On one side, the Amazon River; on the other, the Atlantic Ocean. In the middle, the largest coastal island in Brazil and the largest fluvio-maritime island in the world – which is bathed, at the same time, by river and ocean waters: Marajó Island, in Pará.
In the midst of such grand titles from the Marajó Archipelago, which fill us with pride, there are others that worry us, such as that of the municipality of Melgaço, which has the worst Human Development Index (HDI) in the country, according to the 2010 census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The challenges extend to other municipalities, such as Breves, the most populous of the 16 that make up the archipelago, with around 100 thousand inhabitants, which despite bringing together more economic activities, still presents unfavorable conditions for the population.
Breves was precisely the starting point for the work of Rede Mondó, created by the National Association of Private Universities (ANUP), with a strategic partnership with Movimento Bem Maior. The objective of the initiative is to strengthen and improve education in the archipelago and develop decent conditions for its residents, transforming schools into Social Solutions Platforms that will serve as a basis for connecting the population and discussing development.
Transforming through education, this is the work we believe in to create a new future. The Movimento Bem Maior partnership with Rede Mondó marks a meeting of purposes and plans to generate social impact with a focus on infrastructure, qualification and innovation. Important achievements confirm that we are on the right path: in rural, urban and riverside environments, 1,110 people have already been interviewed, in addition to 197 education professionals and 32 health actors.
To achieve the result, the work previously included several meetings with Marajoara representatives: public, health and school managers, municipal councils, CSOs, religious and higher education institutions, municipal and university associations.
This is the secret of success and the path we always seek to follow, of being with the community, knowing its real needs, starting from its demands. This way, we will be able to create together the new reality that schools in the region need to become stronger, helping the most vulnerable population in the area.
The union of multidisciplinary organizations, municipal public authorities and the third sector can improve not only the municipalities' HDI, but create the educational base that will guarantee the Marajoara people a better present and future.
Rede Mondó's slogan, Belonging & Boosting, sums up the concept of this work, of promoting change together with the community. Speaking about the Marajó Archipelago and its beautiful group of islands, and dealing with its population, I remember the phrase by the English poet and religious John Donne, “No man is an island, isolated in himself; everyone is part of the continent, a part of a whole.”
The islands are still bathed by water, but we are united with the population so that together we can make this region, which brings together so many important titles, also great in the education of its people.
By Carola Matarazzo
This article was originally published on the website of the newspaper O Povo (CE)
