This year was marked by the resumption of in-person events, awards and works at Ramacrisna. Check out the best moments of 2021.

2021 was a special year for the entire Ramacrisna team. Although it was still a period marked by restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several actions were developed to support socially vulnerable children, adolescents and families in the community.

Before the arrival of 2022, the Institute’s vice president, Solange Bottaro, took stock of this year’s actions.

Overall, in Solange’s assessment, 2021 was a much richer year than 2020. This is because Ramacrisna acted to meet the demands of the community in an emergency, caused by the pandemic. 

“We had donations of food baskets and pairs of sneakers in an emergency, which has not yet returned to normal. But the partners are sensitized and, through Ramacrisna, people take these benefits to the most vulnerable families. It is not our focus to promote food, but it was very important at that time”, she points out.

Art and culture in Ramacrisna

Unlike 2020, which had the total restriction of activities, in 2021 it was possible to strengthen the cultural part of the Institute. These events were carried out through lives in partnership with the Municipal Culture Department of Betim and the State Department of Culture of Minas Gerais. 

Our Cultural Center (the auditorium of Ramacrisna) was the stage for the two broadcasts of the Festival Ramacrisna em Casa, which were led by the digital influencer from Betim, Aninha Amaral.

The first edition featured musicians from Betim. The Festival had shows in different styles, such as rock and MPB (typical Brazilian music). “It was really cool, they are musicians that we have affection and respect. And a repertoire with very different songs, so that the audience could take advantage of the groups’ differences in musicality”, she recalls. How about seeing the presentations again? Check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3LQNOj-X0Q

The second live of this project was marked by a concert by the Ramacrisna Youth Orchestra with the participation of musician Saulo Laranjeira. The broadcast also featured concerts by the Barro Family and Marcos Zam. “The people liked it because it was very different from what they were experiencing, with the very typical music of the state of Minas Gerais”, she points out. The live is available to watch as many times as you want:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmexAEaNWkQ

In addition to the Ramacrisna em Casa Festival, a series of lives from the Construindo o Futuro project were held. In them, there were attractions aimed at children from day care centers and public schools, such as storytelling, poetry recitations and construction of educational toys.

In every broadcast, a book was presented to the little children. The broadcasts were intended to develop and encourage reading. The Construindo o Futuro lives were held with the sponsorship of Petrobras.

Face-to-face presentation

At the end of the year, in November, the Casa da Orquestra was inaugurated, with a presentation by the musicians and the participation of Trio Amaranto. In addition, the opening marked the debut of the Institute’s male and female choirs.

The creation of choirs was only possible with the new space. Altogether, there are 500m² in a space with lots of greenery and contact with nature. This means that musicians and singers will have more space to practice and separate rooms for lessons on each instrument. “This will bring more comfort, greater learning and more quality. They have their own space,” she points out.

In addition to the Casa da Orquestra, other works marked 2021: the remodeling of the Professor Arlindo Corrêa da Silva Library and the Ramacrisna Educational Support Center (CAER).

The Library was redecorated with resources from the notice of the Aldir Blanc Law and the Sou de Minas, Uai, Reading Network – supported by Itaú Social. The space became more beautiful and attractive to readers with illustrations on the ceiling and pilasters. The drawings were inspired by the book and short film “The Fantastic Flying Books of the Mr. Morris Lessmore”.

Likewise, CAER gained larger windows, to make the place more airy and safer for students. “As the space was stopped due to the pandemic, we took the opportunity to rethink our activities, what we do and what we could expand or start. So, we did this renovation, thinking both about the children’s well-being and the pleasure of being in a more beautiful place”, she says..

Both the activities of CAER and the Library are still in the process of returning. But that does not mean that the actions were suspended: while the face-to-face feedback takes place, online activities continue. During this period, the materials are sent to the Institute’s networks and by WhatsApp. The expectation is that, in 2022, the service in these spaces will normalize. 

Graduations and face-to-face return

Speaking of face-to-face return, two events took place at the end of the year and are extremely representative for the resumption: graduations from the Industrial Robotics course (which prepares young people to work in the automation industry) and Discover (which offers training for young people in compliance with socio-educational measures).

During the year, students took online classes and, at the end of the year, they were able to participate in in-person and practical classes. “We managed to hold both graduations. These events were important milestones, because the family was able to participate and bring this feeling of sharing. And also because they value the efforts of these young people, who have difficulty finishing the course and complex realities”, she explains.

“So, when you bring the team together and celebrate the conclusion of the stage, it is important for the young person to appreciate themselves and realize that they can grow personally and professionally. It is extremely symbolic for him to be able to visualize the future”, she concludes. 

And still about face-to-face return, classes in the vocational, apprentice and CAER courses returned between late October and early November. In the case of young children, they were the last to arrive, due to the protocols established by the municipality.

In the case of apprentices, the returnee has a strong meaning of living with teachers, colleagues and in the company. “The face-to-face is rich in various aspects of sharing and coexistence. It is extremely important, especially for this audience of children and teenagers, whether among them or with teachers and instructors. It’s a much bigger learning experience”, she points out.

Awards and recognition of the Ramacrisna

In 2021, the Institute achieved two important recognitions: the DOAR A+ Seal and the Best NGOs Award. This was the fifth consecutive year that Ramacrisna was ranked among the 100 best institutions in the Third Sector in Brazil. For Solange, recognition in one of the biggest awards in Brazil is a great achievement. 

“This is a fantastic recognition that few organizations have achieved. And the A+ seal, linked to management and transparency, means that we have grown more in these areas. Before, we had received the A seal. Now, we have greater recognition for this, which is a pillar of our work”, she points out.

Since 1994, Ramacrisna has received 44 awards that make the institute better known, reinforce the positive image of the work and help establish new partnerships.

Read also: Learn about the Ramacrisna Institute’s main awards.

Continuity in donations

Despite the fact that Ramacrisna is an educational institution, during the coronavirus pandemic, there was an effort to assist families who had difficulty eating food.

Donations of food baskets and food cards began in 2020 and continued into 2021. Daily lunches for young people in the region were also resumed. The meal was offered daily to all Ramacrisna students before the suspension of in-person activities. But, due to the difficulty of the families, it was carried out again.

“The families were still struggling and, often, this lunch was the only meal the children had that day. So, being able to continue doing this work, expanding the diet of these children and finding partners to help us in this activity was a great achievement”, recalls Solange. She also highlights the desire to continue supporting families throughout the crisis caused by COVID-19. For that, we need your support. Find out how to help.

Doe gols 

In 2021, Ramacrisna was invited to participate in the Doe Gols project, an initiative of the NGO Play For a Cause, the SportTV channel and the Centauro store. It works like this: for every goal scored in the Brasileirão Serie A, three pairs of sneakers are donated. In addition, Play For a Cause receives cash donations and, for every R$ 52.50 raised, another pair of sneakers is donated.

This was the first time that the Ramacrisna Institute participated in this initiative and, in all, we received 320 pairs of sneakers to distribute to CAER students, aged between 6 and 18 years. “It’s such a simple thing for us and, for them, it’s so important”, says Solange. 

During the donation, the story of one of our students, 13-year-old Davi, was highlighted. In addition to tennis, he won three pairs of football boots and was able to meet Atlético Mineiro players. Review the Globo Esporte report: 

https://globoplay.globo.com/v/9673924/?s=0s&fbclid=IwAR33-AW1HviLK8pukczpz_U3K9vBNxydBW1kh7d7Px_Dd4UB4qNpsYxYu4U

A revolucionary project

This is how Solange describes the project Meninas em Rede. The initiative seeks to promote the inclusion of socially vulnerable female children and adolescents in the areas of innovation and technology. These areas are currently dominated by men and women face difficulties in inclusion and socialization in these themes.

Meninas em Rede was selected to receive donations from Criança Esperança, a TV Globo campaign in partnership with UNICEF. The fund was raised in 2021 and the project is expected to be executed in 2022. “It is a project that is attracting attention, precisely because it is focused on female children, who, historically, have not focused on technology. Our intention is to change that and really make a revolution”, he says. 

To increase the participation of women in this field, ‘Meninas em Rede’ seeks to enhance the teaching of so-called STEM (referring to the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), in partnership with educational institutions. The expectation is to serve 278 children, young people and adults from 6 to 29 years old.

Inauguration of photovoltaic plants

In accordance with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – Clean and affordable energy, the Ramacrisna Institute inaugurated two photovoltaic plants: one in Igarapé and the other at our headquarters, in Betim. This work was only possible thanks to the partnership with BrazilFoundation and the Rotary Club Liberdade of Belo Horizonte.

In addition to the use of clean and renewable energy, the plants are also important because they allow the projects to receive investments with the money that would be allocated to electricity bills. In the case of Ramacrisna Institute, this value corresponds to savings of R$ 60 thousand per year, which corresponds to the care of 400 children and young people, or 6,600 meals.  

“This is an important project because it allows us to have a continued resource, which would be allocated to the electricity company. So, we already use clean energy and we would like other organizations to be able to do so too”, points out Solange. In Igarapé, the Educational and Cultural Association of Igarapé (Acessig) has already benefited. 

Balance sheet and plans for 2022

Although there is already an improvement in the cases of COVID-19, this is still a time for attention and care in relation to the pandemic. Therefore, we have not yet had the full release of activities. 

Even so, it was a year in which we were able to carry out more actions than in 2020, both from the point of view of donations, culture, professionalization and education of children. All this with the recognition of awards. “We are very happy to be able to look at what has been done, how our partners have helped us. 2021 was a very blessed year for us”, thanks Solange.

For 2022, the desire is to be able to resume care from before the pandemic, even if still respecting protocols such as the use of masks, hand hygiene and spacing between people. In addition, we plan to implement new projects and continue transforming lives. 

But this will only be possible if we can count on the help of our partners. And you can be one of them. Make your collaboration.