The Foundation

Timeline

Find out more about the Norberto Odebrecht Foundation's history

From our creation in 1965, to the commitment which we made to perpetuate the legacy of our founder, Norberto Odebrecht: these are the milestones of work that has always held the development of people at its core. 

Over more than 55 years of our history in the third sector, we have acted in different ways, always believing in the potential of human evolution. As a focus to combat poverty and inequality, six major highlights stand out in our trajectory:

  1. In the early 1980s, we stopped being a philanthropic entity focusing on Novonor members and returned to meeting society's needs.
  2. In 1988, we implemented a new structural change, and defined the education of young people, for life and through work, as our focus of activity.
  3. In 2003, we created PDCIS, our social program, striving to promote sustainable territorial development. Therefore, we defined the Southern Bahia Lowlands in the Brazilian northeast as our area of activity, to test this social technology model, with young people as the main beneficiaries, and the agents of transformation.
  4. From 2018, we took an important step towards the future, with our actions marked by the results of the PDCIS Impact Evaluation study.
  5. In 2019, we started working on systematizing PDCIS, culminating in the publication “How to implement PDCIS” in 2020, enabling it to be adapted and reapplied in unequal contexts.

 

Browse through the years below and see further highlights of our work!

Loading

1965

1965 - Creation of Odebrecht Foundation Official photo of the creation of the Emílio Odebrecht Foundation

One of the oldest business foundations in Brazil, it was created with the purpose of providing the members of the Construtora Norberto Odebrecht (CNO) with the benefits that the Brazilian Social Security, at that time, did not cover. Initially it was denominated Emílio Odebrecht Foundation (FEO) as a tribute to the founder’s father.

1965 - Creation of Odebrecht Foundation Official photo of the creation of the Emílio Odebrecht Foundation

1978

1978 - ENG Libraries, qualification courses and medical care were some of the disseminated benefits

Odebrecht reached 20 thousand members. This growth stimulated that of the Foundation itself, which instituted Decentralized Units to bring benefits to construction sites that the construction company began to implement in Brazil. The support centers offered, among other assistances, medical care and literacy courses.

1978 - ENG Libraries, qualification courses and medical care were some of the disseminated benefits

1982

The FEO began to dedicate itself to the Brazilian worker and its family, a landmark considered the first great turn of its performance. The institution’s scope of work began to include socio-cultural actions programs, such as debates, research grants and awards. The aim was to stimulate and give prestige to national intelligence in identifying, analyzing and proposing solutions to the problems that hinder worker productivity. This stage was marked by the launch of the Emílio Odebrecht Foundation Award, the result of an agreement with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

1988

1988 - ENG For reverberating the social transformation, the FO chose the youth as the axis for its actions

Stimulated by the challenge of developing methodologies and strategies for social intervention in the community, the FEO assumed a new focus: the education of the adolescent, with the objective of forming responsible, conscious and participative people and stimulating the Youth Protagonism. It is at this moment that the institution chooses the mission of Educating for Life, through Work, on the basis of Values and surpassing Limits.

Also in that year, FEO signed a partnership with 11 public and private entities from Bahia to recover and modernize State of Bahia’s Lyceum of Arts and Crafts, an institution that offered artistic and professional formation for youths from Salvador (BA).

1988 - ENG For reverberating the social transformation, the FO chose the youth as the axis for its actions

1992

1992 - ENG Is its history, the Foundation supported the publication of several books about the youth

From the 1990s onwards, the FEO supported the publication of several books related to adolescents and Youth Protagonism, which addressed issues such as sexual education, public policies for youths and improvements in schools. During this period, the Foundation participated in discussions and contributed actively to the creation of the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), confirming its direction towards youths and their protagonism.

1992 - ENG Is its history, the Foundation supported the publication of several books about the youth

1994

In partnership with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), the Foundation launched the "Only Schools can Correct Brazil" campaign to stimulate the debate on education in the country. The advertising piece was watched by more than 146 million viewers. The purpose was to mobilize the Brazilian society around the guarantee of a qualified public primary education.

1995

1995 - ENG Publicity poster for the campaign "Adolescent for a Better School"

The institution was renamed the Odebrecht Foundation (FO). It also launched the "Adolescent for a Better School" campaign, which awarded the best proposals presented by 2,850 youths aged 13 to 18 from 422 municipalities in 19 Brazilian states. In total, 924 papers were presented on how it could be possible to improve the public school.

1995 - ENG Publicity poster for the campaign "Adolescent for a Better School"

1997

The FO supported the Pact of the Discovery Site for Education, an action that aimed at mobilizing and articulating actions with the objective of guaranteeing the entry, permanence and success of children and adolescents in schools. It benefited the following Bahia municipalities: Eunápolis, Porto Seguro, Santa Cruz Cabralia, Prado and Belmonte.

1999

1999 - ENG FO consolidates its objective of helping young people to become protagonists

Focused its operations in the Northeast region, a space marked by low Human Development Indexes. It then joined the "Alliance with Adolescents for Sustainable Development of the Northeast" program. The focus was on generating opportunities for rural youth. The program, which was completed in 2004 with the creation of the Alliance Institute, was the result of a partnership with the Ayrton Senna Institute, the Kellogg Foundation and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

1999 - ENG FO consolidates its objective of helping young people to become protagonists

2003

2003 - ENG The PDCIS promotes sustainable territorial development in the Southern Bahia Lowlands

The year marked another important turning point for the Odebrecht Foundation. Maintaining the vision of acting on the cause of social and economic problems, the FO defined as its focus the promotion of sustainable territorial development. It created then the Development and Integrated Growth Program with Sustainability (PDCIS), whose focus is the Southern Bahia Lowlands region, supporting the emergence of a new generation of young protagonists, multipliers of knowledge for their families and communities.

2003 - ENG The PDCIS promotes sustainable territorial development in the Southern Bahia Lowlands

2004

2004 - ENG Initiative aims to raise funds for the education of adolescents

The Tribute to the Future was created, an initiative that serves as an important source of fundraising, both inside and outside the Odebrecht Group, to enable educational projects aimed at the formation and socio-productive inclusion of adolescents in rural areas of the Southern Bahia Lowlands.

2004 - ENG Initiative aims to raise funds for the education of adolescents

2008

The Odebrecht Foundation was awarded with the 2nd Brazil's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Award from the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, awarded to projects that contribute with effective results to the achievement of Sustainable Development. The institution was the only business foundation to win the award.

2010

2010 - ENG The troppfy of the "United Nations Public Service Award"

The PDCIS was recognized with the United Nations Public Service Award in the category "Improving citizen participation in public decision-making processes through innovative mechanisms".

2010 - ENG The troppfy of the "United Nations Public Service Award"

2014

2014 - ENG Norberto Odebrecht, fouder of the Odebrecht Foundation

In July, the founder and great supporter of the Foundation, Norberto Odebrecht, passed away. The institution continued with the commitment to keep alive its legacy, giving continuity to the PDCIS’ actions in the Southern Bahia Lowlands, a desire recorded by Norberto in a will.

2014 - ENG Norberto Odebrecht, fouder of the Odebrecht Foundation

2015

The Odebrecht Foundation celebrated 50 years and renewed its commitment to youths and their families, inserted in their own communities. To mark the date, an intense communication campaign was carried out, with the publication of an institutional video and a special magazine with the history of the Foundation.

2018

2018 - ENG The work has shown that the PDCIS has significant impacts on the beneficiaries' lifes

After 15 years of existence, the PDCIS had its impact evaluated using structured methodology to identify and quantify its results. The work also provides for the systematization of the social technology, aiming to evaluate the capacity for reapplication in other regions.

2018 - ENG The work has shown that the PDCIS has significant impacts on the beneficiaries' lifes

2019

2019 - Tribute to the Future

The Tribute to the Future campaign celebrated its 15 year anniversary. Also in 2019, we attained the Transparent NGO seal. Promoted by Instituto Doar, this recognition confirms the transparency of the information that we provide on the internet, highlighting our commitment to ethical and transparent activity with integrity, always in search of best third sector governance and compliance practices.

2019 - Tribute to the Future

2020

2020 - Impact Evaluation

After the Impact Evaluation had proven the efficacy of PDCIS, and its potential for reapplication, we systematized our social technology. Launched in Norberto Odebrecht`s centenary year, the publication aims to facilitate PDCIS reapplication in regions of social vulnerability in Brazil, and around the world.

2020 - Impact Evaluation

2021

2021 - Norberto Odebrecht Foundation

We changed our name to the Norberto Odebrecht Foundation, thereby reaffirming our commitment of keeping our founder`s legacy alive.

2021 - Norberto Odebrecht Foundation
Newsletter
Newsletter Subscription:
Just enter your name and best e-mail!
preload
2018 - 2024. Fundação Norberto Odebrecht. All rights reserved.
Powered by: Click Interativo | Digital Agency

We use cookies to frame information about how you use or our site and the pages you visit. Everything to make your experience more pleasant possible. To understand the types of cookies we use, click on Options. Ao click on Accepted, you consent to the use of cookies.

Accepted Options

Definitions

We want to be transparent about the data that we partners collect and how we use it, so that you can control how well your personal data is. To obtain more information, consult our privacy policy and our cookie policy.

Or what are cookies?

Cookies are saved files on your computer, tablet or phone when you visit a site.

We use the necessary cookies to make or site work in the best possible way and always to improve our services.

Some cookies are classified as necessary and allow central functionality, such as security, network management and accessibility. These cookies can be collected and set so that you start your navigation or when you use any resource that I require.

Manage consent preferences

We use third-party analytics software to collect statistical information about visitors to our website. These plugins may share the content you provide to third parties. We recommend that you read their privacy policies.

Block / Activate
Google Analytics
Necessary

Plugins are used to track visitors to websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and attractive to the individual user and therefore more valuable to third-party publishers and advertisers.

Block / Activate
Facebook Pixel
Recommended

They are those that allow you to browse the site and use essential features, such as safe areas, for example. These cookies do not store any information about you that can be used in product or service communication actions or to remember the pages navigated on the website.

Block / Activate
Site
Necessary