Social Impact 2022

The Partners & their history

Over the passed 20 years a group of organization have colaborated in social activities mainly focussed on underprivileged youth in Brazil. It all started with the Comunidade Rural Casa do Caminho orphanage in Brazil where Bart Bijen became the managing director. In 2006 the Stichting Avante Educação Brasil was founded in the Netherlands with the objective to support the children of the orphanage and other underpriviledged youth in Brazil.

Then in 2009 the Caminhos Language Centre in Rio de Janeiro was founded. A Portuguese Language School for foreigners with 2 goals. Generate funding for underprivileged children and teens from the orphanage and also the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The school is owned by Bart and Jascha. Jascha is the managing director.

In the language school surged “Mais Caminhos” which was the social arm of the school which grew together with the school and is now an established organization.

And in 2015 Eco Caminhos in Nova Friburgo, Brasil was founded with the purposes to impact both the environment and underprivileged youth.

As the social programs have grown in 2023 we have now founded a Brazilian Foundation called “Ecolibrium” with the purpose to raise funds in Brazil and abroad to increase the social and environmental impact in the region.

The realized work in 2022

The support of educational and social projects in Brazil by the Avante Educação Brasil Foundation runs through the programs: 1. Mais Caminhos 2. Eco Caminhos Apprenticeship (school) 3. Support for Davi and family

Mais Caminhos

In the program Mais Caminhos is aimed at providing education and support for children from the favelas Cantagalo and Pavuna in Rio de Janeiro.  The program functions at the Caminhos Language Center in Rio de Janeiro. The manager Marie Dupuy runs a team of volunteers.  For a reports of the activities and achievement you can check the mais caminhos website.

Eco Caminhos Apprenticeship

The Avante Educação foundation  also supports the apprenticeship program of Eco Caminhos. An Eco farm near Nova Friburgo in the state of Rio de Janeiro.  The Eco Farm also receives underprivileged young adults with little perspective. youngsters live at the farm for one or two years receiving accommodation, food and a stipend. The young adults can specialize in bio-construction or agroforestry.

They also learn how to behave on the labour market and how to take care of themselves: cleaning, cooking and learning how to handle money. In 2022, there were 4 apprentices. Of these, three have successfully completed the programme. One of them is now contracted by Eco Caminhos as an employee, two have left after going abroad after meeting a friend within Eco Caminhos. In 2023, two new apprentices have  started and two more are starting in May,

Davi and Family

Support to Davi and family The Avante Educação Brasil Foundation has been supporting Davi Porfirio and his siblings for many years. The family spent an important part of their childhood in the Casa do Caminhos orphanage near Rio de Janeiro. Davi then spent an exchange year in Genhout Beek with the Pirson family . He then went to study and works at the Caminhos Language Centre where he is responsible for touristic activities for the students. Two brothers and a sister are now adults and stand on their own two feet. There is another brother Tiago who is forteen years old and is currently in school. In the video below Davi explains why the support needs to continue for a few more years.

Davi will now move to France in 2023 where his girlfriend lives. Luciana, Davi’s sister, will continue to care for Tiago. Luciana doesn’t make enough money to support Tiago. Davi will have to set up his life in Europe first and get a job in France . Until then, we will continue to provide financial support. We kindly ask the donors to continue to support for at least another four years until Tiago is an adult. Davi is supported by about 40 sponsors who pay a monthly amount.

AEB Foundation

The AEB Foundation does fundraising for all the projects described above and does annual fundraisers for specific projects. The board consists of Jan Bijen (chairman), Jascha Lewkowitz (secretary treasurer) and Maarten Vonhögen (secretary).