We live in the fifth largest country in the world, with an area of more than 8.5 million square kilometers and a population that has exceeded 213 million inhabitants, according to estimates by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). There are several socioeconomic realities that require targeted actions.
Looking in every corner of this country to help people in vulnerable situations is a real challenge, especially in promoting actions that cross the limits of the urban axis of the main capitals and reach those who need it most. per capita household income in Brazil, in 2019, was R$1,406. While the North and Northeast regions had an average of R$872 and R$884, respectively, in the South (R$1,701) and Southeast (R$1,720) this value was almost double.
Difficulties also appear when we look at essential services. The 2019 Basic Sanitation Ranking from Instituto Trata Brasil shows that around 35 million Brazilians do not have treated water and almost half (47.6%) do not have sewage collection – totaling 100 million people. A large portion of the population is exposed to diseases, with only 46% of sewage treated.
To make philanthropy embrace the most vulnerable population in the more than 5,500 municipalities across Brazil, it is necessary to give relevance to actors who are essential in this trajectory: social organizations, especially those that work directly at the grassroots level. Aid must reach everyone everywhere, whether it be the needy population living marginalized in big cities or in distant rural areas.
What are the main needs in these different situations? What initiatives can be successful and help the greatest number of people efficiently? How many need how much help?
These are some of the questions to which we need to seek answers, which will only be possible with people who work in the territories, in the communities, who know the real, most urgent difficulties, who are legitimate representatives of the demands. It is these social agents who are able to identify the main areas of attention and evaluate the interventions necessary to transform the lives of the people in their region.
When philanthropy initiatives do not take these realities into account, they are “often” determined through a “foreign” perspective, from those who do not know the nuances of that landscape, are unaware of the local culture with all its implications. The chances of reaching good solutions decrease and there is also the risk of taking wrong actions, which not only do not solve the problems in question, but also cause others.
A very interesting model is one that creates a network through the formation of alliances between co-investors and organizations that are based in the territory and have legitimate representation there. No one is better than the person who experiences everyday life to point out how to use resources more efficiently and achieve more benefits, as they will also be there living with their peers and seeking the same results.
This article was originally published on the website of the newspaper O Povo .
