Brazilian oil giant Petrobras announced the 76 social projects that will receive funds from the Petrobras Zero Hunger Program, which this year will have a budget estimated at 20 million reais (US$ 9.2 million).
This money will be used in actions turned to guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents; education and professional qualification of youths and adults; job and income generation and social and volunteer enterprises. The minimum value to be invested in each initiative is 660,000 reais (US$ 275,000).
Since its creation, in 2003, the program, according to Petrobras, has already invested in 1,751 social projects in all the Brazilian states, carefully chosen among 15,000 partnerships in various sectors of the civil society. In this period, over 10.5 million people have been benefited, directly or indirectly.
After Petrobras president Sergio Gabrielli announced the chosen projects, the special secretary for Policies for Women, Nilcéa Freire, addressed the importance of the Petrobras program among the social policies developed by the Brazilian government.
"It plays an extremely important part as it shows ways out. Men and women, citizens all around the country need to be supported in their most urgent needs. It is necessary to find the means through which they will survive, will have a dignified life to lead their own history. The Petrobras project helps in this," he said.
Project "Reunindo Sonhos e Adoçando Esperanças com Açúcar Mascavo, Melado e Rapadura" (Collecting Dreams and Sweetening Hopes with Brown Sugar, Molasses and Molasses candy) is one of the 76 projects approved in the process this year.
Developed by the Association of Micro and Small Producers at Santa Tereza Settling, in Tocantins state, the project will directly or indirectly benefit hundreds of families according to Mario do Carmo Teixeira, of the Community in Action Project.
"They are families that need to improve their income, their qualification and their knowledge. They are going to work on productive settling and income generation. That is fantastic: The city as a whole and the region will be benefited."
The Petrobras Zero Hunger projects are developed through income transfer in the Infancy and Adolescence Fund, through the state-owned company’s corporate sector, through the Company’s Business Units and through volunteer projects that counted on the collaboration of company workers.
Established in 2003, the project ended the year of 2005 with a list of approximately 2,000 volunteers interested in participating in its workforce, among them retired people, of which 1,200 are already working in social projects established and managed with company support and funds.