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| With no financial support or major competitive advantage – other than their conviction that ground services in Brazil lacked in quality, the three managing partners of GB Internacional had the vision, when starting the company in 1975, that sustainable success could only be achieved with personalized services (focus on the client), creativity and constant pursuit of excellence. The formula proved to be correct and the pursuit of excellence evolved to include the improvement of quality of life for all members of the company’s team, as well as the collective desire to help improve the quality of life in Rio’s poorer communities. Since then GB Internacional has been involved in many community projects, some on its own, some in partnership with clients, all with great sense of responsibility and pleasure. For many years GB Internacional has made special donation of toys, clothes, school materials and/or foods, mainly during Christmas, to selected charities and organizations which work primarily with poor children and the elderly. Now we are launching a new program by which we will donate R$ 2.00 (aprox. US$ 1.15) per passenger or tourist received by GB Internacional, on a quarterly basis, in the name of our clients, to a select group of local NGO’s which offer assistance to the poor children of Rio de Janeiro and neighboring communities. We are very excited about this project and would like to invite you and your clients to join us. Should this be something that you and/or your clients would like to get involved with, here are some of the main NGO’s and programs we are supporting: 1. PARA TI AMIZADE E SOLIDARIEDADE (which in Portuguese means “For You Friendship And Solidarity”), is a civil, non-profitable organization, with no government support of any kind, located in the Favela (slum area) of Vila Canoas, in the St. Conrad district of Rio de Janeiro. It was formed on August 27, 1994, by the Urani family – whose residence is located adjacent to the Favela Vila Canoas, with the objective of stimulating progress among needy communities in general and the Vila Canoas slum area in particular. Its current activities include: • School support classes for about 70 children who reside in the Vila Canoas and Rocinha slum areas – both located in the St. Conrad district, • College and university scholarships for about 45 young men and women from these communities. • Incentive and support to individual and/or micro-companies’ initiatives, mostly related to popular art and handcrafts. This includes training, free use of space, financial contributions for the purchase of materials, and showroom to facilitate handcraft sales to visitors and tourists. • Football (soccer) classes on the St. Conrad beach (twice a week), under the coordination of two professional football coaches who also live in the Vila Canoas community. • Recreational activities in the educational game center for children and teenagers. • Promoting and acting as intermediary for the collection of financial support to about 350 children from the Vila Canoas community, who are sponsored by individual and corporate donors (mostly Brazilians and Italians), with the objective of keeping these children in school and helping them improve performance in their studies. • Computer courses focusing on the use of the Internet and other basic computer programs. • Developing the promotion of human, social, cultural and educational activities; • Conducting, promoting or sponsoring debates, seminars, courses and related activities; • Organizing and maintaining consulting programs and social works to achieve its objectives;  PARA TI survives solely based on donations made by individuals, corporations and visiting tourists, thanks to the incredibly persistent work of the Urani family, both in Brazil and in Italy, where they created the COMENOI NGO for the sole purpose of supporting PARA TI’s activities. For more information please visit www.parati.inf.br/uk/parati.htm 2. The Santa Clara Family We are a family just like yours, but from a different background. We came from shelters, from violence and from abandonment, but here we found a home, a house, education, love and dreams. A family a lot like yours, just a bit larger. We invite you to get to know our story and the life of the Santa Clara family – the everlasting dream and a future for all of us. We are 63 children, taken in by wonderful friends and given support by the Santa Clara Family, support that our own families couldn't provide. A project like Santa Clara requires a lot of work and a constant, daily battle to re-write history and change lives… For this to happen, we depend on partners, support, and friends… And that’s where you come in, with your interior strength, your friendship, and your desire to help.  The Santa Clara Family new house Be it in whatever form, your help will be very valuable to us and very welcome. For more information and pictures of the family, please visit our website at www.familiasantaclara.org.br/ingles/index.asp Get to know us! 3. CDI (Committee for Democracy in Information Technology). CDI is a non-governmental, non-profit organization with the two fold mission of promoting the social inclusion of low-income communities, by using information and communication technologies as tools for building and exercising citizens’ rights. They work in low-income communities and with institutions assisting individuals with special needs, including the physically and mentally disabled, the visually impaired, homeless children, prisoners, indigenous populations, among others. CDI has various sites in Rio within many of the local slums and participation or visitation of projects can by arranged. 4. The Mangueira Project. This project was created in 1987 to attend children living in the favela known as Mangueira. Mangueira is a slum community with well organized centers of activities, such as the Sport Center, the Pixinguinha Cultural Center, the Samba School and the Children Samba School. The main purpose of the project is to provide sports, cultural and social activities for the needed, including the following projects: a. Afro Brazilian Orchestra – Comprised of 100 musicians from 7 to 16 years of age, which receive a scholarship of US$ 50.00 per month. Developed to preserve the musical tradition of Mangueira and provide professional training of its participants. b. Computers – Created for children already in the 6th grade, teaching: DOS, Windows, Word, Excel and Internet research, with duration of 5 months. c. Hygiene Workshops – Created to assist people between the ages of 14 to 50, by offering various courses in personal hygiene care. d. Mangueira do Amanhã (Mangueira of Tomorrow) – Is a Samba School comprised of children and teenagers from 7 to 17 years of age, with the main purpose to maintain them in contact with their roots and traditions and to carry on the Mangueira Samba School. e. Mangueira School Club – Offers students from the public schools, within or outside the community, 21 free courses administered by 13 teachers. Created in 1977, the Mangueira School Club benefits children from the neighboring areas, by maintaining these children occupied when not in school (and off the streets), while giving them training for possible future careers. 5. Another simpler option would be to choose a low income community or slum (favela), in Rio and, together with the community leader, visit one of its public schools to donate school materials, school uniforms and/or toys. 6. You could also choose a “Day Nursery” in one of the favelas, to donate milk, diapers, blankets, clothes, etc, for the children. There are, of course, many other options available, and we shall be most happy to do the necessary research in order to find a community project which may better suit your interests or those of your clients. Just let us know what you have in mind, and we will be happy to assist you with the research and contacts. We are very excited about our Social Responsibility Program and we hope you can join us! Muito obrigado! Roberto A. Dultra Managing Partner |
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