Aracruz

Sustainability Report 2004

Economic and social aspects

Social action | Social Action and Citizenship

Among the main educational projects run or supported by the Company in 2004, the following were notable:

Formar – Aracruz has been running a program for training gradeschool teachers in partnership with the Interdisciplinary Education Network (Ried) and the city government of municipalities in the north of Espírito Santo since 1997. Over 671 new diplomas were awarded in 2004, totaling approximately 5,000 diplomas under the Formar program, training 100% of the grade school teaching staff in 10 municipalities.
Forming Citizens – In partnership with the Christian Engagement Service (SECRI) of Vitória (ES), this project seeks to boost the school performance of 130 children and teenagers assisted by the Faith through Action program.
Children of the Earth – Initially Aracruz was intensely involvedin the development of educational and vocational activities, in partnership with the University of Linhares (ES) and the city government, designed to ensure the social inclusion of 100 socially vulnerable youngsters from Linhares. Following the project’s success, it has continued its support by boosting the income of the local community through the purchase of native species and eucalyptus seedlings from the project’s nursery.
Rehabilitate – Partnership with the Pestalozzi Society of Teixeira de Freitas (BA) for the rehabilitation of physically and/or mentally handicapped children, teenagers and adults into society. The program helped 171 people and enabled the construction of two classrooms and the expansion of the lunchroom, which allowed another 48 people to be accommodated.
Student of the Future – The project aims to awaken anentrepreneurial spirit and enable basic vocational training for public school students from Posto da Mata (BA), in partnership with the Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), the local Trade and Industry Association (ACIPM) and the Nova Viçosa city government. Since 2002, 60 students from the public school system have received business skills training, totaling 180 high school students during this period. The information technology module was added in 2004, allowing students access to the Internet.
University for All – A college entrance preparation course forlow-income public school students, in partnership with the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), the Ceciliano Abel de Almeida Foundation, Companhia Siderúrgica de Tubarão, and the city governments of Vitória, da Serra and Linhares, among others. The project was launched in 2004 with over 1,000 students and ended with 950 students, 683 of who passed the 1st stage of the UFES 2004/2005 entrance exam. 268 students were approved in the final stage of the exam. Aracruz sponsored one of the classes of the project. The company’s volunteer program helped six teenagers, all former members of the Arcel and Portocel Apprentice program, to take part in the University for All project through allowances for transport, text books, meals and extra-curricular lessons.
Araçá – Seeks to ensure the social inclusion of socially vulnerable youngsters from the city of São Mateus (ES) through educational, cultural and vocational workshops. The outcome of a partnership with the São Mateus city government, state and federal governments and Petrobrás, a total of 476 students were assisted in 2004, some of them also enrolled in the Eradication of Child Labor Program (PETI).
Berimbau – Following the example set by Araçá, this socio-educational program in partnership with the Nova Viçosa city government, in Bahia, works to ensure the social inclusion of 40 youngsters.
Apiculture – This program has a double objective: the donation of honey produced in the forest plantations to institutions helping the handicapped in Rio Grande do Sul and the promotion of income generation through the Solidarity Beekeeping Program in communities in the Company’s forest areas in Bahia and Espírito Santo, in partnership with local, small farmers associations. In Rio Grande do Sul 3,068 kg of honey were distributed in 2004 to Associations of Parents and Friends of Mentally Handicapped Children in five municipalities and to special classes from the Inácio de Quadros and Darci Berbigier schools. A pilot project was launched in Aracruz, Espírito Santo involving local beekeepers’ associations, initially benefiting four beekeepers producing 250 kg of honey. The project is currently being set up in Bahia with the backing and partnership of the state government.
Professional Training at the Guaíba Unit – aims to train 10 students at the company’s own facilities in cooperation with the Projeto Pescar Foundation. An accord with the NGO was signed in 2004, a teaching curriculum was approved for classes of up to 15 students and high-risk social areas mapped. The courses were transferred to the following year.
Workshop Project and technical courses – Designed to train technicians through pulp and papermaking courses, in partnership with the Gomes Jardim Educational Institute and Sawmill and Basic Electricity (Workshop Project), in conjunction with the SESI-RS and Sindus. In 2004, the Workshop Project trained its seventh class, with 10 persons enrolled. Aracruz offered trainee positions and equipped the Educational Institute’s laboratory, benefiting 30 trainees.
Morro da Vargem Zen Buddhist Monastery Environmental Education Center – Since 1994, around 200,000 visitors have taken part in the environmental education activities run by the Monastery and primarily targeted towards schools and community leaders from Espírito Santo. Some 20 activities were offered in 2004, seven of which involved training in environmental initiatives for 2,050 people from all age ranges; 1,200 ecological pamphlets were distributed to students; visits were received from 11,928 students from the public and private school systems; 6,500 people visited the monastery on Sundays; two training halls were built along with an eastern exit on the BR-101 highway; a book of cooking recipes with a print run of 3,000 copies was republished; and seminars, shows, exhibitions and workshops were held.
School Notebooks – The program distributes school notebooks to students in public grade schools in 25 municipalities located in areas of Rio Grande do Sul where the Company has operations. In 2004, the program distributed 360,000 notebooks to 120,000 public school children in 24 municipalities where Aracruz is active, while the program as a whole has already distributed around 4.2 million notebooks since 1990.
Make the World Green – Explains forest management practices and provides general information on plants, in addition to distributing native, ornamental and fruit tree seedlings in Rio Grande do Sul. The program has already distributed 2.3 million seedlings since its launch in 1979.
Digit@l Space – Promotes professional training and the elimination of digital exclusion through the support for the assembly and maintenance of IT classrooms for use by 1,500 students per year. This project was fully implemented in 2004 and was run in partnership with the Forest Industry Workers Unions in the municipalities of Aracruz, Ibiraçu, Fundão, João Neiva and Serra (ES), the Forest Agriculture and Wood Planting, Treatment, Extraction and Processing Workers Union of the Extreme South of Bahia, the Workers Union for employees involved with firewood extraction in the municipalities of São Mateus, Pedro Canário, Montanha, Pinheiro, Conceição da Barra, Jaguaré, Rio Bananal and Linhares (ES) and the Highway Workers Union.
Citizenship Space Project – This project involves the establishment and maintenance of medical and dental offices to serve approximately 1,800 people, in partnership with the same entities involved in the Digit@l Space project.
The Awaken/Training Project for healthcare multipliers – Offers short courses to community healthcare agents focused on people with handicaps, as well as lectures for rural communities on DST/AIDS, alcohol, drugs and parasitic diseases. The project is run in partnership with APAE Vitória, aiming to create multiplying agents in the states of Espírito Santo and Bahia. Over the year, 23 lectures were given involving 1,101 people, and seven mini-courses for 227 healthcare agents were taught.
BrincArte Project- dencourages/supports the children and teenagers participating in art and woodworking workshops in professional training projects supported by the Company. In association with Community Action of Espírito Santo (ACES), some 3,000 educational toys are produced by the participants themselves using Lyptus wood and distributed to children enrolled in the Company’s social projects.
Holiday season cards - the program encourages artisticexpression of children in the public school system and participants in social projects that Aracruz supports. The best drawings are selected to illustrate the company’s holiday season cards, produced by Community Action of Brazil. The objective is to generate income for the social institutions involved.