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Ever since he was a boy, Antônio Pamplona wanted to be multilingual. From a humble family, he even saved money to pay for his English course. “Finances tightened and I started a family at 19, I needed to support them, so the dream was left for another time, but that desire never left me”, he says. 

Today, Antônio is 67 years old and sells buoys and toys on Caripi beach, in the municipality of Barcarena, in the state of Pará, where he has lived for over 20 years. Last Wednesday, the 21st, he and 39 fellow informal workers attended the graduation ceremony of the Ambulante Caripi project, where they learned the basics of sales, marketing, production management, in addition, of course, to the basic English course. “At 67 years old, they looked for me there on the beach and brought me to the classroom where I learned a little of this wonderful language. Now, I use it in my work to serve tourists from all over. It’s really worth it,” he concludes.

The Ambulante Caripi Project was approved in the first call for projects promoted by the Hydro Sustainability Fund (FSH), through support for the Sustainable Barcarena Initiative (IBS). Held by Microlins de Barcarena, it was only possible to start activities in 2021 due to the pandemic. “More than a financier, FSH seeks to contribute to the development of the city so that the residents are the pioneers, the protagonists of what they want for themselves and for Barcarena. Until then, these fathers and mothers of families who work informally did not have a look at them, a targeted training and the project helped them to understand each other as a group and the importance of teamwork”, says Milene Maués, partnership manager from the bottom. 

She refers, among others things, to the creation of the Barcarena Street Vendors Association (AAMBARC), an entity organized by course participants whose official documentation was presented at the graduation ceremony. For Daiane Costa, director of Microlins, the result is unexpected and very positive: “Our initial intention was to create an entrepreneurial vision and they went further, got together and founded their own association, closed partnerships and are seeking the continuity of qualification for all. Today there are 40 trainees. Over the course of the project, more than 70 street vendors underwent training, of which there were more than 200. This project has something more, it brings support to information: yes, we are closing a cycle, but there is a very beautiful phase ahead for each one of them. Working with education is just that: transforming lives.” 

One of these lives was that of cook Dulce Vieira, a resident of Vila dos Cabanos. “I have lived in Barcarena since 2016 and I fell in love with Caripi. It's a paradise. And this was the first time I participated in such a qualification. It was wonderful, I always enjoyed taking courses, seeking knowledge, learning. I hope we always have these opportunities, because I’m going to take advantage of it,” she says. 

About the project

The Ambulante Caripi Project takes qualification, information, knowledge and support to a less favored part of civil society, with low education and low self-esteem, in addition to providing opportunities, organizing and standardizing the commerce of Praia do Caripi, one of the main tourist attractions in the municipality. of Barcarena, generating an entrepreneurial, associative and sustainable vision in the street vendors.

He was selected in the first public notice of the Hydro Sustainability Fund, which guaranteed a total investment of R$ 730 thousand for projects in the region, benefiting approximately 300 families. The Hydro Sustainability Fund is a non-profit organization, created in 2019, when the companies Hydro, Albras and Alunorte joined forces to build a better and more sustainable future for the city of Barcarena. To learn more about FSH and its projects and public notices, visit: https://fundosustentabilidadehydro.org

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