Choosing the principal achievements of an entire year’s work is not an easy task. Below, we outline five areas that together represent the principal advances in our work of the past year.
Innovation
1. New Project – Financial Health
Doing our work well means that we continually innovate to do more and to do better. With the objective to introduce financial education in children’s lives, the new project “Financial Health” was scaled up in 2017; 1,063 children of 7-9 years old participated through 19 partner organizations in the Cidade Ademar region of Sao Paulo.
Created in 2016, a year marked by intense political and economic crises, the project was structured for two age groups: 7-9 and 10-12 year-olds. Through this project, children gain basic concepts of financial education and learn about the appropriate use of money.
We believe that offering children concepts including the fundamentals of conscientious consumption and appropriate use of resources we enable them to become important agents of change in their own communities.
Commentaries from teachers who recount how much the project altered perceptions of their own financial lives substantiates the importance of the project; we plan to expand the scope further in 2018.
Recognition
2. Awards in our Recognition Campaign
None of our projects would be viable without the participation of educators. For this reason, 2017 was a year of special recognition of the work of these professionals who, together with us, share the important responsibility to bring awareness, information, and health education to children and adolescents, particularly Brazil’s most socially vulnerable.
In March, 2017, we granted prizes to the winners of our educator recognition campaign, “Educando para a saúde: eu faço a diferença” (Educating for health, I make a difference). This campaign, initiated in 2016, marked the 20th anniversary of the Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute).
The educators, Roberto Eduardo Andrade (1st place), Marta Regina de Souza (2nd place), and Marina Claudino dos Santos (3rd place) were the winners and they received trophies and cash prizes. To learn a bit more about their work, please read the report published on this site in the section, “Highlights.”
Success
3. The “Growing up with Values” project in Pernambuco state
In 2017, the Growing up with Values (7 to 9) reached grand scale in two municipalities in the state of Pernambuco: Glória do Goitá and Feira Nova. The project was a success with more than two thousand children benefitted, 60 educators trained participating from 31 schools. The project received accolades from the Director of School Management and the Secretary of Education of Glória do Goitá´s School District Coordinator, Rafael Lenilson dos Santos.
Rafael was responsible for the coordination between Criança é Vida (Child is Life) and the schools so that the project could be carried out in both municipalities. In addition to participating in the awareness and training sessions for educators, Rafael also took part in observing classroom activities. “During school visits, I talked a lot with the students and was able to directly observe the proposed activities as carried out in each student module. I also spoke with coordinators about what we were learning throughout the process. They told me that the students displayed changed behaviors as the project progressed,” he related. One change was the reduction in bullying which had been a pervasive problem prior to the project’s start. According to the director, the positive behavioral changes were also noted and commented on by family members of the student participants.
According to Rafael, Criança é Vida’s methods and the emphasis on teamwork are valuable legacies that the experience has provided to these municipalities. “The format, that begins with education and permits us to accompany the results is what gives us the opportunity to see effective actions in practice. This was really great,” he commented.
The methodology of the Institute and the way children are treated during the learning process were other highlights cited by the educators. “The way the methodology is applied caught our attention as it was practical at all times. Even more, the education we received led us to change our view of students, to focus on the whole person, taking into account their social situation, their desires and the context of their lives. This way we are better able to understand their educational progress and results,” commented the Director of School Management of Glória do Goitá.
The project was so well received in the Pernambucan municipalities that the participation of Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) in the region became a video. The images and testimonials collected during this educational project can be seen on our YouTube channel.
Growth
4. Benefits reached over 50 thousand people.
Even though numbers alone do not fully describe the impact of our work on the lives of those benefitted, we are able to report that we did touch over 50 thousand lives in 2017. This is a number in which brings great pride to everyone involved in Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute).
These important results do not happen by chance. They are the result of intense work done by a dedicated and committed team in addition to investment in communication (digital media,) growth in range of knowledge base (new projects and teaching modules) and cultivating new partnerships. Through these means we began new relationships with the Secretaries of education of Glória do Goitá and Feira Nova in the state of Pernambuco, with Embu Guaçu, São Bernanrdo do Campo, Baueri and Itapercerica da Serra in the state of Sao Paulo, and with Nilópolis in the state of Rio de Janeiro in 2017.
Transparency
5. 100% transparency certification GIFE*
And, to crown a year brimming with reasons to celebrate, we can reaffirm our dedication to transparency in all we do. In 2016, we were the first institution to fulfill 100% of the requisites on the GIFE Transparency Panel, an initiative initiated by GIFE that year. In 2017, we continue as the only organization in compliance with these goals. We are extremely proud to be pioneers.
Next Steps
In 2018, in addition to maintaining our established initiatives and projects, we are working to broaden the reach of our work, signing on new partners now with more investment and great expectations and energy to make this an even better year.
1. Reaching more people
The “Growing Up with Values” project has expanded its scope to include 13 to 15 year-old adolescents. This project works to establish and strengthen values that are fundamental in building a more just, humane, democratic and inclusive society. Honesty, determination, justice, responsibility, solidarity, tolerance and loyalty are among the values that are addressed during 4 teaching modules.
The objective of the project is to offer the adolescents the opportunity to live and reflect upon universal values, to understand the significance and importance of adopting and using these principals in order to nourish an atmosphere that works well for all.
2. New partnerships
In 2018, we have a new multiplier partnership. We will partner with the new Dominique Geiger Institute in benefit of approximately one thousand children in Trancoso, in the state of Bahia, through the “Growing Up with Values” project for 7 to 10 year old children.
3. More investment
The year also begins with an extra investment of US$ 100 thousand from MSD’s “International Neighbor of Choice (INOC) program awarded to Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute). INOC is a program of subsidies offered by MSD to support non-profit organizations in improving the quality of life for people and the environment in which the company has operations.
In 2017, Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) was the only organization to receive this support in all of Latin America. During 2018 this money will be invested to support “Growing Up with Values” and “Sexual Education” as well as MSD’s corporate volunteer program in São Paulo.
With renewed energy and commitment to these new challenges, we, the Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) team, continue to build our efforts so that in 2018 we will realize even more successes.
To keep up with all the Instituto Criança é Vida (Child is Life Institute) news, please read our monthly publications here in the “Highlights” section of our website and “like” our Facebook page.