São Paulo – Three innovative Brazilian initiatives are among the finalists in the contest “Experiences in Social Innovation,” promoted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Eclac). In total, 13 initiatives from seven different countries are running up for the award, which is supported by the W.K Kellogg Foundation.
The first Brazilian project competing for the award is “Living with the semiarid reality, promoting access to water, solidarity and citizenship,” which is being developed by families of small farmers and rural communities. The experience consists of homemade ideas for fighting drought, such as cisterns, vats, wells, underground dams etc.
“Social Observatory in Maringá” is the second project, developed in the city of Maringá, state of Paraná, aiming to meet the goals of Fiscal Citizenship or Fiscal Education. The experience seeks to control municipal funds in a more effective manner, so as to prevent corruption. The third Brazilian experience is the project “Guardian Angel – every child’s right to grow up in a family,” developed in the state of Goiás. The goal is to seek families interested in adopting children.
In addition to Brazil, four experiences from Argentina, two from Peru, one from Chile, one from Mexico and one from Uruguay are competing. According to information supplied by the Eclac, 60% of the projects offer solutions in rural development and income generation. The remainder are related to education, youth and health.
The program “Experiences in Social Innovation” began in 2004 to spot innovative initiatives in social development. The first prize is US$ 30,000, the second one is US$ 20,000 and the third is US$ 15,000. Prizes are granted up to the fifth place, and the funds are to be invested in the projects themselves.
Selected projects will be presented at the Social Innovation Fair, to be held at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala, from November 11th to 13th.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
