Partnerships are, from the start, an essential part of the work of the Criança é Vida (Child is Life) Institute. We have maintaining, supporting and operating partnerships and strategic alliances.
Today we rely on three maintaining partners – MSD, ABADHS and AGEM – which financially sustain the Institute. AGEM, our largest partner that belongs to the family of our founder, Gian Enrico Mantegazza. MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) has been a partner for many years, to the extent that it bought the company in which the Criança é Vida (Child is Life) Institute was created as a social responsibility project. The ABADHS – Associação Beneficente Alzira Denise Herzog da Silva has been a maintaining partner since 2011. Several executives and shareholders of our maintainers participate in our board and management, closely following the progress of our activities.
“Strategic Alliances” are partnerships that help us build knowledge to be multiplied.
Our first alliance, back in 1996, was with the IMIP – Instituto Materno Infantil Prof. Fernando Figueira, a teaching hospital that is a model for the Ministry of Health and which does great work with mothers and children in the city of Recife. Our relationship with the IMIP goes back almost 20 years and our operations already in their 5th year in São Lourenço da Mata, a city 50 km from Recife, in the state of Pernambuco, are closely followed.
Escola Viva has helped us change health education content into language for children with many fun activities. It recently collaborated on a new edition of the Criança é Vida Crianças (Child is Life Children) project for children from 3 to 4 years of age.
The ProSex – Projeto Sexualidade from the Institute of Psychiatry of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FM-USP), was responsible for reviewing our sex education projects. The Instituto da Criança of the FM-USP helped us review Afeto e Proteção (Affection and Protection), a project to prevent violence against children. The Hospital Sírio Libanês reviewed Criança é Vida Gestação Saudável (Child is Life Healthy Pregnancy).
And this year, in 2014, by means of a partnership with the Companhia das Letrinhas publishing house, we had access to the “Vamos Brincar de Estátua” [“Let’s Play Statues”] book before its launch. In it, authors Marcia De Luca and Lúcia Barros talk about yoga for children, also explaining traditional Ayurveda values. Some of these teachings were included in our new Crescer com Valores (Growing Up with Values) project.
Within the scope of operating partnerships, Casa Ronald McDonald provided space for the Criança é Vida (Child is Life) Institute in Rio de Janeiro. With this welcome, we are going to multiply some of our projects for sheltered children and mothers.
The Pinhão & Koiffman Advogados firm has been our partner since creation of the Institute, responsible over these years for providing legal advice to the Institute.
FLAG, an advertising agency, has created free advertising materials and campaigns since creation of our logo almost two decades ago. JAD LOG transports materials to other cities and states and also contributes with financial support.
Other support comes from Gonçalves S.A. Indústria Gráfica, Rosa Empreendimentos, Gráficos Sangar, Nordeplast Indústria e Comércio de Plásticos Ltda. and Uniflexo Indústria Gráfica Ltda.
Also in 2014, in addition to training and projects, we also engaged in specific actions for our partners, such as the MSD maintainer for which we developed a campaign to collect blankets to be donated during the winter, a drawing contest in commemoration of Children’s Day and a Nursing Incentive Campaign in São Lorenço da Mata, in the state of Pernambuco. The Criança é Vida (Child is Life) Institute’s education for health work would not be possible without the contribution of more than two dozen companies and organizations.
The near future
At the beginning of 2015, almost 500 institutions are already participating in our training sessions. We also began the year investing in other fronts through our new website. With a modern layout and more dynamic content, we want to inform and strengthen ties with those who follow us, as well as build new alliances. Our Facebook page is another example of a channel that has been growing and through which we want to further expand our communication with our colleagues and followers in 2015.
Created in 2014, the Crescer com Valores (Growing Up with Values) project has already borne fruit. In 2015, a new cycle for children from 10 to 12 years of age is multiplying as a pilot project in the Estrela Nova organization. Starting in August, the new project will begin to be multiplied on a large scale.
New partners are also coming. Look forward to and learn what’s new at www.facebook.com/institutocriancaevida.