United Way Brasil is part of the global movement that helps develop local communities by focusing on four main pillars:
- Education (based on mentoring programs);
- Communities;
- the Crescer Aprendendo Campaign; and
- the Mobilization Campaign.
VISION
United Way Brasil was founded in 2001 as Associação Caminhando Juntos, but changed its name due to a worldwide United Way alignment in 2008. The Mentoring Programs are educational projects (Accountability, English, Personnel Department and Personal Investment) through which we recruit employees from partner companies to volunteer their time and knowledge to underprivileged 15 to 25 year-old youngsters from local communities, helping them get better jobs. The Crescer Aprendendo campaign was developed by adapting the (American) Born Learning campaign to Brazilian reality; its main objective is to raise public awareness about the importance of stimulating early learning intervention in order to promote school readiness for children from age 0 to 6.
MISSION
United Way Brasil has also created its own Community Fund, through which it will invest donations made by companies or individuals in projects that have great community impact. Mobilization Campaigns are the means by which most of these resources are raised. By building a committee responsible for involving the rest of the company in the campaign for a common cause, the employees are encouraged to participate in the fundraising and “funraising,” through activities developed inside the company. The Social Innovation Fund is another solution created by United Way Brasil to get the best results out of social investment. The resources collected are to be spent on initiatives that involve developing and sharing knowledge and innovation to strengthen the Brazilian social sector.