PE&C in Brazil: Caring for people in vulnerable situations since 2010

PE&C – People, Education and Communities – is Abengoa’s Corporate Social Responsibility program. It was set up in Brazil in 2010 and is committed to development. Since then, hundreds of people in vulnerable situations have received help from the program and have seen their quality of life improve.

We have had the pleasure of speaking about PE&C, which is Abengoa’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, on a number of occasions.  It was only a few weeks ago that we told you the story from India or, how the program is working from its headquarters in Seville. Today we venture into PE&C Brazil, where the program was developed by the aid of two institutions, firstly the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of the Sound Advice, the Santa Rita of Cássia Orphanage in Rio de Janiero, and secondly, the St Francis of Assisi Orphanage in Aracaju-Sergipe. In each case, the aim is to improve the quality of life of those people in situations of social vulnerability.

PE&C is in full support of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with whom they cooperate, offering them financing as well as managing activities connected to sports, culture, education for children, academic support, food safety, preventive health care, social protection and training for both adults and youths in order to help them enter into the job market.

” PE&C is helping close to 90 children aged between 3 -6 and, 120 youths and adults in Aracaju.

Close to 90 children of ages ranging from three to six are now enrolled in the Aracaju day care center which also organizes scheduled courses in the city suburbs in which 120 youths and adults take part. In addition to collaborating with the orphanage in organizing activities for the students, over the years PE&C has renovated the multi-sport court, the children’s playground, the kitchen and other facilities.

” In Rio de Janeiro, the institution attends to the needs of 95 girls aged between 4 and 12, as well as 120 families in communities near the Santa Rita of Cássia Orphanage.

In Rio de Janeiro, PE&C cooperated in the construction of the Santa Clara Training Center which offers cookery training for both youths and adults. In turn, the progrun that Abengoa was in charge of renovating the sports ground at the St. Caetano de Messina Activity Center which mainly organizes educational activities. In total, this institution attends to the needs of 95 girls aged between four and 12, and 120 families in communities near the Orphanage.

The orphanage director, Sister Mabel, expresses her gratitude for the participation on the part of Abengoa’s employees in PE&C activities. The Sister acknowledges that this is great opportunity for the girls’ socialization and education and stresses that PE&C has greatly contributed to the development of the community. As an example, she cites the case of Edson Mesías, who was a student in the cookery course in 2014 and today is a teacher.

Edson praises the activities that PE&C organizes whenever he gets the chance. His involvement in the program has given him a change of life as it has opened the doors to the job market which is becoming increasingly competitive.