PROJECT STORY
The challenge
Promoting the participation of the quilombola population in proposed activities and contributing to strengthening of their identity and traditional knowledge.
Basic environmental plan for Quilombo communities
Empowering a Quilombola community
The solution
Building actions collaboratively with all the project's stakeholders, making decisions collectively and executing what was in accordance with the real needs of the territory.
The impact
Community engagement in actions, especially in the participatory elaboration of the floor plans of the community associations headquarters, disseminating quilombola culture.
2
Headquarters projects approved
24
Hours of participative workshops conducted
85
People trained on multipurpose bricklayer and electrician work
The challenge
Every time we operate in a new territory, we must be very careful with the people who live there. Being part of a territory is more than just living in a certain place and more than just occupying a space. We are talking about identity, belonging and collectivity. Generally, people there are vulnerable, living in precarious conditions and not having their potential recognized. Thus, it is challenging to mobilize them to participate in new actions proposed by outsiders. It is necessary to have a lot of empathy and listen carefully to the demands of the population.
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At the Bom Jesus project, we´ve collaboratively worked with Quilombola communities (ethnic-racial groups with their own historical trajectory, endowed with specific territorial relations, with a presumption of black ancestry related to the resistance to brutality of the slave regime in Brazil) to get insights and needs for the development of a Basic Environmental Plan for Quilombo Communities affected by the implementation of a photovoltaic plant.
The solution
For this project to be successful, it was necessary to strengthen the communication channel between the client, the quilombola population and the local government. Apart from social and cultural challenges, the territory is located in a region with a very dry climate, where there are several mobility difficulties. Even so, we´ve had the attendance and active participation of a very diverse and present audience, allowing results to be better than expected.
The impact
Through this project, it was possible to show our client and the quilombola population how a strong participatory channel combined with total transparency in the actions can guarantee the success of the work carried out. Along with the participatory construction of the headquarters of the Communities’ Associations, it was possible to enhance the feeling of collectivity and belonging of people in relation to their territory. As a result, there was no harm in obtaining the environmental and social license for the implantation and operation of the project, instead, there was the collaboration of many hands for its success.