Music, training, inclusion: the year 2022 of Casa dos Curumins

With Christmas just around the corner and 2022 drawing to a close, it’s time to look back and think about this past year. And we’d like to do this by telling you about the year 2022 of Casa dos Curumins, the Organisation that promotes the socio-cultural inclusion of children, young people and the elderly in the Pedreira favelas of São Paulo, Brazil. Nursery, after-school care, professional courses, music school, artistic ateliers, projects for the elderly and scholarships: these are just some of the initiatives that Casa dos Curumins has carried out in 2022, also supported for years by IBSA in the context of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

Antonio Melli, Vice President of the IBSA Group, said: “It’s a project that we care deeply about at IBSA; indeed, we have been supporting it since its creation, in 2005. IBSA fully shares the values, commitment and extraordinary dedication of Casa dos Curumins, and we are delighted to confirm our support also for the future”.

MUSIC WITHOUT FRONTIERS, THAT UNITES

Music has been the common thread of several activities of the Organisation. Last August, the Banda dos Curumins participated in the Estival Jazz in Lugano (Switzerland) and in a concert at Villa Arconati (Italy), two appointments that will remain forever in the heart of an entire community. Even 12 thousand kilometres away, in fact, the Brazilian community managed to live a dream, by metaphorically climbing onto prestigious stages, together with the Band’s musicians.

The Band performed in numerous concerts also at a national level, in São Paulo and in several foreign Consulates, Cultural Institutes, Schools and Foundations. By playing for over 600 guests, it was also the protagonist of the celebrations organised by the Swiss Embassy in Brasilia for the 200 years of Brazilian independence and of bilateral relations between the two countries. The exhibition “Brazil + Switzerland: 200 years together” – which presents the Casa dos Curumins’ projects as well – was also inaugurated at the embassy​​.

TRAINING, CARE AND SOLIDARITY

The Casa organised many training projects: scholarships for young artists, IT courses for the elderly, projects for youth entrepreneurship by Atelier Pipilu. And again: improvements were made to the nursery facilities, the educators’ family expanded and several improvements were made on the football field.

All these activities were possible thanks to the many supporters of Casa dos Curumins and the funds raised through both direct and ad hoc donations. These include, for example, the solidarity purchases of panettoni and pandori for Christmas and the sale of wines from the Valsangiacomo Vini of Mendrisio (Switzerland), a project active all year round which also offers the chance of personalising the bottles with labels hand-made by the kids of Atelier Pipilu.

A NEW PROJECT FOR 2023

The activities of Casa dos Curumins never stop, and for 2023 a new project is already on track to assist the children aged 4 to 5 of the Pedreira favelas. The project intends to ensure them the continuity of the educational path they undertook at the nursery school before they turn 6, when they will be able to attend the free after-school programmes provided by Brazilian public system. Starting from January, work will therefore begin to convert a new building which, from April 2023, will welcome the first 80 of a projected group of 240 children.

This is a new, important initiative which, added to all the others and to the small daily gestures, really makes the difference.