Training Program Aims to Strengthen Social Enterprises in Juruti

Program will include training cycles and a business round

May, 2022 - Members of organizations engaged in social initiatives in Juruti, a municipality served by the INGÁ Project, are attending a training program aimed at strengthening community enterprises. At each stage, qualified training opportunities are offered to the Curumucuri and Prudente Monte Sinai Agroextractive Settlement Projects, and the Jará Environmental Protection Area. 

The program is part of "Formar Gestão — Continued Training Program for Community Enterprises in the Amazon", implemented by the Brazilian Education Institute (IEB).

"This training is generating great expectations, and its results will support our work in rural areas. The work itself is not new, but we lacked knowledge, which these activities will now provide,” says Elienson Oliveira, coordinator of the Vila Souza poultry processing plant, which is participating in the program.

INGÁ (a Portuguese acronym for Sustainability and Management Indicators in the Amazon) is a project coordinated by the Sustainable Juruti Institute (IJUS), with investments from USAID/Brazil, the Partnership Platform for the Amazon (PPA), Alcoa, and the Alcoa Institute. In addition to the IEB, it works in partnership with the Vitória Régia Institute (IVR) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. 

Since August 2021, the project supported the development of human capital with a focus on autonomous leadership and land management. Additionally, there was support for the protection and conservation of native forests and the restoration of degraded areas (for more information visit here). 

The initiative aims to strengthen local entrepreneurship and create an observatory of sustainable development indicators, with a focus on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Process — This 200-hour capacity-building program includes three training cycles and a business round. Participants will have a chance to learn and practice different techniques, ranging from organizational management to commercialization. Each cycle lasts 40 hours. 

“The IEB has developed a training methodology with participatory and knowledge-building tools, and has engaged several authors in this work,” explains Marcelo Alves, IEB socioenvironmental analyst and workshop lead.

Formar Gestão’s final stage will take place from July 28-30, during "Festribal", Juruti's traditional tribal festival. It will include a business round, offering an opportunity for all participating organizations to showcase their services and products. 

“We can count on IJUS and its partners all year round. These training opportunities reinforce the initiative. During Festribal week, they will give us an opportunity to showcase all our work to the public," says Damião Soares, president of the Real Juruti Athletic Association.

For more information on INGÁ, visit the IJUS and PPA websites.