosquito nets, mat-

tresses and food, and provide information through

talks on personal hygiene, food safety and health.

According to Lauren Pereira, discussing these topics

before playing games with the children helps develop

relationships between the orphans and volunteers and

strengthens relations with the local community.

The village of Tamiandou is the closest neighbor of

the General Road Works Area 3 Project’s base. Patri-

arch Ibrahima Dialloo, that community’s highest au-

thority, agrees that the company’s relationship with

the community, which is also based on social outreach

programs, has produced good results for both neigh-

bors. “The most important things in life are living be-

ings. If you can take care of your family, your life will

go forward. And since Odebrecht arrived, it has taken

good care of our families and helped overcome our

challenges.” Sitting beside him, the political chief of

the village, Fodé Traoré, nods his head in agreement

and waits until the older man has finished speaking.

Then, he concludes: “When the community learns to

stand on its own two feet, it can seek its own develop-

ment.”

Lauren Pereira with Hit the Net participants: digital inclusion as a tool for overcoming barriers

Patriarch Ibrahima Dialloo with Odebrecht People team member and translator David Bimou: putting the family first

50 informa

50

gritA TeAM wITh TRue

In Valongo, Santos, soccer is a tool for social inclusion

written by aliCe GaleFFi

photos by yann vadaru

hildren and young people at risk find the

opportunity that they had longed for in

Santos, on the São Paulo coast. They are

taking part in an Odebrecht Realizações

Imobiliárias (Real estate Developments;

OR) project in Valongo, a region formed by the city’s hills.

This initiative is restoring residents’ self-esteem and cre-

ating conditions for their social inclusion.

In the land of the king, Pelé, and the young phenom-

enon, neymar, the project focuses on soccer. OR has de-

veloped a program with the community’s assistance in

which children and young people aged between 12 and 17

take part in soccer classes. They receive snacks and kits

are also donated. The project, which is yet to be named,

Cofficially started on november 5, 2012, and 60 youths

have enrolled so far. Its effects are already producing

strong repercussions, even in such a short space of time.

An ideal partnerDespite the city’s economic growth, which is due to

the discovery of oil in the pre-salt layer along its coast,

among other factors, the hills of Santos are the scene of

drug gang wars, summary executions, police raids and

young people being murdered. All of this has been a part

of life in this poor region of the city, where 19 shantytowns

are located.

Saionara Lawandovski Porto, OR’s Social Program

coordinator in Santos, became aware of the critical

Kamilla Alves (right) and her teammates on the girls’ soccer team: young people in safer circumstances

51informa

3:30 and then the girls take the pitch from 3:30 to

4:30. The girls have the later class because most of

them have to go home after school and help their

mothers with household chores. They are only free

to train after that.

Aryane de Sousa, 14, a resident of Vila Vitória,

stands out from the other female players. She dreams

of becoming a top women’s soccer star like Marta.

“I’ve always played soccer but only with boys, and it

was always in the streets. I have a coach now, and I’ve

met other girls who also enjoy playing. My dream is to

play on the Brazil team.” kamilla Alves, 13, also played

soccer in the streets without her father’s knowledge,

as he saw sports as “something for boys.” kamilla

found out about this opportunity through Cosme, and

her parents finally accepted the idea of her taking part

in the project. her mother, Rosângela, provides the

most encouragement: “It makes me really happy to

see her learning and playing better than the boys. I

can see a future for her in soccer, but it’s not just that:

it makes me happy seeing the effort kamilla is mak-

ing, chasing her dream. And she’s not in the streets

with the other young people, taking drugs and enter-

ing the world of crime.”

Itamar Leal, the social worker who follows the young

people during the training sessions, say that the main

objective is not to transform them into soccer players

but to protect them. “we want to foster their all-round

development and cover topics like the body, health, sex-

uality, citizenship and youth rights.” Saionara reveals

her plans going forward: “I want to add more sports and

include the arts in the curriculum.” She is looking for

new partners. “My dream is to see the project carry on

and become self-sustainable after OR has completed its

projects in Santos.”

situations in these communities, which lack basic re-

sources and have few leisure activities. There is also a

high rate of crime and prostitution among the young.

Saionara knew that she had to do something, but, first

of all, she needed to find project partners.

This is how she met Cosme Costa, a social worker

and resident of Vila Vitória hill, and was immediately con-

vinced that he would be an ideal partner. Cosme knows

everyone in the Valongo community. Saionara would not

have been able to go into these areas without him, as only

the local people can circulate freely there. She insisted

that they meet, and Cosme could relate to her persever-

ance. he thought it was strange at first, but “since preju-

dice is a word that doesn’t exist in my vocabulary, I de-

cided to see what she had to say.”

They talked a lot, did some research and came to the

conclusion that the best way to attract young people and

take them off the streets would be soccer. This is how

the project was created. Cosme agreed to be the meet-

ing point between OR and the communities, while Saion-

ara took care of planning and all of the support needed

for this initiative. “I never imagined that someone from

Odebrecht would get in touch with me to develop a social

project. A number of large companies are based here and

this has never happened before,” he comments.

Other partners got involved in the project in addition

to Cosme, such as the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB),

which has loaned its soccer pitch for the young people to

play on, and the Department for Young People, a munici-

pal agency that sponsors the employment of a Phys. ed.

teacher who is responsible for these activities.

Far from drugs and crimeThe soccer classes are held on Monday and

wednesday afternoons. The boys play from 1:30 to

Aryane de Sousa: “I have a coach now, and I’ve met other girls”

52 informa52

frolicFROM The jOBSITe TO

Recycled uniforms become Carnival costumes in Olinda, Brazil

written by luiz Carlos raMos photos by lia lubaMbo

he city of Olinda’s traditional Carnival is

marked by its signature musical style, a

feverish rhythm called frevo, and the giant

dolls that flood the streets alongside rev-

elers. In 2013 it will offer another attrac-

tion: recycling. The clothing worn by thousands of people

working for Conest, the joint venture of Odebrecht En-

genharia Industrial (Industrial Engineering) and OAS

building projects in Suape, have been recycled and

transformed into costumes for a merry band of children

and teens from the state of Pernambuco. Odebrecht In-

forma has attended the rehearsals in that historic city in

the Recife metropolitan region, and got a first-hand look

at the enthusiasm of the Acauã Dance Company, which

has received support from Conest through the Recycling

Program.

TThe joint venture has 10,000 members who are help-

ing build the Abreu e Lima Refinery in the Suape Indus-

trial Port Complex. A total of 50,000 people are working

on the refinery project, as well as petrochemical units

and the modern port.

During the rehearsal in Olinda, Karine Tamires, 9,

showed off the model for the Carnival costume that is

still a closely guarded secret: orange and navy blue (the

colors of Conest), it also has touches of gold and silver.

Hers is rounded out with a colorful frevo parasol. “My

costume turned out great. I love to dance,” says Kar-

ine, accompanied by her friends Mariana, Kécia, Bruna,

Heloísa, Carla and Poli, who would get their costumes

later. Poli is the nickname of Thaysa Ramos da Silva,

9, the adopted daughter of Maria José Xavier, who ac-

companies her during rehearsals. “I adopted the girl

Members of the Acauã Dance Company in Olinda, with young Karine Tamires in her ballerina outfit: “My costume turned out great”

53informa

benefiting the environment, reducing costs and adding

cultural value through frevo,” he observes.

The power of cooperativesThis project was made possible through the involve-

ment of two female garment workers’ cooperatives:

Coopcoste, from Cabo de Santo Agostinho, which made

the clothes for the Recycling Fashion show, and Emenda,

from Ipojuca, which takes care of the Carnival costumes.

Coopcoste President Djair Miralhe says Conest’s sup-

port has energized the 130 seamstresses who work at

the sewing machines in shifts at the cooperative’s head-

quarters: “This work has social benefits for these women

because they make more money, but it also benefits the

people who wear the clothes.”

Risolene Gonçalves da Silva, President of Emenda, ob-

serves that, thanks to the orders for Carnival costumes,

her cooperative has been able to buy new machines:

“Now, the costumes get top priority.” Dulcelina Domingas

da Silva, 78, controls the quality of the items produced. “I

love to work like this, and I don’t feel my age,” she says.

Fashion designer Diego Rodrigo “DihRôh” Monteiro,

22, is a member of Coopcoste. A breakthrough talent in

Pernambuco’s fashion world, he designed the clothes for

the September show. “I’m self-taught. I’ve been creating

fashion since I was 10. I’m inspired by greats like Marc

Jacobs, Reinaldo Lourenço and Zuzu Angel, but my work

has a local touch,” explains DihRôh. Like the seamstress-

es and the Acauã group, he sees boundless possibilities

ahead: “I’ve started taking a design course. I have to keep

evolving.”

when she was little and living in a garbage dump,” says

Maria José.

Better known as “Vera do Frevo,” Verônica Gomes

dos Santos runs Acauã, a group created 10 years ago to

bring together and motivate needy children and youths

through dance. “Music and dance help us overcome prob-

lems,” says Vera. “Poli is a good example. She’s an active,

healthy girl.” Named after a relative of the sparrow hawk,

the group has become synonymous with social inclusion

in Olinda.

Waldir Martins Filho, the Conest officer Responsible

for Sustainability and Recycling, keeps a close eye on ev-

ery detail of the plans for Carnival. He says the program

involves the production of several items made from dis-

carded work uniforms. “The workers get new uniforms

every four months. Instead of throwing the old ones away,

we get them cleaned and sanitized, and the fabric is re-

cycled,” says Waldir. The joint venture’s Residential Village

held a fashion show in September called Recycling Fash-

ion, where the workers who live there sat in the audience

while members of the Acauã group flaunted their new

clothes. Globo TV produced a long feature on the event.

Conest Project Director Antenor de Castro is proud

of the program’s results. “Everything has been happen-

ing gradually. The program is mobilizing the community,

Designer Diego Rodrigo: inspired by the great names in fashion without losing sight of regional influences

54 informa54

neighborsTALkS wITh GOOD

Here Comes the Train and Community Railway: Transnordestina is building closer relations with the community

written by luiz Carlos raMos photos by riCardo saGebin

ere comes the train. The news spreads

across three states, and people are

looking forward to seeing the trains

arrive. The Transnordestina Railroad

project is making steady progress in

Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará. How will a railway

benefit the arid backlands of the Northeast? Above

all, it brings hope. The public’s certainty is enhanced

by the contributions of social programs undertaken by

the Alliance between Transnordestina Logística S.A.

(TLSA) and Odebrecht Infraestruture (Infrastructure)

in several regions, including Salgueiro, Pernambuco.

That is where the Alliance’s jobsites are located, along

with the world’s largest sleeper factory.

The railway tracks are moving forward quickly.

Thanks to this investment, trains will travel between the

Port of Suape, in the Recife metropolitan area, and the

HPort of Pecém, in Ceará, running through Eliseu Mar-

tins, in southern Piauí. The railroad is one of the priori-

ties of the Brazilian Government’s Growth Acceleration

Program (PAC). The train will soon be transporting ore,

gypsum and grain, giving a boost to the economy in that

region, where the transposition of the São Francisco

River and other works are also underway. Odebrecht In-

forma visited the Transnordestina project in Salgueiro,

and took a close look at two programs focused on citi-

zenship that are being implemented in the communities

along the railroad’s route: Here Comes the Train, and

Community Railroad. Begun in 2012, these initiatives

have directly benefited more than 10,000 people in 10

counties. “In addition to showcasing the works through

guided tours, we have organized lectures on health,

children’s rights, drug prevention, and various other

topics, and we also encourage participation in sports,”

From the schools to the jobsite: through guided visits, young people learn more about the Transnordestina railway and its importance for the region and the country

55informa

fresh knowledge back to school with them: “There’s

nothing like going to the place where the work is done,

getting explanations and deepening your knowledge.”

Community RailroadThe ongoing struggle against drought is part of the

history of adults and seniors who live in the arid hinter-

land. These heroes of that struggle are benefiting from

the Community Railroad project, which offers multi-

disciplinary workshops conducted in partnership with

local governments, NGOs and residents’ associations

in urban and rural areas. This project, which began 10

months ago, focuses on the construction of Transnor-

destina, as well as citizenship and health care.

explains Administrative and Financial Manager Alexan-

dre Lima. Social worker Kelly Barros, one of the people

responsible for the projects, observes: “Unity and syn-

ergy among the members of the Alliance, city govern-

ments and local authorities, who provide the facilities

for these programs and help us invite people to partici-

pate, have been key to these efforts.”

Here Comes the TrainHere Comes the Train is a jobsite visitation program

that brings together Alliance members who work on

other sections of the railway, authorities, public in-

stitutions and NGOs, as well as children and youths

from schools in the Salgueiro area. “Through lectures

and campaigns, visitors learn about the benefits of

Transnordestina and the precautions being taken

to protect the environment and their quality of life,”

says Project Director Pedro Leão. During their tours

of the jobsite, visitors can see the work of members of

Aliança Transnordestina Logística S.A. and Odebrecht

Infraestrutura, from the preparation of the railroad

bed to the industrial jobsite area, where the sleeper

factory produces up to 4,800 concrete ties per day.

One November morning, 28 students between the

ages of 13 and 17 from Dr. Walmy Campos Bezerra

School, in São José do Belmonte, paid a visit to the

Salgueiro jobsite. Anderlândia Soares de Lima, 16,

was fascinated by every detail. “I’ve never been on a

train, but now I know how that kind of transportation is

important,” she says. Schoolteacher Maria do Socorro

Pereira de Queiroz believes that her students will take

“The meetings are conducted by company mem-

bers whose expertise is directly related to the topic of

the month. We have mobilized professionals from the

fields of engineering, health, safety, environment and

finance, among others,” says Pedro Leão.

During one edition of the program, held in Sal-

gueiro in November, the Alliance’s physician, Edif-

lávio Gomes, spoke to an audience of more than 60

seniors from three towns, explaining how to avoid

hypertension, strokes, heart attacks and falls. “The

important thing is to pay attention and control the

amount of salt, sugar and fat in your diet,” he said.

Paying close attention to these guidelines, Iraci

Alves, 81, smiled. “I’ve had bouts of high blood pres-

sure, but now I’m fine. I took a pedagogy course

when I was 79,” she said. “I want to see the train

come through here.”

There’s nothing like going to the place where the work is done, getting explanations and deepening your knowledge.

Maria do Socorro Pereira de Queiroz

Guidelines for a healthy life: Dr. Ediflávio Gomes, from Odebrecht, gives checkups to local seniors

56 informa

56

he simple act of taking a bus was once

a huge challenge for Francisco de

Souza Alves. Since he couldn’t read

or write, he had to ask people to help

him identify the one he should take.

An illiterate farmer’s son, in his work on the São

Miguel do Tapuio farm in the backlands of the Brazil-

ian state of Piauí, Francisco had never needed more

Tthan the strength his arms could offer. Therefore, he

left school before he was eight. He only saw a major

opportunity arise in in 2010, at the age of 23, when

he started working on the extension of Line 1 North

of Trensurb, a passenger rail service linking Porto

Alegre with the cities in the metropolitan area. The

joint venture responsible for the extension project is

Consórcio Via Nova.

brighterROADS AheAD

A literacy program is creating fresh growth prospects for company members on the Trensurb project

written by alexandre Melo photos by riCardo Chaves

57informa

Since the joint venture was formed in 2009, with

Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infrastructure) as the lead-

ing partner, it has made several contributions to the

sustainable development of communities in the vicin-

ity of the works. “Living near a project of this magni-

tude is not always easy. For us, in addition to building

a high-quality project, it was key to make an additional

contribution aimed at improving the public’s quality of

life, since we are directly impacting the communities,”

explains Pedro Reis, the Odebrecht Infraestrutura Ad-

ministration and Finance Manager for the project.

This is where Francisco’s story comes in. The joint

venture has partnered up with the Social Service of In-

dustry (SESI) to deploy the Youth and Adult Education

(EJA) Program, a fresh opportunity for people who have

never had access to an education, or have not com-

pleted primary school. “We conducted a survey of the

workers, and found that many of them were interested

in learning to read and write,” says Tássia Hoffmann,

the officer Responsible for Communication at the joint

venture. From 2010 to 2012, 34 workers divided into two

groups took part in the EJA, and 10 are now literate,

including Francisco, the youngest student in the group.

Classes were held three times a week, after hours, in a

room at the central jobsite. “Not being able to read and

write is like walking in the dark,” says Francisco.

SESI technical analyst for Education Silvia Helena

da Silva Gallino observes: “Consórcio Via Nova had the

sensitivity to realize that having qualified, educated

members is good for the company, and much better

for people’s lives.” The level of education is low in the

Sinos River Valley, the region where Novo Hamburg

and São Leopoldo, two cities benefiting from the ex-

tension of Trensurb, are located. This is because, ac-

cording to Silvia, the leather-footwear industry, the

main economic activity in that region, does not gener-

ally require formal education. But that historically ex-

perienced situation in those cities has been changing

with the help of partnerships like the one formed with

Consórcio Nova Via.

Francisco de Souza Alves (left) and Claudino Guareski: back to the classroom to write new life stories

58 informa

At the age of 63, Claudino João Guareski, a car-

penter working at the joint venture’s central jobsite,

is back in the classroom. After graduating from the

EJA program (1st to 5th grades), he enrolled in a pri-

vate school, where he is taking grades 6 through 9.

Claudino was born on a farm in Cruz Alta, Rio Grande

do Sul, and his father made him leave school when he

was only in the 4th grade. “When you study, you start to

see the world in a different way and feel more proud of

yourself,” he says simply. Just a year before he is due

to retire, Claudino has made his mind up. “I’m only go-

ing to stop working when I have a solid career, because

I want to show that it’s never too late to learn.”

Valuing lifeLiteracy is just one of the many facets of Nova

Via’s social contribution. One of the CVV’s (Center

for Valuing Life and Suicide Prevention) seven units

in the state of Rio Grande do Sul is located in Novo

Hamburgo. The NGO’s 43 volunteers work in shifts,

24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It was during World

Week for Combating Drugs in June this year that

Consórcio Via Nova workers learned about the CVV.

Around one thousand workers attended four lectures

at the central jobsite and work fronts. “I’ve noticed a

great deal of interest,” says Nocolau Isaque de Araú-

jo, who has been a CVV volunteer since 2009. “After

the lectures, a lot of people came over and talked to

us about their problems.” Workers from other states

who have left their families behind suffer from loneli-

ness. “Sometimes they lack the emotional develop-

ment to deal with that long-distance relationship,”

says Anildo Fernandes, a member of the National

Executive Group and Deputy Regional Coordinator of

the CVV.

Part of the extension of Line 1 of Trensurb (be-

tween São Leopoldo and Rio dos Sinos stations) in

São Leopoldo, passes through a socially vulnerable

area called Vila dos Tocos. Because of that, alco-

hol and drugs have always been frequent topics of

Internal Work Accident Prevention Week and World

Anti-Drug Week. The joint-venture’s partner in this

initiative was the Youth Rescue Challenge Therapeu-

tic Community, founded in Novo Hamburgo in 2007

along the lines of the US Teen Challenge program.

The goal is to help young drug addicts by guiding

them through their recovery and social reinser-

tion. “A SENAD [National Anti-Drug Service] survey

shows that one addict worker affects 5% of produc-

tion,” says psychologist and Therapeutic Commu-

nity coordinator Odir Olivaes Filho. To address this

sensitive subject, the program raised awareness by

staging a play starring former addicts that was pre-

sented at the main jobsite and other work fronts.

“This initiative has disseminated information and

basic guidelines, turning many company members

into multipliers of that information,” says Tássia

Hoffmann, clearly pleased.

Trensurb Station near Vila dos Tocos: overcoming drug addiction and social vulnerability

59informa

On TRACk TO

Braskem’s support for recycling initiatives helps create work and income opportunities in four Brazilian states

written by edilson liMa photos by riCardo Chaves

ormer farm worker Geraldo Simme,

47, lives in Campo Bom, Rio Grande do

Sul. Every day, he wakes up early, eats

his breakfast, gets into his SpaceFox

VW and drives to work at the Coolabore

cooperative, where he spends the day with friends

and, as he says with a smile, “I earn my daily bread.”

He has good reason to be smiling. Founded 18 years

ago, the cooperative has just undergone a restruc-

turing that enables it to provide a decent living for

its 37 members.

At first, its earnings were low and the turnover was

high. “We didn’t have enough equipment to sort large

quantities of materials, and we didn’t know much

about cooperatives or recycling. For example, we

were selling plastic all mixed together, which brought

down the price. A lot of people quit,” recalls Geraldo.

That situation began to improve when the coop-

erative’s partners helped organize the business and

make it more profitable. That was when Braskem

came on the scene. “Based on research and the com-

pany’s experience in the plastics supply chain, we

decided to provide technological support and train-

ing to trash pickers. Today Braskem is sponsoring

nine units in the Sinos Valley [where Campo Bom is

located],” observes João Freire, the Braskem officer

Responsible for Institutional Relations in the south-

ern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

F

59

Coolabore cooperative trash pickers: a significant boost in productivity and quality of life

60 informa

Thanks to the training they have received, Geraldo

and his co-workers are taking a different view of recy-

cling. They sort all kinds of plastic, ranging from the

stiffest to the most flexible varieties. Once sorted, the

plastic is sent to the newly acquired production line

(composed of mill, washing tank, dryer, pelletizer and

cage) where the plastic is crushed, washed, dried and

packaged for sale to manufacturers.

Thanks to a partnership with the government, co-

operative members not only do the initial sorting but

use trucks to collect used plastic in the city streets.

Each member’s combined monthly earnings from

services and sales of recycled materials average BRL

1,600.00 (about USD 800). Geraldo is clearly moved

when he recalls: “At first it was hard to make as much

as BRL 100.00 per person. A lot of people came here

with nothing. Now, bit by bit, they’re buying homes

and cars, and achieving other goals.”

Pride, self-esteem and recognitionIn another Sinos Valley county, Roberto Silveira

and 32 other people form part of the City of Dois Ir-

mãos Recyclers Cooperative. Roberto, 36, says that

this cooperative was created 18 years ago. It was the

first in that state to process plastic, using a simpler

and now limited technology. During his interview

with the Odebrecht Informa team, he pointed to the

recently arrived equipment that will make up a new

production line. “As a result, we’ll gain more time and

increase production capacity, besides adding value to

the materials,” he predicts.

Roberto observes that training focused on coop-

eratives, safety, equipment maintenance and logis-

tics, among other topics, has made a big difference

in working conditions and resulted in higher incomes.

“There’s no boss here. We all own the business, and

work together. That makes us proud and generates

self-esteem and recognition.”

It is with the same sense of pride and self-esteem

that Gabriel da Cunha Garcia, 62, a former painter

who once collected trash on the streets of Nova San-

ta Rita, tells the story of the Association of Workers

and Service Providers, Trash Pickers and Recycling,

which he and some other co-workers founded in

2005: “I used to walk the streets with a cart, picking

up trash. A lot of people started doing the same thing.

Then I realized it was time to get organized,” he ex-

plains. Located in the Caju neighborhood, the asso-

ciation now has 11 members working there.

At one point, Gabriel and his co-workers were liv-

ing and working in the same makeshift shack. Then,

in January 2012, with Braskem’s support, they built

two sheds equipped with bathrooms and a cafete-

ria. They have also acquired equipment, including a

weighing scale and press, among other items. “Our

next goal is to install a plastic processing mill, which

will boost our earnings even more,” he says.

The group also wants to form partnerships with

the city government, to provide collection services,

and other institutions: “Our dream is to see everyone

get their own health plan, house, car, etc.,” he ex-

plains. “I went into recycling because I needed to earn

a living, but I got more and more passionate about

it every day. We’ve acquired technical knowledge and

give lectures in the vicinity. I know that we are helping

make a better world for everyone,” he says.

Working in partnershipIn addition to Rio Grande do Sul, Braskem also sup-

ports recycling projects in the states of São Paulo, Ala-

Geraldo Simme: “Lots of people come here with nothing. Bit by bit, I’m buying a house and a car and achieving other goals”

61informa

goas and Bahia. Although some are not as advanced

as the one in Rio Grande do Sul (in some cases, they

are embryonic), these initiatives are beginning to get

ever more significant results. Braskem sponsors a to-

tal of six cooperatives in those three states.

Coopmarc, a cooperative located in Camaçari, Ba-

hia, is a good example. Founded 12 years ago, Coop-

marc has always focused on the sorting and sale of

plastic, cardboard and paper. In 2008, it set up a fac-

tory that makes brooms from PET bottles. Between

January and November 2012, it sold about 1,300

brooms. Every month, its 15 members sell 45 metric

tons of recycled materials.

“We haven’t reached our goal of two minimum

salaries [roughly USD 600 per month] per person yet,

but we want to get to that milestone very soon,” says

Coopemarc co-founder Glória Martha da Silva, 43. Be-

fore she went into recycling, Glória was a sanitation

worker in Camaçari. “The support of our partners has

been fundamental for building a better life for our-

selves, especially through training and equipment.”

Emmanuel Lacerda, the Braskem officer Respon-

sible for Institutional Relations in Bahia, stresses that

partnerships between the public and private sectors

are key to the success of projects like these: “The

work of this cooperative’s members is extremely im-

portant to disseminating the culture of recycling. To

ensure their success, businesses and local govern-

ments should support them.”

André Leal, the Braskem officer Responsible for

Environment, says that although the trash pickers’

backgrounds vary, many of them are natural entrepre-

neurs. “The contribution we’re making is to improve

their work environments and bolster their autonomy

and entrepreneurship, including them socially in the

supply chain,” he affirms. In 2012, Braskem’s initia-

tives directly benefited 429 trash pickers.

Gabriel da Cunha Garcia: acquiring technical knowledge

Dois Irmãos cooperative trash pickers: pride and recognition

62 informa

Family affairIn Rondônia, Brazil, Acreditar is an effective

channel for communication and closer relations between the company and the community

divone Araújo da Gama, 33, is one

of the 1,209 women working on the

construction of the Santo Antônio

hydroelectric plant on the Madeira River

in Porto Velho. Born in Manicoré, Amazo-

nas, six years ago she migrated to the state

capital of Rondônia in search of better job

opportunities. She was determined to pro-

vide a better life for her three children, as

well as her mother and a brother. A former

cosmetics saleswoman, Edivone enrolled

in the Acreditar (Believe) Ongoing Profes-

sional Education Program, and four and a

half years ago she swapped brow pencils,

eye shadow and lip gloss for saws, brushes

and personal protective equipment (PPE).

“I didn’t think I’d get hired to work on

this project, but I signed up for Acreditar,

took the course, and here I am, along with

other women who do heavy work, driving

trucks, tractors and backhoes,” she says

with a smile.

Edivone believed in the program so

much that she decided to enroll her chil-

dren in Acreditar Jr., an offshoot of Acredi-

tar, both of which are developed and imple-

mented on Odebrecht Energia projects.

Eduardo, 17, has already graduated, and

Lucas, 14, is studying at the National In-

dustrial Apprenticeship Service (SENAI),

an Odebrecht partner institution in Porto

Velho, which provides facilities for Acredi-

tar Jr.’s practical and theoretical classes.

Edivone’s youngest daughter, Letícia, 11,

can’t wait to start the program and choose

written by João Paulo Carvalho photo by MárCio liMa

COMMUNITY

E

63informa

from one of the seven specializa-

tions it offers.

“I want to graduate, get my di-

ploma and become a good profes-

sional in the job market,” says Lu-

cas, who is taking the Production

Assistant course. “I told my moth-

er that once the plant is built, I’m

going to study English and Japa-

nese so I can work at Odebrecht”

he says, his voice husky with emo-

tion. “I used to live in a shack. But

when my mother joined Acreditar,

everything started to change. Now

my room is getting just the way

I want it,” says the young man,

whose scholarship is helping pay

the bills in their recently acquired

brick-and-mortar house.

The story of Edivone and her

family is one of many examples of

people who have taken the oppor-

tunity Acreditar offers at Odebrecht

jobsites in Brazil and worldwide.

The program was introduced in

2008 to make up for the lack of

skilled workers identified by feasi-

bility studies for the Santo Antônio

project. Initial reports showed that

it would be necessary to bring in

out about 70% of the workers re-

quired to build the project, which

would have caused difficulties aris-

ing from disorganized migration.

Thanks to the Acreditar program,

80% of the workers building the

plant are local residents. The re-

sults have been so beneficial and

significant that today, four years

later, what was initially supposed to

be a one-off, localized initiative has

spread to 10 countries, benefiting

more than 68,000 people.

One of the people responsible

for Acreditar’s success is Fabiane

Costenaro, the program’s coordi-

nator in Porto Velho. Born in Cap-

inzal, Santa Catarina, she went to

Rondônia in January 2008 thinking

that she would be just another per-

son helping the Santo Antonio Civil

(CSAC) consortium do its work. Her

leader at the time, Antonio Cardi-

lli, received the mission to deploy

Acreditar. “I had never led a team

before, but here we learn by doing,

on the job,” says Fabiane, whose

leader is now Santo Antônio’s Ad-

ministrative and Financial Manag-

er, Marcelo Reis.

“The social transformation in

Porto Velho has been clearly vis-

ible in the last six years,” says

Fabiane. Buildings with over 15

stories, previously rare in the city,

have emerged in the landscape like

developmental milestones. Traffic

is gaining big-city scale. And the

numbers speak for themselves:

Rondônia is the Brazilian state with

the highest rate of GDP growth in

the country (7.3%), according to the

latest Brazilian Institute of Geog-

raphy and Statistics (IBGE) figures,

for 2009.

Carpenter and Acreditar graduate Edivone da Gama, with her children Eduardo, Letícia and Lucas (right): “I didn’t think I’d get hired, but I took the course and here I am”

64 informa

64

aria Chocohanda, Henrique Jamba,

Joana Kawape, Conceição Jamba.

These names now appear in the re-

cords of the Ministry of Justice of the

Province of Huambo, Angola. Youths,

adults and seniors, these villagers from Atuco Alunda

proudly display their identity cards. “I can go anywhere,”

celebrates Conceição. “I’ll get a job,” says Chocohanda.

Documents showing their parents’ names and their own

Mage are also novelties there. In addition to ID cards, some

people already have birth certificates, as well.

“Obtaining these documents is the first step towards

the achievement of first-class citizenship,” says Vicente

Ferreira, the Odebrecht officer Responsible for Sustain-

ability at Huambo-Caala, where Odebrecht is building

the Caala-Cuima highway. The initiative of obtaining

documents for villagers arose from Odebrecht, accord-

ing to Huambo’s Provincial Justice Delegate, Ernesto

citizensMORe AnD MORe LIke

Access to documents, support for health and education, and opportunities for professional skills: good news from the

towns of Huambo and Cambambe in Angolawritten by luCiana lana photos by KaMene traça

Conceição Jamba (left) and Maria Chocohonda: decisive step towards the full exercise of their role in society

65informa

Estevão, during the delivery of 100 documents to Atuco Alu-

nda residents. All told, more than 4,500 people have received

their identity cards and birth certificates.

“We at Odebrecht seek to help improve the quality of life

of the people we encounter in our work environment, thereby

contributing to the socioeconomic development of the re-

gion,” says Javier Chuman, Project Director for the Huambo

and Malanje roadways project, which is part of the Caala-

Cuima Highway.

At the headquarters of the Huambo Ministry of Health, Vi-

cente Ferreira greets people as he walks through the halls.

He is well known there. “Odebrecht has been an important

partner for us,” says Frederico Juliana, Huambo’s Provincial

Health Director. He explains that the company conducted

a survey to identify the main concerns of 16 local villages –

deaths from HIV/AIDS, malaria, cancer, and childbirth due to

poorly managed deliveries, the most frequent cause. “A lack

of education is apparent in all cases. There are women who

have gone through up to six pregnancies and never made a

doctor’s appointment,” says Vicente. As a result, Odebrecht

began conducting a series of lectures to encourage a preven-

tive stance towards illness, and is helping build schools and

health clinics in the communities.

António Kalundongo: waiting for the conclusion of the construction works and the first day of class

Residents build a schoolIn Acolongonjo, called the “mother village” because it

stands in the center of all the others, residents are work-

ing daily to build the walls for a new school covering a

total area of 830 sq.m., including 12 classrooms and a

recreation area. “Odebrecht designed it and is supply-

ing the materials, but it is important for the beneficiaries

themselves to build the school, to appreciate it,” says the

village soba (traditional community leader), Marcolino

Xindandgi. More than 1,500 students will study there in

three sessions, each with 12 classes of 45 students. In

Kaala, teachers who have passed a competitive exam

are awaiting the school’s completion and the start of

classes, scheduled for March 2013. “The night classes

will depend on the arrival of electricity to get started,”

observes Antônio Kalundongo, the school principal.

A health center with a medical facility and a pharmacy

has also opened in the “mother village.” “Previously, pa-

tients had to travel up to 40 km to see a doctor. Now, the

farthest village from this clinic is just 9 km away. Once

we have over 10 of these clinics, we will have met the

demand from 128 villages in the commune of Cuima,”

calculates village administrator Faustino Kapingana.

Besides the I Am a Citizen and Health in the Village

projects, Vicente Ferreira also runs the Thursdays for

Women Association, a program that holds meetings ev-

ery two weeks to discuss and reflect on issues like teen-

age pregnancy, domestic violence, health and the envi-

ronment. The meetings take place at the Association’s

headquarters, built by Odebrecht, including a library and

rooms for music lessons and tutoring. The company has

also remodeled and expanded the Suku Ondjli day-care

center and Kaala Hospital, which now offers a Supple-

mental Nutrition Center.

Be wellOdebrecht is also carrying out a range of social

programs at the Cambambe hydroelectric plant proj-

ect that have been consolidated under a single pro-

gram called Chaleno Kiambote, meaning “be well.”

The name reflects the program’s primary aim of sus-

tainability: “We want to foster development that can

carry on after the dam is built. That is why we want

the community to be well today, as well as when we

are not around anymore,” says Project Director Gus-

tavo Belitardo.

66 informa

Margarida Gaspar: planning to continue her studies

67informa

As soon it arrived in the region, Odebrecht con-

ducted a socioeconomic/environmental diagnosis and

sought to become an integral part of the community in

order to understand its needs. “We listened to people

to discover their aspirations and potential, and de-

signed the program on that basis,” says social worker

Afonso Maquiadi.

Health, education and income generation were

defined as vectors for action. “In the field of health

care, we selected and trained community workers

to disseminate knowledge and increase the preven-

tion of endemic diseases like malaria, and STDs like

HIV/AIDS. In the field of education, we offer English

lessons, computer literacy classes and tutoring, as

well as sports and recreational activities. To generate

income, we have set up sewing, cooking and family

farming workshops,” says Environmental Sustainabil-

ity Manager Sérgio Rezende.

In the equipment sector of the project, young Mar-

garida Diogo Gaspar works as a welder and benefits

from the Getting to Work Gender Equality Program,

which aims to create jobs for women. This is her first job

opportunity. “I want to finish high school, study law and

work forever,” she says.

“A light at the end of the tunnel”According to Alberto Carneiro, the Project Director of

Cambambe Central 2 for the client, ENE (the national

power company), Odebrecht’s arrival has brought fresh

prospects for the local population. He highlights the

training programs for youth. These initiatives, says Al-

berto, are “a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Currently, 28 young people are taking the pastry-cook

course offered by Chaleno Kiambote, and 15 are learn-

ing to sew. “We’re already making our own clothes, and

soon we will start to sell what we make,” says Janete

Rossano, 20, who is enthusiastic about learning to use a

sewing machine.

At the village of Cambambe’s Recreation Club, Ode-

brecht has reopened the pool and is providing swimming

lessons. The company has also equipped a room with

computers and started offering computer and English

lessons. Three groups are currently taking each subject.

“The absentee rate is zero. We have already graduated

about 100 students and some are now working for Ode-

brecht,” says Canga Neto, the course director. “Chaleno

Kiambote is an ambitious program that is already having

a major impact,” says Cambambe community represen-

tative Fernando Neves.

As for incentives for family farming, about 40 km from

Cambambe, the village of Kalenge’s maize and cassa-

va crops are now being planted with specialized advice

from Chaleno Kiambote teams. “We provide support to

families that grow crops for their own consumption and

for sale. The next step will be to set up a mill so they

can also sell cornmeal,” says Vanessa Silva, who coor-

dinates the Odebrecht Social Responsibility Program in

Cambambe.

Chaleno Kiambote is also contributing to cultural

preservation by raising the community’s awareness of the

importance of their own heritage. “The new generations

are learning the history of the Cambambe region and ap-

preciating the important landmarks we have here,” says

Luiz Rodrigo João, the administrator of the Massangano

Commune, where are Angola’s first court was built in the

sixteenth century. It is also home to the country’s first City

Council building, among other monuments.

Janete Rossano: more motivation thanks to a sewing machine

68 informa

66hat is this dance that makes your

legs go limp? It’s an easy, peasy,

breezy dance.” At St. John the

Baptist School in the Patriota

neighborhood of Luanda, Roque

D’Oliveira, the officer Responsible for Social Outreach

and People on the Structuring Routes project, sings

Wthe song while his long thin body shakes like a mix

of puppet and break dancer. His audience, a class of

more than 30 totally fascinated children, sings along

and mimics the visiting instructor’s movements. Be-

sides the dance, they know that some diseases also

make them limp and tired. In this playful way, Roque

is teaching them about the symptoms and causes of

preventionThe RhYThM OF

A malaria prevention program is one of a range of programs that the Structuring Routes project is carrying out in Angola

written by luCiana lana photo by KaMene traça

68

have had to learn to live with the project. For example,

we need to warn people not to get too close to the ma-

chines,” says Hinhotua.

Cycle of InterestCementing and developing the company’s rela-

tionship with the community is a task that the proj-

ect’s social outreach team performs with pleasure

and excellence. This includes activities for company

members’ families. In 2012, for example, the com-

pany created the Cycle of Interest program, through

which teens between the ages of 13 and 17, the chil-

dren of company members, visited the Structuring

Routes construction site, attended lectures on pro-

fessional education, and ended the day with a rec-

reational outing.

The first of these meetings took place in May 2012,

attended by about 20 participants. Then, in Septem-

ber, two more events brought together over 70 youths.

“We realized that there are breaks in the school cal-

endar throughout the year, and students have nothing

to do during those periods. So we decided to offer ac-

tivities that encourage them, especially, to think about

the future, and choose their professions. During these

visits, young people get to know their parents’ work

environment and the various services the company

provides, while getting educational guidance and en-

gaging in recreational activities,” says Roque.

Technical assistant Honório Alves Correia says his

son Bernard, 17, felt highly motivated after the event:

“He is in 7th grade and loves computers. When he

got back from the visit he said he wants to be an en-

gineer,” says his father proudly. The father of seven,

mechanic Luis Pedro Nhanqui also enjoyed show-

ing his daughter Madalena, 16, the workshop where

he does his job. “She was impressed. She thought I

worked in a ‘backyard’ shop and saw that everything

here is very organized. The program had a tremen-

dous impact.”

Cycle of Interest has a strong affinity with Ode-

brecht’s Vision for 2020. “Our goal is to educate peo-

ple, empower them and attract them to ensure the

Group’s perpetuity. This program shows young people

the working conditions Odebrecht offers and awakens

their desire to study and work,” explains Structuring

Routes Project Director Tiago Britto.

Roque D’Oliveira with students

from the St. John the Baptist

school: an entertaining

teaching method

malaria while explaining that sometimes a longer

route is preferable because it is safer. The children of

Patriota are now more alert and careful.

“And so are we,” says schoolteacher Eugénia Ze-

ferino Carlos António, who observes that Odebrecht

– the company responsible for the section of Structur-

ing Routes that runs through that neighborhood – is

working with the community to ensure that it better

understands what the project is all about, including its

benefits and the safety measures required in the vicin-

ity of the roadworks.

In the Kawelele district, another neighbor of the

project, Roque meets with a committee of residents

and agrees the details for a series of lectures that

Odebrecht will hold in that community. The Secretary

of the Residents’ Committee, Gaudêncio Hinhotua,

says: “The highways have brought us many benefits.

Previously, all the cars used to drive straight through

here, causing lots of traffic jams and headaches. We

69informa

musicThe FASCInATInG jOuRneY OF

Made up of musicians from all over Brazil, the Academia Jovem Concertante includes the Teles Pires Dam in its tour

written by rubeny Goulart photo by Carlos Junior

he roar of jackhammers tearing into

rocks along the Teles Pires River

in Paranaíta, on the border of the

states of Mato Grosso and Pará,

where Brazil’s fourth-largest hy-

droelectric plant is currently under construction,

gave way last november 10 to the dulcet sounds of

flutes, violas, oboes, cellos and violins. The Aca-

demia jovem Concertante (Young Concert Musi-

cian Academy), sponsored by Odebrecht energia,

was performing under the baton of violinist Daniel

Pires. Accompanied by pianist Simone Leitão, the

21 young virtuosos played works by Villa-Lobos,

Bach, Mozart, Guerra-Peixe and Antonio Carlos

jobim for thousands of members of Odebrecht

energia, the investor for the Teles Pires Dam, and

Odebrecht Infraestrutura, the company respon-

sible for building the project.

The Academia jovem Concertante project was the

brainchild of pianist Simone Leitão, who has spent

Tseveral years in the united States. “I wanted to carry

out a project based in Brazil, and give young Brazil-

ian musicians orchestral training,” explains Simone,

who holds a PhD in Piano Performance and Music

history from the university of Miami, and is the proj-

ect’s Artistic Director. She entrusted the task of re-

cruiting musicians to Daniel Pires, a violin teacher

at the Federal university at Rio de janeiro (uFRj),

and the result is a 21-piece orchestra with members

from nine Brazilian states.

In addition to sponsorship of a seven-city tour

covering most of the areas where Odebrecht ener-

gia has projects (Rio de janeiro, Salvador, natal,

Porto Velho, Recife, Rio Grande and Paranaíta) and

a stipend for the musicians, the chamber orches-

tra, composed of nine violins, three violas, two cel-

los, two horns, two oboes, a bassoon and a flute,

will receive the box office revenue from concerts

for which tickets were sold. not all its members

can afford to buy their own instruments. Violinist

70

Thamyris nascimento, 23, is from Rio de janeiro.

She learned to play at the evangelical church her

family attends in north Zone of Rio, and because

she showed promise, her teacher gave her a Chi-

nese violin when she was 9. She only managed

to acquire a new, handmade instrument like the

ones more advanced violinists play when she was

18 years old.

People who dream of playing an instrument

overcome all kinds of obstacles to get them. Dora

Queiroz, from Rio Grande do Sul, enjoyed playing

guitar in a rock band in her hometown of Getúlio

Vargas until she heard the johann Sebastian Bach’s

cello suites for the first time. “I’ve got to learn to play

that,” she thought. with a great deal of sacrifice, she

bought herself a cello and studied music at the Fed-

eral university at Rio Grande do Sul (uFRGS), Porto

Alegre. In 2007, her instrument was stolen before

it was even paid for. It turned up four months later,

during a police raid.

Teles Pires: record-breaking audienceOf all the stops on the group’s tour, which began on

October 31 in the Tom Jobim Space in Rio de Janeiro,

and ended on November 13 at the Municipal Theater

in Rio Grande, the concert at the Teles Pires Dam con-

struction site broke the record for the largest audience.

“A classical music concert is good for everyone’s soul,”

says Project Director Antônio Augusto de Castro Santos.

The venue was the Rosa Branca (White Rose) Farm, the

300-hectare area where 3,700 Odebrecht Infraestrutura

members are currently living and working. That num-

ber is expected to reach 6,000 by the time the project is

completed in the next three years.

Thousands of Odebrecht members attended the

concert, and heard the “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4

Prelude” by Villa-Lobos, the “Concerto No. 1 in D Minor

for Piano and Strings” by Bach, “Symphony No. 29 in A

Major” by Mozart, the “Concertino for Violin and Cham-

ber Orchestra” by Guerra-Peixe, with a solo by Daniel

Guedes, and two horns, and the composition “I Know

that I will Love You” by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vini-

cius de Moraes, arranged by Wagner Tiso, with a piano

solo by Simone Leitão.

“It was beautiful. I had never heard a live orchestra

before,” said Ivani Santos, who works on the electrome-

chanical assembly for the plant. “It wasn’t my first con-

cert, but this one, at the construction site, was certainly

unique,” says her boyfriend Tiago Neves, who works in

the welding area.

71informa

Performing in Rio de Janeiro: one of the seven cities the chamber orchestra visited on its tour

A young violinist concentrates on the score: a unique opportunity for youths from several parts of Brazil

Teles Pires Dam project members: taking a break from work to enjoy classical music

MeMORY AnD

In Portugal, appreciation for culture is the focus of a project in the vicinity of the Baixo Sabor Dam construction works, where investments in job and income creation are another highlight

written by zaCCaria Junior photos by bruna roMaro

he highway runs on to the village of estevais, then

to Cardanha and Adeganha. The traveler cannot

stop everywhere, cannot knock on every door to

ask questions and heal the lives of those who live

there. But as he neither can, nor wants to detach

himself from his interests, and has a fascination for the work of

men’s hands, he goes to Adeganha, where they told him there is

a delightful Romanesque chapel, only yea high.... The church is

everything it should be. Their boast was no exaggeration. here,

in these windswept heights, in the biting cold and scorching

sun, the tiny church heroically resists the centuries. Its edges

are broken, the statues and gargoyles are disfigured on its sur-

rounding corbels, but it would be hard to find more purity, more

transcendent beauty. The church in Adeganha is something to

keep in your heart, like the golden stone of Miranda.”

This excerpt from journey to Portugal, by the nobel Prize-

winning Portuguese writer josé Saramago, demonstrates the

cultural and historical wealth of Adeganha, one of many small

villages in the Trás-os-Montes region in northeast Portugal.

Adeganha is connected to Torre de Moncorvo village, in the dis-

trict of Bragança, where the Baixo Sabor Complementary Group

of Companies (ACe), formed by Odebrecht-Bento Pedroso Con-

struções and Lena Construções, is building the Baixo Sabor

Dam for Gestão da Produção de energia S.A.(eDP). The Baixo

Sabor project actually includes the construction of two dams

equipped with reversible generator groups – one upstream and

one downstream on the Sabor River. Standing 123 meters high,

the upstream dam is the largest of the two that make up the hy-

droelectric plant, and will be the second highest in Portugal. Its

storage capacity will provide a more significant strategic water

reserve in the Douro River basin.

Living Villagewhen the project arrived in the region, a group of people

connected to its team of archaeologists (a total of 184 archaeol-

ogists are involved in Baixo Sabor) was sensitized by the theme

of valuing local culture. They came up with the Living Village

project, which focuses on the intangible heritage found in the

Tperspective

72“

73informa

Maria Angélica Lage: living memory of Trasmontana culture

74 informa

region’s villages and which, in many cases, is un-

known to people living in big cities.

Archaeologist Rita Gaspar, 35, coordinates pre-

historic studies, and André do Carmo Tereso, 29,

is a conservation and restoration specialist. These

members of the Baixo Sabor hydroelectric project

observe that Living Village got started through

contact with the local community, which was inter-

ested in preserving and transmitting its ancestral

knowledge to new generations. “we began to real-

ize that this region is very isolated and aging. jobs

are scarce, so the younger population ends up

leaving,” says Rita. She explains that the absence

of young people in the village prevents their el-

ders from passing on their traditional lore, includ-

ing farming methods, recipes, dances, songs and

legends that should be perpetuated. “we wanted

to show people the memories a village stores

and share them through events,” explains Rita.

She observes that they have held events involving

other villages in the region so that everyone can

experience Adeganha’s customs, and others will

also feel motivated to hold similar gatherings in

their own villages, which strengthens their region-

al culture.

“People had a very mechanical idea of every-

thing they did, but they weren’t passing on what

they knew. we didn’t want that knowledge to be

lost,” says André Tereso. During a quick tour of

Adeganha, the Odebrecht Informa team saw this

first-hand. while wandering in a maze of narrow al-

leyways crammed with stone houses, the reporter

and photographer were invited into the home of

Maria Angélica Lage, 90, who sat warming herself

before the fireplace, stirring the wood with a stick

as she asked with a smile: “want to hear a song?”

Then she began to sing about daily life in Trás-os-

Montes, as well as saying prayers and telling tales

about her father, husband, and children and the

time she lived in Angola. “See? we mustn’t lose all

that,” said André.

Generating jobs and incomeIn addition to valuing local culture, another focus

of attention when the project arrived in the region

was on the need to generate jobs and income for the

communities in the vicinity of the Baixo Sabor Dam.

Odebrecht-Bento Pedroso Construções has encour-

aged professional education and the qualification

of companies from the start. “we try to encourage

local entrepreneurs and businesses,” says Antônio

Monteiro, the Administrative and Financial Manager

for the project. “we visited the local business as-

sociation and attended several meetings, where we

explained our needs and the opportunities the proj-

ect could generate in the region. we showed that we

were open to dialogue. while we focus more on our

own business, we are providing opportunities for lo-

cal business development,” observes Monteiro, who

currently uses local companies to provide services

like cleaning, car washing, air conditioning mainte-

nance, as well as metalworking and the manage-

ment of the jobsite’s restaurants.

74 informa

75informa

Francisco Braz is a case in point. when he

heard about the arrival of the project and the

large amount of work associated with the con-

struction of the Baixo Sabor Dam, he set up the

Colheventos company, based in Torre de Mon-

corvo. Currently, his company has 13 members

who are responsible for cleaning the jobsite, in-

cluding offices and dormitories. “Before I started

this business, I asked the people responsible for

Baixo Sabor for information. They assured me

they would hold a tender and that I could bid for

the contract. They were even giving priority to lo-

cal businesses,” he says.

Metalwork shop owner Francisco Fevereiro recalls

that his involvement with the project came about “the

simplest way imaginable.” “I had just built a facility in

Torre de Moncorvo and, when the economy tanked in

2008, I thought it would be hard to make it turn a profit.

So when they started getting ready to build the Baixo

Sabor Dam, I contacted the people in charge and they

told me they would be willing to rent part of that facility.

Two days later, I got a call from the subcontractor that

was doing excavation work for the project. It wasn’t

long before I started getting requests for jobs from the

metalwork shop to get the project going,” says Fever-

eiro. he emphasizes that, for him, the most important

part of this story was that the people responsible for

the project took the initiative to find a local company

that could do the work, and believed in a small com-

pany. “They put their trust in us, and we won’t let the

project stop for a second for lack of supplies,” he says,

clearly in a mood to celebrate.

Maria Angélica Lage

Francisco Fevereiro: “They put their trust in us”

76 informa

Help from someone who understands

Now the coordinador of sustainable development projects in the Dominican Republic, he learned all about

small farms early on, in Brazil

láudio Castro was born in

Itabuna, southern Bahia, in the

heart of the “endless land” in

the mid-1950s. It was there, as writer

Jorge Amado described so well in

several of his novels, that cocoa pro-

duction was the backdrop for an am-

biguous socioeconomic setting. Cláu-

dio also knew of the two sides of the

cocoa cycle, which reached its height

during the thirty years preceding his

birth: the power of a few landowners

on one side and the harsh social real-

ity of thousands of rural families who

reaped little benefit from the wealth of

the cocoa trees on the other.

The question is inevitable: was

it because of this that Cláudio ar-

rived at the Odebrecht Foundation

in 2002 to work in this rural zone

of the Southern Bahia Lowlands,

to support the poor families in the

region? He replies: “Previously, I

had worked in the data process-

ing area at the Góes Cohabita con-

struction company, but joining the

Odebrecht Foundation was a major

professional watershed in my life.

The opportunity arose and I grabbed

it. I was highly motivated, probably

because, as a child, I was aware of

the tremendous need to support the

sustainable development of the ru-

ral zones in Bahia – and moreover,

the entire North and Northeast of

our country”.

During his five years with the Foun-

dation, Cláudio Castro managed the

Southern Bahia Lowlands Institute

for Sustainable Development (IDES)

and the Sea Family House, and co-

ordinated the implementation of the

Agroforesty Family House in Igrap-

iúna. “It was a remarkable experi-

ence,” he says. “I was able to work

alongside Mr. Norberto Odebrecht,

who taught me a lot. And I could do

what I like; what I think is right, which

is contributing to the struggle to re-

duce social inequalities and create

opportunities to generate work and

income for rural families.” Looking

back on his time at the Odebrecht

Foundation, he makes a point of

mentioning two leaders who also

taught him a great deal: Antônio Car-

los Viard and Marcelo Walter.

In 2007, Cláudio arrived in the

Dominican Republic to continue do-

ing what he likes most: coordinating

Odebrecht’s sustainable development

activities in that country. “We deployed

programs that focused on forming

community and family agricultural

associations, environmental educa-

tion and producing work and income

opportunities.” He highlights the

Housing Construction Project in the

Guayuyal Community and the Prov-

ince of San Juan, the Sewing and Ar-

tisans’ Cooperatives in Samaná, and

the Educating is Building Program.

Then, in 2010, Cláudio became part

of the team reporting directly to Marco

Cruz, Odebrecht’s CEO in the DR, as

the officer Responsible for Support

for Social/Environmental and Com-

munication Programs: “My name-

sake, Cláudio Medeiros, here in the

Dominican Republic has taught me

so much. Now I have the opportunity

of working with and learning from

Marco Cruz in this new and challeng-

ing phase of my career.”

Married, the father of three and

a doting grandfather (“I got a beauti-

ful granddaughter as a gift this year,

and we are looking forward to another

grandchild due in March”), Cláudio

emphasizes the importance of family in

his personal life and the programs he

works with. “Appreciating family values

is the basis for social development.”

Restless and extremely self-crit-

ical (“I have always been like that

and always will”), Cláudio cannot

abide hypocrisy (“one of the most

terrible sides that a human being

can show”). However, he is always

overjoyed when he sees the results

of his work. “What makes me happy

is feeling that I am helping improve

people’s lives. They are often people

that I don’t know and never will. I be-

lieve that we come into this life to be

happy and make others happy and

that is the objective that we must

seek to achieve every day.”

written by José enrique barreiro photo by Geraldo Pestalozzi

PROFILE: Cláudio Castro

C

77informa 77informa

Carlos José: “Toda obra tem começo, meio e fim, mas esta aqui é permanente”

Cláudio Castro: “We come into this life to be happy and make others happy”

78

courageFIRM BeLIeF In TALenT AnD

The Recycling Women project enables social inclusion by generating income from handicrafts

written by luiz assuMPção photo by andré valentiM

agali de Almeida Cesar Machado

turned to handicrafts as therapy. To

overcome a bout of depression, she

decided to learn a different skill,

so she took a course and started

selling her creations at fairs. Soon her work started

attracting attention. her friends and neighbors in

the Malvinas community in Macaé, Rio de janeiro,

showed interest in the skill she had developed, and

Magali decided to share her knowledge.

The artisan invited four friends to develop a proj-

ect that would include women from her community.

She believed that other people could benefit from

her skills. That is how the Recycling women Project

(Promur) was born in 2007. using scraps of fabric

collected from local garment makers, the partici-

pants learned to make bags, clothes and other items.

The workshops were held on Saturdays. Magali

rented a place where she could teach, paying the

rent out of her own pocket. But then, after bank-

rolling the project on her own for a few months, the

founder lost the job that paid Promur’s bills. After

nearly two years of activity, the project would have

had to close its doors. Fortunately, an anonymous

businessman was willing to pay the rent for the stu-

dio where the classes were held.

Instead of giving just one class per week, the

founder started to devote herself exclusively to Pro-

mur, which is now open daily, holding free work-

shops from 8 am to 4 pm. The project, whose goals

are unity, overcoming adversity and social inclusion

with income generation, has had the support of Ode-

brecht Oil & Gas (OOG) since 2011.

“My life has improved a lot”“I resisted the idea of abandoning the people who

saw hope for a better life in these classes,” recalls

Magali. “I had to do something. There were lots of

women who were on their own, abandoned, with chil-M

79informa

couragedren to raise. I had to use the skills I’d learned to help

them make money and survive.”

Pensioner Maria estela Moura, 70, used to feel help-

less and forsaken. She was looking for a pastime, and

found much more at the studio in the Malvinas community

when she joined the project three years ago. “I felt all alone.

Thanks to Promur, my life has got better, too. I’ve learned,

taught, made friends, and I can even make some money.”

Through the Schools in Action program, an OOG initiative

organized in partnership with the city of Macaé and uneS-

CO, the company identified some of the characteristics of

that program in Promur, such as participative management

and the capacity for social mobilization. OOG’s support con-

sists of encouraging and helping Promur carry out profes-

sional education courses, participate in craft fairs and sell

its members’ products at the company’s Logistics Support

Bases in Macaé, organizing workshops on management,

and ordering custom giveaways and gifts for the company’s

seminars and annual meetings. Moreover, OOG is transfer-

ring financial resources from the sale of recyclable materials

produced at its offshore drilling units to help Promur buy its

own headquarters. After two years of partnership, project

participants’ average income has increased by 23%.

About 400 women have taken Promur workshops. Al-

though some students are just looking for a hobby, most

of them have started producing handicrafts independently

and can now earn enough to support their families. “Some

girls have even started their own businesses thanks to what

they’ve learned in the workshops,” says Magali proudly.

hundreds have already benefited from one person’s

initiative and perseverance. Several residents of nearby ar-

eas recognize the importance of Promur’s work and want

to see a branch open closer to home. Promur is a project

that generates income and contributes to the socioeco-

nomic development of low-income communities. As the

Odebrecht entrepreneurial Technology (TeO) advises and

emphasizes, Magali and her team don’t give people fish.

They teach them to fish.

Retiree Maria Estela Moura (left) with her friend Marla Cruz: “I’ve learned, taught, made friends and even manage to make some money”

80 informa

ARGUMENT

80

81informa

ew concepts are as frequently discussed

as sustainability. There is no disagree-

ment regarding its applicability to any

branch of human activity, but the challenges

involved can be disheartening, especially

when it comes to issues related to climate

change and the elimination of poverty. But

the focus here is on using what we have al-

ready accomplished to guide what we should

achieve going forward.

There is good reason for optimism, and that

is what drives us to take action, as UN Sec-

retary General Ban Ki Moon said at a recent

meeting in Doha.

The last decade of the previous century

and the first of this one marked a period in

which we advanced considerably in our un-

derstanding of sustainability and the practic-

es leading to it. We started out by positioning

the players on the sides of good and evil,

respectively, the third and second sectors,

with the first sector (government) playing the

role of command and control.

It took us some time to let the focus on

“who is right” transition to “what is right.”

We have made progress because we left the

trenches to find a field of demands and op-

portunities, and finally reach the tangible

aspect of what sustainability is all about. As

representatives of a third-sector organiza-

tion, we can say that these results have only

occurred where there were alliances among

NGOs, communities, businesses and

governments.

We have made progress, but we can still

broaden the spectrum of these achievements.

We must find the “win-win” way to construct

the necessary infrastructure in each coun-

try. We must leave the route of conflict and

consider a new path for this construction. We

can put in place a hierarchy of issues when it

comes to social and environmental impacts,

aiming to prevent, mitigate and lastly compen-

sate. We need to stop focusing on individual

projects that lose the sense of the whole, and

consider a portfolio of territory-based options.

We must include the overall local, regional and

global benefits in impact assessments, instead

of taking a merely local perspective. In short,

we must insert each project in its territorial

and sectoral context.

Finally, although there are more opportuni-

ties for improvement, it is time to endow proj-

ects with elements that allow for adjustments

and improvements over time. These are the

elements that we are developing in an initiative

called “new intelligence for infrastructure,”

which reflects our commitment to the path to

sustainability.

Ana Cristina Barros

is responsible for

the Smart

Infrastructure

program, run by

the NGO TNC for

Latin America

Converging views on sustainability

“We must find the ‘win-win’ way to construct the necessary infrastructure in each country. We must

leave the route of conflict and consider a new path for this construction”

F

80

82 informa

82

In the Southern Bahia Lowlands, people are coming to understand that everyone can contribute to the

environmental balance of their habitat

productive watersIn hARMOnIOuS AnD

written by gabriELa vaSConCELLoS photos by aLmir bindiLatti

productive watersmore, because this is an activity that everybody

believes in.”

Therefore, it is the waters of Lake Antônio Rocha

that enable the aquafarmer to support his wife and

three children, but his work does not end with feed-

ing tilapia. Deninho believes that, like everyone else

in the community, he is responsible for keeping the

lake clean. He lives near the source, and working in

partnership with the Land Conservation Organiza-

tion (OCT), he has planted a hectare of land with dif-

ferent crops, such as rubber and fruit trees, a meth-

od known as the Agroforestry System (SAF). “The

SAF is included free of charge, providing a source of

income for the family unit. It offsets the use of part

of his land to preserve native vegetation,” says Vol-

ney Fernandes, the Leader of the OCT’s Cooperative

Alliance for Environmental Services.

very day when he wakes up and opens

the window, Adenilton do Nascimento,

31, looks out on Lake Antônio Rocha.

It is his source of income, since he

farms fish in its waters. The source

of the lake is named after his father, who has lived

in that region for over 30 years, and is a prominent

figure in the Juliana community, located in Piraí do

Norte, in the Southern Bahia Lowlands.

Better known as Deninho, Adenilton is a mem-

ber and treasurer of the Continental Waters

Aquafarmers’ Cooperative (Coopecon). The result

of the social mobilization of fish farmers and ru-

ral families, Coopecon was founded in 2010, and

Deninho was one of the first to join. “The payback

is growing every day. Today I make about BRL

1,000 [per month], and I believe I will earn even

E

Adenilton do Nascimento, his wife and three children on Lake Antônio Rocha: with the help of partners, the aquafarmer is raising fish and reforesting

84 informa

“We could see that when the land was cleared,

there was less water. Thanks to reforestation, we’re

protecting these resources for future generations. I

never thought I’d ever do that. I used to hurt the en-

vironment and now I’m defending it,” says Deninho.

With the OCT’s support, the aquafarmer has also

planted an additional hectare with eucalyptus trees.

“Growing trees will be very good for us, because in-

stead of cutting down the forest, we can harvest own

wood,” he says. “People here didn’t have that kind of

awareness,” he adds.

Deninho’s wife, Leandra Santos, trusts her hus-

band’s judgment. “My kids are thinking about fol-

lowing in their father’s footsteps,” she says, clearly

pleased, and shares her own dream: building a

new home. Deninho is thinking about his children’s

future. “I never had a chance to study, but I want

to give them a good education, and teach them the

importance of living in a community and preserv-

ing nature,” he says. His eldest daughter, Yasmin,

is in the 5th grade at Youth House State School

(CECJ) in Igrapiúna county, Bahia, and is thinking

of becoming an aquafarming technician when she

grows up. “I encourage Yasmin every single day,”

says Deninho.

Strengthening four types of capitalCoopecon, OCT and CECJ are institutions linked

to the Development and Integrated Growth Pro-

gram with Sustainability for the Southern Bahia

Lowlands Environmental Protection Areas Mosaic

(PDCIS). Supported by the Odebrecht Foundation,

in partnership with government agencies, civil so-

ciety organizations and private institutions, the PD-

CIS simultaneously works to strengthen four types

of capital: productive, through the establishment of

strategic cooperative alliances to generate jobs and

income; human, represented by educational cen-

ters that help groom young entrepreneurs; social,

by encouraging the construction of a more just and

egalitarian society; and environmental, through ac-

tivities that prioritize the recovery and conservation

of natural resources.

Essentially, the program is based on the prem-

ise that development represents the human evolu-

tionary process, and that everyone can contribute

to the balance of their natural habitat and thereby

enable progress. This is also what Deninho wants.

With the help of the Rights and Citizenship Insti-

tute (IDC), he has achieved a basic right for his

family and community: civil documents. “The IDC

organized a project here, and I took the opportuni-

ty to get ID cards for my kids. A lot of my neighbors

had no papers at all. We all know that an undocu-

mented person is not a citizen,” he argues.

A role model in his community, the aquafarmer is

also committed to leading the Association of Small

Farmers in the Juliana Region. With the support

of the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area (APA)

Guardian Association, which, like the IDC, is also

part of the PDCIS, Deninho’s association has mobi-

lized the 40 families that live in the Antônio Rocha

area. “I want to bring people together to discuss the

best things to do,” he says. For Deninho, the im-

portant thing is to strengthen the residents’ feeling

of belonging, and thereby achieve the Eighth Mil-

lennium Goal: developing a global partnership for

development. “By joining forces, we will get results

like bigger incomes and the conservation of natural

resources,” he affirms.

Yasmin, Adenilton’s eldest daughter: she wants to be an aquafarming technician

85informa

Next issue:Synergy

Founded in 1944,

Odebrecht is a Brazilian

organization made up of

diversified businesses with

global operations and

world-class standards of

quality. Its 180,000 members

are present in the Americas,

the Caribbean, Africa, Asia

and Europe.

reSPONSIbLe FOr cOrPOrAte cOMMUNIcAtION At cONStrUtOrA NOrbertO Odebrecht S.A. Márcio Polidoro

reSPONSIbLe FOr PUbLIcAtIONS PrOGrAMS At cONStrUtOrA NOrbertO Odebrecht S.A. Karolina Gutiez

bUSINeSS AreA cOOrdINAtOrS Nelson Letaif Chemicals & Petrochemicals | Andressa Saurin Ethanol & Sugar | Bárbara Nitto Oil & Gas | Daelcio Freitas Environmental Engineering | Sergio Kertész Real Estate Developments | Antonio Carlos de Faria Infrastructure & Transport | Josiane Costa Energy | Letícia Natívio Industrial Engineering and Defense & Technology | Herman Nass Shipbuilding Coordinator at Odebrecht Foundation Vivian Barbosa

edItOrIAL cOOrdINAtION Versal Editores editor-in-chief José Enrique Barreiroexecutive editor Cláudio Lovato Filho Photo editor Holanda Cavalcanti Art and Graphic Production Rogério Nunes Illustrations Adilson Secco english translation H. Sabrina Gledhill English Edition Coordinator & Electronic Publishing Maria Celia Olivieri

Printing 700 copies | Pre-Press and Printing Pancrom

edItOrIAL OFFIceS Rio de Janeiro +55 21 2239-4023 | São Paulo +55 11 3641- 4743email: versal@versal.com.br

Originally published in Portuguese. Also available in Spanish.

86 informa

“Dissatisfaction with

existing conditions is

part of human nature. A

tendency towards optimism

is an innate quality of

people endowed with the

entrepreneurial spirit”

TEO (Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology)

ro

Gér

io r

eis