ALTRUÍSMO

Altruism

O projeto oferece uma oportunidade para a comunidade: de desenvolvimento, de percepção de postura adequada, de se enxergar podendo ir mais longe, de ter crescimento profissional. Temos meninos que se formaram e voltaram para a instituição. Mães agradecendo que os filhos não estão nas ruas. WimBelemDon é uma das instituições que desponta enquanto modelo, por ter ACREDITADO E SE PROPOSTO A FAZER TUDO AQUILO A QUE SE DISPÔS.

Airton Luiz Rhode

“Em razão do trabalho da Lidia, visitei o projeto em algumas oportunidades e percebi que era bem feito, tinha qualidade e intenções sérias. Comecei a me interessar e participar. Menos do que eu gostaria, em função do tempo. Chamavam a minha atenção a dedicação e o carinho com que as crianças eram atendidas. Elas tinham muitas necessidades e vi que a gente poderia fazer alguma coisa. Bem no início, fomos lá com alguns ‘padrinhos’, num torneio de tênis. Agradeceram muito, mas éramos nós que deveríamos agradecer”.

O projeto era amador, e foi crescendo ao longo do tempo. Passamos por muitas dificuldades, mas conseguimos dar uma alavancada. Eu consegui levar a nossa fundação (Fundação John Deere) lá para dentro e dar uma ajuda. Algo que insistia sempre com o Marcelo e o pessoal do Conselho: éramos dependentes de duas ou três empresas e nossos recursos eram vinculados aos resultados delas. Com a chegada de mais pessoas ao Conselho, houve mais profissionalização. Antes era muita transpiração e pouca inspiração. Hoje depende de muita gente ainda, mas não especificamente de alguém. Uma grande transformação.

I arrived, I saw a lot of interest and engagement, but a rather disorganised work with a lot of headless chickens. Marcelo was still travelling for work a lot (as a photographer). There was no technical knowledge. There was a lot to do. But the most important was there was a lot of heart and will to do better. That was what captivated me the most: their desire. They were all very interested in finding out what was wrong and learning how to do it right. A great merit. They began to hire staff. Set up a strong Board of Directors. Sought out an accountant specialised in the third sector. They tidied up everything that was needed. WimBelemDon went from being a hobby institution to something with much more direction, that knew what it was doing and why, with its community involved. The NGO evolved, grew, realised their dream of buying their own premises. They wanted to have an administrative structure and did it. We always ask Marcelo to tell his story as someone who achieved so much as a third sector organisation. The project offers an opportunity to the community for development, of perception, of an adequate posture, of seeing itself going further, of professional growth. We have kids that graduated and went back to the institution. Mothers thanking us because their children are not on the streets anymore. WimBelemDon is a model institution because they BELIEVED IN THEMSELVES AND FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH EVERYTHING THEY PROPOSED TO DO.”

Airton Luiz Rhode

“Because of the work that Lídia has been doing, I visited the project a few times and I saw it was well done, good quality work with serious intentions. I became more interested and involved. Still less than I would have liked, because I didn’t have a lot of time available. I was impressed with the dedication and care with which the children were treated. They had all sorts of needs and I realised we could do something. At the very start, we went there with some other patrons, during a tennis tournament. They thanked us loads, but we were the ones who should be thanking them. The project was amateur at the start, but it grew with time. We faced many difficulties, but managed to lift it up. I managed to take our foundation (John Deere Foundation) there and help. Something I always insisted on with Marcelo and the Board was that we relied on only two or three sponsors and our results were linked to theirs. With more people joining the Board, there was a move towards greater professionalism. There used to be a lot of perspiration and little inspiration. Now we still rely on a lot of people, but not anyone specific. It’s a huge transformation. Then there’s the optimism. Even when there was no money to do anything. The issue with the land. Honestly, I did not believe we would manage. Marcelo is a dreamer by nature. He had the idea for the campaign. He worked really hard and mobilised a lot of people. Fortunately, we managed to raise the money. It meant a lot. It went to show that WimBelemDon belonged to the community. The fire was another challenging moment, but everyone got together and, with great strength, overcame this obstacle too. This is only possible when a project is well done.

I remember this really interesting occasion, at Roland Arroz when Guga participated. I was wearing a John Deere t-shirt. The company used

E otimismo. Mesmo em momentos em que não havia dinheiro para fazer nada. A questão do terreno. Sinceramente, não acreditei que conseguiríamos. O Marcelo é um sonhador por natureza. Teve a ideia da campanha. Trabalhou muito e com uma movimentação muito grande; felizmente, conseguimos levantar os recursos. Foi muito significativo. Mostrou que WimBelemDon é daquela comunidade. O incêndio foi outro momento de desafio. Mas todos se uniram e, com muita força, deram a volta por cima. Isso só é possível quando um projeto é bem feito.

Lembro-me de uma passagem muito interessante, no Rolando Arroz com a participação do Guga. Eu estava com a camiseta da John Deere, que patrocinava o Ministério do Esporte, e ele perguntou o que a empresa tinha a ver com o tênis. ‘Nada a ver com tênis, mas com projetos sérios e que funcionam. E estamos aqui há muitos anos. Acompanhamos o trabalho’, respondi. Nossa fundação tem que estar vinculada de alguma forma aos projetos que apoiamos, conectada a alguém do conselho, da diretoria. Um compromisso, porque colocamos nosso nome.

Todos no WimBelemDon trabalham com muito gosto, com cuidado, com carinho, mesmo com as enormes limitações de recursos. Há muito envolvimento da comunidade. Vemos as famílias no projeto. Sabemos das condições de vulnerabilidade e temos que olhar para as crianças que podemos resgatar. Para muitas, essa é a única oportunidade. Sempre quis fazer alguma coisa nesse sentido. HÁ MUITO AMOR EM

WIMBELEMDON, MUITO AMOR.

O projeto hoje está maduro, mas não quer dizer que ande sozinho. Tivemos dois anos entre as 100 melhores ONGs do país e quase fechamos por falta de recursos. Demos um salto, somos reconhecidos e o nível de exigência aumenta. O mais importante, além dos valores, é a constância de ter esse apoio todos os anos. E nós temos conseguido manter essa regularidade agora. Isso ajuda muito no planejamento.” to sponsor the Ministry of Sport and he asked me what the company had to do with tennis. ‘Nothing to do with tennis, but with serious projects that work well. And we have been here for many years. We follow the work’, I replied. Our foundation has to be somewhat connected to the project we sponsor, connected to someone from the Board or management. This is a commitment because we lend our name. Everyone at WimBelemDon works with pleasure, with care, with love, even when the resources are limited. There is a lot of community involvement. We see the families at the project. We know about their vulnerable conditions and we need to look at the children we can rescue. For many, this is their only chance. I’ve always wanted to do something along these lines.

THERE IS A LOT OF LOVE AT WIMBELEMDON, A LOT OF LOVE.

Nowadays, the project has matured, but it still can’t walk alone. For two years, we were ranked amongst the top 100 NGOs in the country and we nearly closed because we lacked the funds. We have come a long way, we are renowned, and the level of expectation has risen. The most important thing, in addition to the values, is having constant support throughout all these years. And we have managed to have regular support now. This helps a lot with planning”.