The time spent by the Brazil Human Rights Fund staff to get to know up close the projects we support provides for very special moments. These are our opportunities to talk, exchange experiences, gather results and understand the challenges faced by these groups. Monitoring visits have been a part of the foundation’s routine for several years. They allow us to act more directly in the strengthening of supported organizations’ institutional structures.
In September, our team visited projects in Piauí and Ceará. Discussion groups with transvestites and transsexuals, meetings with lawyers offering free public legal assistance, a visit to an indigenous village, a conversation on the demilitarization of the police and a meeting about violence against adolescents comprised some of the activities and shed light on the diversity of our activities.
Another reason for monitoring is to increase the visibility of local organizations’ roles in defending human rights. We have been able to draw attention to issues that have long been ignored and groups considered “invisible” to society. Evidence of this is the appearance of information about our visits in newspapers, sites and radio and TV programs.
And speaking of visibility, there was our participation in BR Day, September 6 in New York. With support from the Ford Foundation, the Brazil Fund and Elas Fund enacted their “Brazil without violence” campaign.
The goal was to raise awareness about the foundations’ work to confront racism and women’s rights violations through the support of civil society organizations.
Volunteers in the crowd spread information about projects supported throughout Brazil. Over 400 people made donations to the campaign, to whom we are especially thankful. Their participation makes a difference and pushes us to work even harder.
