Doing good is good for you. It was this motto that guided and named the first edition of the Impacting Dialogues, an online event held by Norberto Odebrecht Foundation this Friday (8). The program gathered three guests from the Novonor Group for a chat on actions that make a difference: Daniel Villar, advisor to the CEO of Novonor and member of OEC Board of Directors; Beatriz Lepikson, responsible for P&O, Finance and Compliance at the Norberto Odebrecht Foundation; and Flávia França, manager of Ethics and Integrity at OEC. Over 190 people from the Group Businesses and the external public attended and engaged inthe live streaming, which is available in full at this link.
At the event, the three guests shared their personal and professional experiences of volunteering, giving, and sheltering. Daniel Villar presented the story of his family, which has been offering Family Fostering since 2020. The modality, provided by law, is an alternative of support for children and adolescents in social risk circumstances, and it works throughfoster families, like Daniel’s, who host these children until Justice determines the return to the biological family or the adoption.
“We’ve already fostered a newborn baby and a 2-year-old child, even withthe outbreak of the pandemic. We offer affection, security, and care to these children”, he said. He added: “quoting my own son, going through this journey of transforming a life will also transform yours forever.”
Beatriz Lepikson, from Norberto Odebrecht Foundation, shared her experience as a volunteer and as coordinator of the campaign Tributo ao Futuro, which supports quality education for teenagers from rural areas. “This experience was very important for me, I was able to be on the front line, engaging people and bringing together Businesses in favor of educating the youngest. It was a way of self-giving,” she said. According to her, donating to different causes is an opportunity to do good, especially when faced with the impossibility, for example, to act in a volunteering project. “There are several ways to contribute to a better future. We, who donate, can improve the lives of others. And we all gain a lot by making this contribution,” she added.
Flávia França presented her work as a volunteer for the Tuyula Lomunga project, which promotes local development and income generation in Angola. The volunteering continues until today, even after OEC has finished the workin the country and she returned to Brazil. “I may have changed places, but not my purpose. And I was able to advise the project to build oth
er partnerships and continue impacting the community”, she said. Flávia also talked abouthow she supported an Angolan family with a hydrocephalic baby to come to Brazil for treatment with Amor Sem Dimensõesproject, and how she encouraged the education of two young Angolans. For her, volunteering, even remotely, is always inspiring: “even if not present in person, there are so many things we can do online, that physical presence is no longer so pivotal. The Internet allows us to be almost omnipresent. So, my message to you is: volunteer and get involved.
To learn about the next editions of Diálogos de Impactoand join other discussions on sustainable development and social impact, follow Norberto Odebrecht Foundation channels at: www.fundacaonorbertoodebrecht.com.
