General Plan Information
Objective(s): Identify local potential through a
collaborative process that strengthens the community by establishing
and prioritizing initiatives in the areas of education, income
generation, and improving quality of life in line with Vale’s
policies for social action.
Description: Meetings were held in the community of
Santa Rita Durão in 2018 in order to identify opportunities for
social action to be carried out by Vale to improve quality of life
amongst local residents. At initial meetings aimed at promoting
improvements in relation to income generation, professional
training, and education, representatives from the Community
Association, the Santa Rita Durão Mothers’ Group, the local school,
the Sabor e Arte (Flavour and Art) Group, local leadership, and
youth from the community were invited to participate in the
preparation of an action plan.
Ten potential areas of action within the community were identified
at initial meetings, with three main established that will guide the
initiatives implemented over the next few years: Education and
Citizenship, Job Creation and Income Generation, and Improvement of
the Quality of Life of the residents of Santa Rita Durão.
Based on the definition of axes of action, identification of leaders
and alignment of expectations with the community, the Community
Relations Plan was developed, prioritizing professional training
courses (sewing, secretarial, information technology and
administrative training), language classes, formalizing of the Moss
Extraction Group, empowerment of the community's mother's
group and the creation of a scout's group.
Planned Results:
Community Profile
Socioeconomic Information: Santa Rita Durão is a
district of Mariana with an estimated population of 1800
inhabitants. The area is directly impacted by mining activities and
coal production. The community has a Residents' Association that
is capable of social coordination, generally with regards to
contracting among the local workforce and water issues.
The community of Santa Rita Durão has a high rate of social
vulnerability and is dependent on the activities carried out within
the public and private spheres in order to maintain a basic quality
of life for its inhabitants.
The community has a Basic Health Unit, public safety equipment and
schools for kindergarten, elementary and high school. In addition,
there is an open-air gym, a public footpath, a soccer field, covered
multi-sport gymnasium and public squares dedicated to sport and
leisure.
There is an environmental condition in place requiring Vale to
provide the community reservoir with potable water, with the
municipally responsible for subsequently supplying the inhabitants
with water. There is no sewage treatment available and inhabitants
generally rely on septic tanks or the disposal of waste directly
into the river.
Since Vale owns the majority of the land in the region, frequent
conflicts occur because of invasion of private areas in order to
collect moss and firewood.
Formation of Management Group: The community’s
Management Group is currently made up of representatives from the
Mothers’ Group, Community Association, the local school, Sabor e
Arte (Flavour and Art) Group, local leadership, and youth from the
Santa Rita Durão area.
The group is well-structured and interactions/decision making take
place during virtual and in-person meetings.
Prioritization of Target Audience:
Children/teenagers, young people and the whole community.
Stages of Plan
Mobilization
Engagement
Participatory Planning
Execution
Results Obtained
On the 5th of August 2020, a meeting was held with participation
from Vale, representatives from Santa Rita Durão's Residents’
Association and Mothers’ Group, in oder to assess the progress of
initiatives proposed during the previous cycle. During the meeting,
the president of the Residents’ Association reported that the
partnership with Vale had contributed greatly to strengthening
social action in the communiy since, after the actions proposed as
part of the Rapid Collaborative Diagnostic were carried out, there
was a marked increase in the number of community associates.
Plan Details
Year 1 - Empowerment
On the 13th of September 2018, an exchange was carried out between
Santa Rita Durão’s Mothers’ Group and female entrepreneurs from the
three associations in Antônio Pereira (Arte Mãos e Flores (Hands and
Flowers Art), Mãos que Brilham (Hands that Shine), and Vale da
Benção’s Sewing Group). The purpose of the meeting was to allow the
sharing of experiences between the female entrepreneurs and Santa
Rita’s Mothers’ Group, which are working to organize themselves into
a social group.
On the 30th of October 2018, the Santa Rita Durão’s Mothers’ Group
visited Alegria Mine. Members of the community had the opportunity
to learn about the mining process, the steps taken by Vale to
protect society and the environment, and reflect on the importance
of iron ore production in people’s daily lives.
On the 12th of November 2018, a seminar on female empowerment was
held in order to motivate the group with regards to women's
capacity for social action through the lens of various forms of
social and community entrepreneurship.
Adhering to the time line established under the Community Relations
Plan, a Rapid Collaborative Diagnostic was performed on the 18th of
December 2019, a methodology which allows information and knowledge
from the point of view of members of the community to be gathered.
On the 15th of January 2019, a meeting was held with the community
in order to present potential partnerships that were identified in
Mariana for providing the courses chosen by the community of Santa
Rita Durão (information technology, english language and sewing).
This project seeks to continue dialogue and relationship with
the community that began under the Community Relations Plan and that
aim to prioritize learning opportunities for children, young people,
and adults through means of professional training courses.
Year 2 - Flight Plan
During this stage of the plan, intensive efforts were made towards
empowerment and qualifications during dialogue with the community,
in order to contribute to its autonomy while prioritizing actions,
using the community’s perspective.
Beginning with the second year, planning included increasingly
structured medium and long term themes, with more complex agreements
that hinge upon building trust between the parties.
Initiative projects implemented in 2020
Year 3 - Adjusting the Route
In 2020, despite the ongoing pandemic, activities were carried out
throughout the entire year. One such action was the extension of
studies into formalization Santa Rita Durão's Moss
Collectors' Group in order to develop a project for the
collection of moss in areas owned by Vale as part of efforts towards
economic development, linked to the collecting of moss for local
artisanry. The implementation of the following initiatives under the
Community Relations Plan are the main focus for 2021:
