In 1990, Brazil passed progressive legislation in support of children's rights. That same year, the Brazilian Association of Toy Makers, intent on ensuring the implementation of the new law, created the Abrinq Foundation. Abrinq has been in the forefront of the cause of children's rights ever since, using innovative approaches to improve the lives of Brazil's children.

Synergos and Abrinq share a common mission -- bridging social and economic divides to overcome poverty and increase equity.

What makes Abrinq special? Its roots are in the private sector. Many board members are entrepreneurs, which has allowed the foundation to capitalize on its superior connections within the business community. By using business management principles and contacts in the private sector, it has opened doors that would otherwise remain shut. Its programs are highly effective and widely admired. Membership is open not only to businesses but also to individuals.

Abrinq has hired professional fundraisers to approach businesses, giving them a variety of options for involvement in the foundation's work -- membership, partnership and program-related collaboration.

This partnership approach has helped Abrinq mobilize financial resources and work with companies, organizations and individuals to achieve the foundation's objectives and successfully run its programs. Partners help fund, manage and disseminate Abrinq's programs and projects. They also provide technical assistance, resources, products or services.

Program-related collaborations mobilize the corporate sector behind a particular children's issue, generating financial and material support for Brazil's children while promoting child-friendly business practices.

Abrinq's first program was the Our Children initiative, which was aimed at getting children and adolescents off the streets. The concept was simple: contributors gave $50 each, which in turn was given to institutions so they would open new slots for homeless children. As the program grew, the foundation planned for the next step -- creation of new institutions to house the children.

By 2002, Abrinq had 14 active programs and projects.

Partnering with Abrinq to Advance its Mission

Our partnership with Abrinq began in 2000. "Organizations are constituted by people, reflecting their beliefs, values and commitments. The Synergos Institute is a sympathetic and respectful organization committed to the improvement of the lives of individuals living in countries where the poverty level is unsustainable," says Ruben Naves, Abrinq's president. "It effectively fulfills its mission of promoting synergy between individuals who are willing to help and those who need help. Synergos support is very important for Fundação Abrinq in achieving its results." 
 

Members of the Synergos Senior Fellows network consulted with Abrinq in 2002 to help strengthen its operations. They included:

• Achmat Dangor (South Africa), a specialist in setting up funds, who ran a workshop on endowment building
• David Smith (Jamaica), an independent consultant on environmental management, who participated in a board development workshop
• Len le Roux (Namibia), an expert in financial sustainability of foundations, who was also involved in the board development workshop.

Abrinq, Synergos and the International Youth Foundation were the sponsors of an international seminar in São Paulo in September 2002 on Evaluation, Systematization and Dissemination of Social Projects. The audience was made up of 350 representatives of the nonprofit sector -- grassroots organizations, associations and foundations, government agencies and private companies, primarily from Brazil, with some attendees from elsewhere in Latin America. Presentations were made by international specialists, including Achmat Dangor, who gave the keynote address. Bernardo Toro, a Senior Fellow from Colombia, also participated.

Through our Brazil office, Synergos works hand-in-hand with Abrinq, assisting the foundation with funding and operational issues.

"Year after year, The Synergos Institute has been perfecting its role as a mediator of the relationships between organizations of distant countries," says Ana Maria Wilheim, Abrinq's then Superintendent, "bringing us together through new skills and reflections about organizational social practices focused on human development."

At the same time, Synergos' programs have benefited greatly from our relationship with Abrinq. Wilheim is a Synergos Senior Fellow, sharing Abrinq's experience at engaging the public, government and the business sector in addressing pressing social issues. One of Abrinq's founders -- Helio Mattar -- addressed these issues at University for a Night 2002. And more generally, we are working to share Abrinq's innovative approaches with foundations around the world.

Child-Friendly Programs that Make a Difference

Abrinq's "child-friendly" programs focus on both the private and public sectors.

Empresa Amiga da Criança (Child-Friendly Company) aims at engaging companies in social action with an emphasis on stopping child labor. By becoming a Child-Friendly Company, businesses earn the right to use a special "Child-Friendly Company" seal on their product packaging. Currently, there are 587 such businesses throughout Brazil. These companies have invested $34.2 million in health, education, social and other projects for children and adolescents. They also have donated $1.3 million toward funds for the rights of children and adolescents.

The Preifeito Amigo da Criança (Child-Friendly Mayor) program promotes governmental support for policies that protect children and adolescents. In 2001, all Brazil's mayors received the Child-Friendly Mayor Guide, which proposes that mayors make children and adolescents a priority in their administrations.

The nation's mayors responded, with 1,542 signing a pledge to follow the Child-Friendly Mayor program. Each signatory received a copy of the Map of Childhood and Adolescence. This tool helped municipalities evaluate their current programs, determine government goals, and draw up an action plan. Once a mayor returns the map and action plan to Abrinq, he or she becomes part of the Child-Friendly Mayor Network. When action plans are validated, the city receives a "Child-Friendly Mayor" seal.

In 2002, Abrinq continued to distribute the Guide to municipalities, also making it available on its website. Seminars for Child-Friendly Mayors were held in São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Belém and Recife. Databanks were also made available to help support municipal governments' self-analyses and action plans.

The Presidente Amigo da Criança (Child-Friendly President) program was launched in 2001 to obtain the commitment of presidential candidates to making the well-being of children a priority on the national agenda. All four main presidential candidates pledged to do so. After the election, President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva agreed to present, within six months of taking office, an action plan to achieve the goals set by the UN Special Session for Children's "World of Children" agreement. Abrinq used this program to launch a communications campaign to raise public awareness about the rights and needs of children and adolescents.

In 2002, Abrinq inaugurated the Prêmio Criança (Child Award), a program to identify and replicate initiatives that protect Brazil's children and adolescents. Competition for the award was fierce -- 293 organizations registered their programs, which had to be in the areas of infant and expectant mother health, family and community life, child education, and prevention and combating of domestic violence. Sixteen finalists were chosen, from which four received the award. Abrinq is documenting the winning initiatives so that they can be replicated.

Other Abrinq programs are in the areas of reading, educational innovation, youth citizenship, and volunteerism.

Abrinq's 2002 Annual Report answers the question "What does being child-friendly mean?" through the voices of children. One response came from an indigenous 15-year-old boy, whose answer was "Cherohaih" -- "love" in his native Guarani language. As Abrinq's chairman and its president suggest, "Love children and the world will be a better place for everyone."

Our partnership with Abrinq complements our other efforts in Brazil, where we work with Instituto Rio, GIFE and other partners to strengthen philanthropy and bridge divides.