Education is always a good investment.

We know that investing in education will make it possible to build a better tomorrow for the country. This is one of the pillars of our work, to promote systemic change and social balance, providing lasting improvements for millions of Brazilians. It is an ongoing effort that demands both to generate transformations and, especially, to maintain them.

Maintaining the positive educational results is the challenge facing Ceará, as the state boasts 73 of the 100 best public schools in Brazil, and almost all cities (182 out of 184) have achieved the target set by the Ministry of Education for elementary education. 

We need to keep this network strong and active. We seek to achieve this goal by supporting entities that promote significant actions in the region, such as the five Social Organizations from Ceará that were selected to participate in Futuro Bem Maior , our program to strengthen community impact initiatives. The objective is to leverage these CSOs, reinforcing their management to expand the impact they promote in the community.

Families in vulnerable situations, especially farmers living in poverty, find important support with the Guarani Community Association, which assists in the education of children and young people through educational, cultural, and sporting activities.

The Pecém Families Association, which was created to help an impoverished community that survived on fishing and agriculture, living in mud houses without treated water or sanitation, managed to change this reality, combating malnutrition and infant mortality, and strengthening education with daycare, workshops, a college, vocational courses, and English language classes.

Supporting rural families is the focus of the work of the Brotar Institute, which, among other initiatives, promotes environmental education with water reuse in schools for use in agroecological gardens. It also has sports and leisure programs for children, young people, and adults.

In the Cariri region of northeastern Brazil, the Madeira da Terra Institute is fighting to save the Caatinga biome from deforestation and desertification. Among the projects developed is an educational initiative focused on training female leaders and generating income, the Women's Beekeeping School, which offers opportunities to women and helps preserve the region's diverse flora and fauna.

Operating in various neighborhoods of the municipality of Itapipoca, the Society for the Promotion and Support of Families of Itapipoca (Soprafi) develops socio-educational, cultural, sports, and technology activities with children, adolescents, and young people.

We need to think of the community as a whole, with decent housing and living conditions, because only comprehensive development guarantees the right circumstances to promote educational improvements. This collaborative work, partnerships generated from common purposes and objectives, is the way to promote the educational changes that will allow us to create generations better prepared not only for the job market, but also to build a more structured and conscious society.

This article was originally published on the website of the newspaper O Povo .

Image Credit: Press Release/MBM