2023 was a year full of movement at Raízes, with many new projects, partnerships, the arrival of wonderful new collaborators, and the closure of projects, with good results and a lot of joy. Celebrating is a habit we have in our personal lives, projects, and progress as a team.
If celebrating means praising achievements, let’s start by celebrating life. The lives of everyone who has crossed this web called Raízes, be they collaborators, partners, or beneficiaries. In particular, we celebrate the life of our beloved and inspiring Lucila Egydio, who has returned to work after taking time off to look after her health.
Now, then, let’s celebrate our achievements!
Some progress on the projects
Mãos à Moda, in Almenara, Minas Gerais
We landed in the Jequitinhonha Valley, more specifically in Almenara, where we started the Mãos à Moda Project, which is ending its first year full of good results:
- More than 60 beneficiaries mobilized;
- 78 hours of theoretical training;
- 87 hours of technical training;
- More than 30 meetings;
- A booklet of Knowledge, Crafts, and Traditions was published.
- More than 1,700 visits
- 2 events in public squares
- 3 new collaborators for the Raízes team
Barão de Cocais – MG
Of the projects running since 2022, the Barão de Cocais Territorial Development and Social Transformation Project had its final project celebration with the beneficiaries in December.
We celebrated the engagement of the women, the contact with the beneficiaries, and the results that have transformed the lives of each one. We are also celebrating the lessons learned from managing the project.
Dona do Meu Fluxo
Dona do Meu Fluxo (Owner of my Flow) ended 2023 with more than 1,300 collectors donated throughout the year in 27 workshops in eight states (Paraná, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Maranhão, Amapá, and Pará), the Federal District and one international workshop (in the Paraitepuy Community in Venezuela). We had the support of 16 volunteers.
We celebrated the establishment of a solid network of volunteers, with some of them repeating expeditions,
articulating and guiding workshops on their own.
Likewise, we also celebrated holding a workshop at a large community event with 200 participants in partnership with the Association of Agro-Extractivist Women of the Middle Juruá, Amazonia (ASMAMJ).
In May, Menstrual Dignity Month, we took part in the Manifesto for Menstrual Dignity in partnership with the Rebbú Institute. We also had Tauana Costa, our Social Projects Specialist, sign an article on UOL about why it’s important to fight for menstrual dignity today.
We also celebrated a partnership with the Association for the Protection and Assistance of Convicts (APAC) for hybrid workshops with women in the prison system in 8 units.
Fashion and Crafts, Santa Bárbara
In the second half of the year, we started two new projects with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae). In the Santa Bárbara Fashion and Crafts Project, we had direct contact and were able to contribute to the Casa das Tecelãs and Olaria Urbana.
We celebrated with them the launch of two capsule collections, with the two project groups and this small action has transformative potential!
CBT in the São Domingos Quilombo
In the second half of the year, we also started the Community-Based Tourism Development Project in the São Domingos Quilombo in Paracatu, Minas Gerais.
With the community members, we carried out activities such as recognizing and raising awareness of the territory and its history, mobilizing and mapping actors, training for networking and identifying experiences.
And as a result, we are already celebrating: the building of a relationship of trust between the team and the community; a deeper understanding and awareness on the part of the local players of the importance of developing activities in an organized and collective way; and a community that is inspired and working collaboratively to present its dreams and strengths to potential partners.
Working on behalf of the São Domingos quilombo was in itself the best part of this project!
School of the Sea
We have strengthened our contribution to and partnership with Escola do Mar (School of the Sea), a project to strengthen protected natural areas in the far south of Bahia, through thematic workshops related to nature tourism 
with a focus on young women.
The project has promoted dozens of meetings on nature tourism, protected natural areas, social entrepreneurship, art, culture, science, and citizenship. We have contributed to some of them, including personally.
Around 150 people have benefited from and been involved in the School of the Sea’s activities, including families, partners and the community.
More events, partnerships and achievements
We have built an official partnership between Raízes Desenvolvimento Sustentável and Turismo 360 Consultoria that has resulted in Raízes 3
60. Together, we worked in Miguel Burnier, a district of Ouro Preto, where we carried out a diagnosis that has so far led to proposals for development projects in the area. We closed the first stage of this work with a prognosis and the certainty that we will see each other in 2024.
We also participated, together with Turismo 360 consultancy in the Green Tourism Plan in Minas Gerais and in the study on the Private Social Investment in Tourism.
We also took part in the implementation of the Cultural Entrepreneurship Workshops project at Vivas Artes, carried out training for community tourism in Pará in partnership with Garupa, as well as opinions on public use in parks in Espírito Santo.
We are actively part of Sistema B and were celebrated as one of the first ten companies to become B in Brazil.
Likewise, we are also involved in various actions of the Muda Collective, of which we are a part and which recently joined the National Tourism Council and signed a cooperation agreement with Embratur.
Furthermore, we are also part of Folha de São Paulo’s network of Social Entrepreneurs, we continue with Futuri and our partnerships with Impact HUB, Instituto Tatajuba, Diaspora.black, and others.
We won the 3rd edition of the WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Award with the Dona do Meu Fluxo voluntourism itinerary.
In terms of communication, we changed the external monthly newsletter, added multimedia, and made it themed. We’ve also published three very important themed videos on decent work, climate change, and black consciousness.
Whew! So many achievements:
We’re celebrating 2023 as a long year, full of hard work and goals achieved. But above all, we celebrate it as a fun year, because, as we say around here, “if it’s not fun, it’s not sustainable” – and it’s not Raízes.
We look forward to 2024 with the same enthusiasm and joy!
