Autor: Baobá - Fundo para Equidade Racial

The black population has always undertaken it. Faced with so many challenges and structural racism itself, he had to learn in practice how to create his own businesses, even without incentives or public policies that could meet so many needs.

Blacks and blacks are protagonists when it comes to innovation and a way of undertaking. With business models that really impact the communities where they are inserted, they make a difference with more circular and community formats that run away from traditional capitalist logic.

But have these entrepreneurs managed to keep their businesses active in the midst of the pandemic? What were the biggest challenges? What incentive policies were created or not to support these business leaders working in the communities that were most impacted by the pandemic?

Thinking about the most diverse challenges that were presented and that still extend throughout the country, the Baobá Fund for Racial Equity, in partnership with Coca Cola Foundation, Coca Cola Brazil Institute, BV and Votorantim Institute, launched in November 2020 the Program for Economic Recovery of Small BusinessEs of Black Entrepreneurs.

Together with Fa.vela – an entrepreneurial, innovative, digital and inclusive education and learning hub – we followed 46 initiatives and 137 entrepreneurs from all over Brazil throughout 2021, and they received financial support of R$30,000 per initiative.

With consultancies, workshops and processes of exchange and learning in a virtual way, we understand the power to financially support these enterprises, reaching the end of 2021 celebrating the permanence of these small businesses, which not only strengthen the ecosystem of Afroentrepreneurship in Brazil, but also of all the territorialities where they operate.

 

Why support black enterprises?

With a wide diversity of business, we can once again notice the creative powers that come from the edges of both cities and countryside, which still suffers from racism in our country.

More than half of the Brazilian population is black, composed of about 56% black and brown. Of these, ibge (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) estimates that at least 14 million are entrepreneurs. A market that moves up to 1.73 trillion of the country’s economy annually.

With the pandemic, the entire business ecosystem has been shaken. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Survey (GEM 2020), conducted in Brazil in partnership with Sebrae (Brazilian Service for Support to Micro and Small Enterprises) and IBPQ (Brazilian Institute of Quality and Productivity), showed that, from 2019 to 2020, the number of entrepreneurs in Brazil fell from 53.4 million to 43.9 million.

But if there is a niche that suffered even more, this was certainly that of small entrepreneurs, especially black and peripheral:

The research “The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on small businesses”, developed by Sebrae in partnership with the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) with 7,403 entrepreneurs, in June 2020, shows that businesses led by the black population were the most impacted, mainly because they serve essentially in person (45%). Among whites, the proportion was 36%.

Of all the interviewees, 70% of the businesses were conducted by blacks who lived in municipalities where the partial or total closure of the establishments occurred. In this scenario, the majority were young, women and with a low level of education.

The necessary isolation to brake the new coronavirus came full of difficulties for the maintenance of the business itself. The same survey indicates that 46% of black-led enterprises had to temporarily stop operating.

In the midst of a crisis scenario, black entrepreneurs still had more refusal when borrowing (61%) when compared to whites (55%), even the amount requested by blacks ($28,000) was 26% lower than whites ($37,000).

Taking this scenario into consideration, our goal with the Economic Recovery Program was to support black entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs from the peripheries to go through this moment of crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the end of the program, we carried out a process of evaluation of results, with the objective of telling how these women and men, distributed throughout all corners of Brazil, are making a difference in their territories. Even in the face of an economic crisis, they continue to turn the local economy, in addition to multiplying their knowledge and services to others and new entrepreneurs.

 

Evaluation paths

To arrive at the results of the program, we have the support of an external consultancy, Window 8, and we have traveled some paths together with supporters, performers and participants of the program. The first step was the analysis of information and documents collected during the program, such as the survey of registrations and other databases of participants in the production processes, narrative reports and accountability prepared by the entrepreneurs themselves.

The reports prepared by the Fa.vela Hub were also important references to arrive at the details of the evaluation, and also to define the main points of transformation desired by the program through a Theory of Change.

The Theory of Change allowed delimiting the desired impact of the program: the promotion of a dignified life for black subjects and families through the improvement of their financial conditions. In addition, the main results, products, interventions and target audience were highlighted, as well as the premises of the program.

From there, interviews were conducted with stakeholders and listening groups with program participants. The data and information collected were analyzed and consolidated in a full report and in an executive summary (available for download here).

 

Profile of participants

“There are no edicts that support the northeast and the black population,” was a recurring phrase in the evaluation process of the program.

Understanding the importance of geographic diversity and the reality of initiatives located in the north and northeast, with support below what they need, the Economic Recovery Program prioritized these regions in the selection of entrepreneurs.

The Northeast is the place where most of the selected initiatives are concentrated, especially Bahia (37%). To speak in territory at this time of pandemic is to remember that Covid-19 has not affected populations only in the highest peaks of the disease, but also economically, including in the post-first wave of the disease.

With unemployment hitting record highs in 2021, many people have had to resort to formal work or else raise their own means of survival and sustainability. The program was important for supporting businesses of people who work mainly alone (44%) or with their families (31%). In addition, more than 60% of the supported enterprises employed at least one (one) person in their activity (informally or formally) during the implementation of the Program.

 

Black women: business leaders

We selected 46 initiatives composed of three black entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs throughout Brazil, covering a whole 137 entrepreneurs. The main age group of participation is between 25 and 35 years (43%), followed by people who are between 36 and 50 years old (36%). More than half of the enterprises (56%) are made up exclusively of women, showing how the program mainly impacted black women.

In relation to schooling, there was an important distribution among people with different levels of education: 25% have completed high school, 24% have completed higher education and 26% have completed higher education.

 

Entrepreneurship from the peripheries

Among the businesses supported by the program, most fall into four segments:

food (19%), crafts (13%), agriculture (12%), sewing (12%) and beauty (8%). The Program also supported initiatives in the areas of fashion and clothing, tourism, health, communication, culture and events, education, fishing and service delivery.

The contemplated initiatives are located mainly in urban areas (73%) and in the peripheries (77%), showing the importance, once again, of local businesses.

Being in the peripheries also symbolized a challenge, given the long distances, since some initiatives opted for the delivery format, requiring thinking means of transport for these deliveries, as we can see in this statement.

“We had already started the project and the project gave an incentive for us to continue. In this time of pandemic we had to take a break from the service because of the agglomerations. We had to pause a year and a half. Another idea came up that we had so as not to be totally stopped. We had the idea to deliver cake, but the city is 8 km from our community. The project came about in an hour of great challenge, improved the initiative.”

 

The impact on communities

The entrepreneurs related to their communities in the most different ways, either by disseminating content, by sharing the learning acquired throughout the program or, then, supporting the donation of basic baskets in the face of food insecurity that was imposed through out the Brazilian territory in the midst of the health crisis.

According to the reports of entrepreneurs, at least 16% say that their communities are an important consumer public. In addition, 27% of businesses generate jobs in the territory, as we can see when we hear some reports like this: “We were able to give more visibility, increase the workforce and increase the space. With the larger space, it gave more visibility and attracted more audience. It made a big difference. Today our initiative is more able to receive the public that we are receiving today. We can also help more people in the community,” they point out.

The program was a great promoter of the feeling of belonging in relation to the community, since there was an incentive to look around and think about the business through the local population, in addition to strengthening the territories themselves, as one of the entrepreneurs says: “For us, it is important the impact of our activities and enterprises on the community,   because we believe we can grow together. Therefore, we carry out workshops, trainings, conversation wheels improving the techniques of each entrepreneur and dialoguing knowledge with the community.”

 

Program findings and powers

From the arrival of the program to the evaluation process, black and black entrepreneurs were acquiring several learnings, able to ensure the survival of their business and also expand the impact they already had on their locations.

According to the business leaders themselves, 3,020 people living in the communities close to the projects were indirectly benefited, as the program positively fostered the spirit of belonging to the communities where they are inserted and encouraged local actions.

Throughout the program, formative processes were the heart of the journey. In total, 447 hours were dedicated to learning, 282 of which were dedicated to mentoring customized each business.

Since the peripheries are already known spaces of knowledge sharing – a practice inherited by the experience lived in community by quilombos and indigenous territories – in the program this experience of sharing learning was also evident in the testimonies collected.

Entrepreneurs narrated the realization of actions to disseminate content and resources to the communities where they are inserted, which contributed to this expansion on a larger scale of the program, also strengthening the ties of business, especially among black women.

Mentoring was also beneficial to broaden understanding of projects, defines priorities, ask questions and also carry out longer-term planning, since the program has brought these people tools about entrepreneurial practice.

According to the participants’ reports, 69% stated that they had overcome the main challenges they had at the beginning of the program. In addition, there was a 22% increase in business formalization.

All this occurred from the expansion of awareness about the importance of key elements for the maintenance and continuation of the business, such as documentation, accountability and communication planning.

 

Far beyond the program: subjectivities under construction

If there is one element that has crossed the entire Brazilian society in the midst of the pandemic, this was certainly internet access. Whether to be close to family or friends or, to access basic rights, such as Emergency Assistance, the internet proved fundamental.

The country, however, still has a great challenge when we talk about access, especially in territories further away from the central regions. This scenario was no different when we looked at the reality of the entrepreneurs contemplated in the program.

At least 82% of them claim that, with the program, they managed to overcome the challenges and inserted their business into the virtual universe, making digital inclusion one of the great gains of the program, since it was allowed to invest in the purchase of computers or internet points.

It is possible to understand the importance of the program when listening to the entrepreneurs themselves. “We had no prospect of anything. We had a business that started gradually. With the edict I went a long time without believing what had happened. We bought raw materials, equipment we needed.”

 

The challenges of black women who undertake

When we talk about entrepreneurship, it is important to remember that, even full of creativity and great ideas, the black population still faces structural challenges to access the entrepreneurship market.

This fact could also be noticed during the realization of the project, given the fact that many people could not devote themselves entirely to their business, because they needed to supplement the income in various ways, not having time to focus on their personal project. Of the entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs supported, 53% had in the enterprise a complementary source of income and for 47% the business was the main source of income. Somehow, the program also managed to support these people, who in some cases were about to give up investing time in their ideas.

About this, they reflect on the difficulties of living in their own business. “We know that black women making money, we are often there trying to make our business become our main source of income, but we have other employment relationships to be able to supplement the income.”

 

Mental Health and Self-Esteem of the Black Population

The mental health and self-esteem of black women are also unmeasured impacts that are worth noting, because they say about the personal strengthening of these leaders and the possibility of continuing their projects with autonomy.

“We didn’t believe that a project could target black and poor people without wanting anything in return. We didn’t believe we’d have visibility,” says one of the entrepreneurs heard.

When we heard the public supported by the project, the racial issue was also in evidence. For them and them, the program was a way to reflect once again on the racial prejudices they experience as black people, including to undertake, becoming a limiting person of their own work.

For one of them, if there’s a way to “hit the system in the face” is when black women can show their abilities. “It is when we put the face to the slap and prove that it is possible, especially us, women, black, young, rural, maroons. It has a whole baggage that is out of the pattern of a society that is prejudiced the way it is ours,” he points out.

 

Impact and continuous learning process

More than financial resources, it is confirmed the importance of uniting entrepreneurs with tools that enable them to continue their business, even after the end of resources equal to those of the program.

“The edict did not only give money, also taught how to follow, showed other paths,” pointed out some of the entrepreneurs heard and heard.

Showing paths of autonomy, especially financial, and ways of undertaking that continue the central idea is a way to continue impacting both the enterprises and the communities themselves. Among the preferred courses are those related to financial issues, in addition to sales and digital marketing. At least 68% of the participants stated that they had learned from the program.

“Money was something we lacked. Having an edict that would allow us to move in some way was very good. When we found out that the formative processes were still going to take place, it was very much married to what we had already been talking about. The project has already come with a complete package. They were the three ideal routes that we didn’t even expect, but it was in the package. “

 

Final reflections

The program met a real demand for increased vulnerability of the small and nano entrepreneur, caused by the worsening of the pandemic, and may realize that, even the objective being economic recovery, the project also had indirect and personal impacts for each selected person.

Even though it is not possible to measure how financial resources will continue to collaborate for the maintenance of the business, with the end of the program, it is possible to say that mentors and consultancies have mainly strengthened entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs with essential knowledge to continue following with their ventures.

We highlight that it is always important to consider the aspects of development of personal skills and abilities, as these are the greatest highlights at the end of the project, also influencing the continuity of entrepreneurial activities after intervention.

 

We highlight some of the greatest results:

# 46 initiatives and 137 entrepreneurs directly impacted

#3,020 people linked to the communities of the enterprises were impacted indirectly, with 77% of the initiatives concentrated in the peripheries.

# 88% of entrepreneurs said they use part of the resource to acquire electronic equipment to participate in the virtual activities of the program

#40% of the expenses included in the category other expenses are related to courses and /or technical consultancies to support the business, which demonstrates how these and these entrepreneurs are thinking about their business also in the medium and long term.

# At least 68% of participants stated that they had learned from the program. There were 447 hours of training, 282 of which were dedicated to mentoring customized to each business.

# 69% of entrepreneurs overcame the main challenges they had at the beginning of the program.

# There was a 22% increase in business formalization.

# At least 82% of them said that, with the program, they managed to overcome the challenges and inserted their business into the virtual universe.

# 78% acquired raw material and performed acquisition or maintenance of equipment.

# 75% bought from community suppliers and 57% declared that the clientele increased considerably.

# The Baobab Fund Notice was, for many, the first opportunity to mobilize external resources, impacting the participants’ self-confidence.

# The statements of strengthening among black women appeared spontaneously in the evaluation process, showing the importance of actions to increase self-esteem and self-confidence.

# The creation of networking networks among entrepreneurs from different locations in this time of crisis can be seen as one of the greatest subjective and qualitative gains of the project.

Black philanthropy must mobilize to exercise the donation, aiming to promote projects that work racial equity and social justice for the black population.

By Wagner Prado

 November 30, 2021 is considered a historic mark for the Baoba Fund for Racial Equity. In the year it completed 10 years of activities, Baoba Fund, the only fund dedicated exclusively to the promotion of racial equity for the black population in Brazil, launched its Giving Circle. And why is the brand historic? The Baoba Fund is an organization commanded by black people and engaged in issues related to the Brazilian black people. The Giving Circle created by Baoba is the first in the country and the only one that has blacks in the lead. Baoba Fund is planting a seed so that black philanthropy can be up and strong in Brazil. The mission of the Baoba Fund is to provide financial resources, which provide support so that programs, projects, initiatives of organizations, groups and collectives black or by Baoba itself are implemented. From 2014 to 2021, Baoba invested approximately R$ 15 million in 833 black initiatives, including emergency support in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indirectly, it has impacted more than half a million lives nationwide.

➜ Black Women’s Leadership Development Acceleration Program: Marielle Franco – aims to make collectives and groups of black women strengthened in all their capacities, in addition to developing the potential to strengthen the leadership of black women. The supporting partners are Ford Foundation, Ibirapitanga Institute, Kellogg Foundation and Open Society Foundation.

➜ Program JA É: Education and Racial Equity – aims to provide scholarships in preparatory courses for the entrance exam. The program also offers vocational guidance and psychosocial support, transportation voucher, meal and internet, for black youth, aged between 17 and 25 years, living in the city of São Paulo or Greater São Paulo. The school trajectory of these students has to have been done in a public school. In the first year of support, the partners were Citi Foundation, Demarest Lawyers and Amadi Technology.

➜ Black Lives, Dignity and Justice – is intended to support initiatives of organizations, social movements, black collectives that seek to develop practical actions to combat racism, systemic violence and criminal injustices in Brazil. The three examples of edicts, launched between 2019 and 2021, give an idea of the importance of carrying out the act of donation so that an incalculable number of people can benefit from responsible social actions.

 

Giving Circle

The Philanthropy for Racial Equity Program is an initiative that aims to promote the values of philanthropy for racial equity and will be based on the following criteria: Consistency, Sustainability, Coherence and Trust. They will be invited to be part of national and international black leaders, influential in their areas of activity. They will be responsible for leading the first Giving Circle for Racial Equity in Brazil. In addition, they will play a fundamental role in raising the prominence of black people in Brazilian philanthropy. It will also be up to these leaders to support the Baoba Fund in expanding the relationship and engagement of individual donors in potential donations between R$ 5,000 and R$ 50,000, according to the level of engagement.  The goal will be to increase the transformative impact of investment in black organizations that work throughout Brazil and that contribute to the fight against racism. Periodic meetings will be held with donors to:– strengthen the culture of donation in favor of combating racism,– promoting black leaders,– inspiring new donors,– sharing stories and celebrating the results achieved from donations. The Philanthropy for Racial Equity Seal will be made available to all black leaders who are part of the Giving Circle.

 

Synonymous with engagement and big donor

For most people, formula one world champion Lewis Hamilton is a driver who has already put his name into history. At the end of 2021, he received the title of Sir from the Government of England, and was officially recognised as a Knight of the Order of the British Empire, which confers on him a status of nobility. Hamilton was the eighth highest-paid sportsman in the world in 2021, according to a survey by Forbes magazine, having reached $82 million in revenues (nearly $425 million).  Hamilton’s political activism and status as a millionaire sportsman come together in the sense of social co-responsibility. The sports star invests part of what he earns in Education. Lewis Hamilton’s goal is to contribute to structural issues that prevent equal access to educational means, especially with regard to black students. “Any young person on the planet deserves the same right to receive a great education. Families should not consider careers for their children thinking: Well, this career does not serve, because there is no way to mu son enter this area. There’s no one who looks like us in this area. So, the representation is an important achievement”, said the heptacampeão in an interview in November, when he competed and won in São Paulo the Brazilian GP.

 

An idea that makes greater sense if you’re part of the link

The theme remains philanthropy. First, however, let us resort to etymology: a study that defines the origin and evolution of words. So the origin of philanthropy lies in the junction of two Greek words. Phylums, which means friendship, love, and anthropo, humanity. Love for humanity can be exercised in many ways. The gathering of people aiming for the well-being of others is one of them. And the privilege of this meeting does not involve only people with better purchasing power. Those who cannot contribute financially can do so in other ways. That’s what the donation is called. The donation can be defined as one of the collaboration tools that takes advantage of small, medium and large amounts offered and are directed to social actions. But it’s not just money that makes a donation. It can also occur with hours of volunteer work in the most different ways.

 

Philanthropy for Social Justice and Racial Equity

The model of economic development that has become entrenched in the world throughout history has weakened people individually. Aspects such as justice, dignity and equality were forgotten so that others, of infinitely lesser value, would take their places. Inequality in various sectors is causing people to reunite seeking a common strengthening. They are even trying to escape official assistance, which directs and directs a help, but does not take people out of the mass grave. That’s changing. Communities are taking science of their power of movement and articulation. They no longer want to receive funds that are used to maintain the status of those who already hold power and see the vulnerable as eternally bordering on exclusion. The masses want power too. What philanthropy for social justice and racial equity aims at is to get power back to these masses and reach the black masses. Through donations, a whole contingent of excluded people will be valued and will achieve well-being in education, well-being at work, well-being in health, well-being in housing. Above all, you will achieve respect and will be respected.

 

Giving Circles History

One of the ways philanthropists have designed to gather sums that could sponsor the common good are the Giving Circles. From the beginning of the 19th century (1800 to 1899), American society began to move around the formation of associations that aimed at the social good. The father of this is the French thinker and politician Alexis Tocqueville (1805-1859). For him, equality between people was the main feature of democracy and the egalitarian development of society would be a process that could not be stopped. American entrepreneur and author Kevin Eikenberry defined The Giving circles: “Giving circles are voluntary groups that allow individuals to raise their money (and sometimes their time as volunteers) to support organizations of mutual interest. They also offer opportunities for education and engagement among participants about philanthropy and social change, connecting them to charities, their communities, and each other.” When Eikenberry talks about education opportunities, this refers directly to the formation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), which began to be formed in the second half of the 1800s in the United States. They were instituted to lead the African-American population to higher education. Today, there are more than 100, most of them originating from Giving circles.  A fact that illustrates well the action of Giving circles and philanthropists linked to them occurred at Morehouse College (an HBCU) in Atlanta (Georgia) in 2020. Black American billionaire Robert F. Smith, owner of Vista Equit Partnes, who is a technology activist who campaigns for the anti-racist cause and whose personal assets exceed $7 billion, attended morehouse students’ graduation. There, he announced a $40 million donation to pay off the student debts of all graduates.  

 

Brazilian painting

Although the world has been suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic for two years, some positive aspects should be highlighted. The culture of donation in Brazil has grown in the last five years, according to research published by the Institute of Social Development (IDIS).” The impact of the pandemic, which forced some people to retire in their homes ended up harming mainly those who choose to donate work and not finances. In any case, Brazilian society is more aware of the work of institutions that seek philanthropy to obtain resources and be able to activate their projects.    The Baoba Fund for Racial Equity, working for 10 years seeking to expand the opportunities for individual and collective development for the black Brazilian population in the areas of Education, Labor, Employment and Income, Health, Access to Justice, believes that its contribution is fundamental so that we can transform mentalities and generate fair opportunities. The investments made through programs and projects by the Baobá Fund, its results and the way to donate for this social transformation to continue being carried out are on the baoba.org.br

For the market, the effectiveness of a project can be scaled in several ways: grandeur, profitability, reach, number of involved (direct and indirect beneficiaries). In the projects and programs created by the Baobab Fund for Racial Equity, the analysis is based on factors that are far beyond the coldness of spreadsheets, huge numbers, sometimes lifeless and without history. The fact that Baobab’s projects and programs are focused on development and social justice makes the eye on the eye, the personal relationship, the small and the great individual changes, and so many other aspects, into something much more than relevant.

The Black Women’s Leadership Acceleration Program: Marielle Franco, launched in September 2019, in its first edition, had two edicts. The first, aimed at the support of groups, collectives and organizations of black women. The second, individual support for black leaders. Here, we will focus on the 14 organizations chosen from the 15 that were selected. Here we will focus on 3 of the 14 organizations that followed until the end of the Program (originally 15 organizations, groups and collectives selected).

The objective of the edict is to make the collectives, organizations and groups of black women strengthened in all their capacities, know and further develop their potential, increasing the leadership of black women. From this, mobilize and engage other people and institutions in the search for justice, racial and social equity. The Program is a partnership of the Baobab Fund with the Kellogg Foundation, Ibirapitanga Institute, Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations.

To exemplify the transformations that occurred with the organizations that participated in the Program, we invited three of them to dialogue: Abayomi – Collective of Black Women in Paraíba; Ginga Suburb Women’s Movement (Salvador, Bahia) and the Black Women’s Network of Pernambuco. 

Abayomi/PB acts in the protection and promotion of women’s rights. including confronting violence. Ginga/BA and the Black Women’s Network of Pernambuco are aligned with the same thematic area. The variation is in the design that each presented.

The Paraiba press conference Abayomi signed up with the Project Obirim Dudu: Moving Structures Against Racism.  It consists in the production and dissemination of information on the conditions of black women in Paraíba, with the objective of contributing to the fight against racial issues, ensuring intellectual support and, consequently, material, and strengthening the institutional of organizations. Ginga brought the Project Black Women, Elaborating Strategies, Strengthening Knowledge, which sought to instrumentalize entities to compete, more equitably, to raise funds through edicts. The general objective was to train women working in social movements and leaders of entities in favor of other women, especially black women, in fundraising, through training in the elaboration of social intervention projects in Salvador and the metropolitan region. The Black Women’s Network of Pernambuco implemented Olori: Black and Peripheral Women Producing Leadership, whose focus was to promote a process of political formation for several women aiming at the construction of a collective project in the future. The first step was the institutional strengthening of three organizations that already operated in partnership so that they could be able to offer these courses of political training and technical training to the militants, who will be future leaders. 

 

Transformation

Applying in an edict from the Baobab Fund is not simply getting the rating and receiving the financial allocation. The organization knows from the first moment that it will undergo an intense process of transformation.  In the case of the Black Female Leadership Acceleration Program: Marielle Franco, the goal at the end of five years, the expected time for the duration of the Program, is to have a range of organizations, collectives and groups of black women strengthened in its most diverse functionalities, which will enhance and generate greater prominence of entities commanded by black women.

In order to enhance the action of these organizations and promote networkaction, formative activities were implemented. The Ngo Criola and the Amma Psique and Negritude Institute were facilitators of this implementation.  With Criola there were 14 meetings, lasting 3 hours each, from April to November 2020, which were about racism, sexism, lesbo and transphobia, public policies and social control, black female leadership, activist security. Each of these meetings had an average audience of 90 people. Amma, on the other hand, worked on the issue of confronting racism and its psychosocial effects. There were 5 meetings, also lasting 3 hours each, with an average audience of 20 people per class in each of them. Three classes were made available.

For the leaders of the individual support notice, coach sessions were offered to support and ensure the implementation of their individual development projects, in addition to the training activities mentioned above.

The Baoba Fund also scheduled and held virtual meetings (individual and group) to meet to awaken and strengthen potentials. From March to December 2021, there were 190 individualized visits and another 700, by message and telephone, denigring doubts, overturning insecurity and clarifying uncertainties arising mainly in the context of the pandemic. The meetings and attendances contributed so that they could create favorable conditions to achieve their individual and collective goals.

 

Partnerships

Achieving excellence requires effort, focus, resilience and unity.  For barriers that arise in journeys of transformation to be overcome, acting in isolation is not the best way. Establishing partnerships is extremely important. The leaders supported individually or collectively by the Black Female Leadership Acceleration Program: Marielle Franco reiterated that the search for partners (or the strengthening of established partnerships) is something that can enable the achievement of results, given the experiences that can be shared, responsibilities that can be shared, skills that can be complemented, external connections that can be achieved,  financial contribution that can be generated, in addition to many other variables. Among the 14 organizations chosen, 43% acknowledged having expanded their capacity to mobilize new partners; 36% said this capacity was under full construction and 7% were unanimous in the diagnosis that the ability to mobilize new partners was full.

Among the individually supported black female leaders, the establishment of partnerships aimed at achieving the intended objectives was total.  365 supported firmed partnerships with institutions; 187, with individuals and 85% reported having joined others also supported.

 

Looking to the future

After the journey of learning and transformation and aware of its new potentialities, making future projections of growth and achievements became the goal of these organizations.

 

Abayomi:

“The support of the Baobab Fund designed us as an organization capable of executing projects and showed us to other supporters. Therefore, we intend to follow this path of claiming other financing to sustain our political action. Our plans for the next 12 months are, from the project (approved) of the FBDH (Brazil Human Rights Fund), the continuity of actions in the territories, institutional strengthening and the maintenance of political articulations and mobilizations together with local, regional and national organizations and movements. In our planning is the sending of project proposals for the production of content and information and conducting courses and training. We also intend to incorporate the issue of violence against black women and black health as priorities for the next two years,” said Durvalina Rodrigues Lima, the organization’s representative.

 

Ginga Suburb Women’s Movement: 

“Based on the learning acquired with the execution of this project, we will launch ourselves in more complex edicts, with greater security about management. This experience also provided us with new articulations and networkactions, which we intend to continue, such as the realization of monthly lives with representatives of the entities that make up this new established network, for dialogue on themes aligned with the objectives of our collective. We are starting the community garden project, with the support of Terra Vida Soluções Ecológicas, from the urban composting system, which can contribute so that our group can become a reference point in the territory, as a multiplier of sustainable practices”, says Carine Lustosa, member of Ginga.

 

Network of Black Women of Pernambuco:

“Female Citizenship – maintain dialogue with the women who participated in the formations, to contribute to the strengthening of these leaders in their territories. Exercise the learning about organizational planning in the activities and actions of the institution. Seek and compete for notices for presentation of projects. Women’s Space – seek partnerships. With the possibility of the CNPJ we will seek edicts for our financial sustainability. And we will continue what we already do: caring, welcoming, supporting and strengthening women not only in the group, but also in the community of Passarinho,” says Rosita Maria Marques, of the Network’s management.

 

Impacts

The actions promoted by the organizations Abayomi – Collective of Black Women in Paraíba;  The Ginga (Salvador) Women’s Movement and the Black Women’s Network of Pernambuco give the idea of the impact that they and the other 11 organizations have had on the communities of the territories in which they operate.  The work carried out by them reached 20,066 people, 17,056 women (85%) and 3,010 men (15%). Knowledge sharing and learning actions reached 9,741 black people (women and men – 74%) and 3,370 non-black (26%).

 

Indirect Beneficiaries – collective support notice

Among other achievements, Abayomi has achieved: a) greater circulation of information about the black population to subsidize the fight against racism; b) strengthened communities and the broadening of the debate on the conditions of black women in the context of the pandemic; c) maintained the articulation with different activists and organizations, including the Aya Minicourse.

Ginga promoted: a) training of women working in social movements and leaders of entities for women, especially black women; b) training in the preparation of social intervention projects in Salvador and metropolitan region; c) the course promoted by Ginga was adapted to the remote format, due to the pandemic of Covid-19, making it possible to reach entities from the interior of the state.

The Black Women’s Network of Pernambuco organized: a) political training processes to increasingly qualify their own activities and support the emergence of other leaders and references; b) political training process with women of the entities Espaço Mulher e Cidadania Feminina and executed a project collectively for the first time; c) the awakening of leadership in their leaders, who overcame the fear of working virtually, handling digital platforms.

The projects conceived by the organizations, groups and collectives of black women supported by the Black Women’s Leadership Acceleration Program: Marielle Franco indirectly benefited 20,505 people, at different stages of the life cycle, inside and outside the country, living in urban and rural areas, with or without access to formal education. These, of course, will have the power to influence many others, from the relationships that have been established and from the knowledge they have managed to achieve.

 

Gratitude

Sulamita Rosa da Silva, graduated in Pedagogy and Master’s degree in Education from the Federal University of Acre (Ufac) and phD student in Education from the University of São Paulo, was awarded the individual support notice of the Black Women’s Leadership Acceleration Program: Marielle Franco. Leader of the Women’s Network – Network of Formations for Black, Afro Indigenous and Indigenous people of Acre, demonstrates his gratitude for the support received: “I shared learning and knowledge in the form of courses, events, podcasts, publications among others, contributing to the communication and memory of black intellectuals, who contributed so much to the understanding of Brazilian culture in a decolonial way. I also developed podcasts as a way of popularizing scientific knowledge, in addition to beginning to articulate academic writing with black feminist thinking, aiming at an emancipatory and self-defined education. I had a short narrative published in the book – Carolinas: the new generation of Brazilian black writers, the result of the formative process of the Literary Festival of the Periphery (Flup), with 180 black authors from all over Brazil”, he said.

In the notice that selected 63 women and, in the end, had 59 supported, the states of the Northeast (Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe) concentrated the largest number of supported: 26. Supported black female leaders shared learning sprees with more than 500,000 people in their professional, study and militancy networks. Among the people reached are non-binary, transgenic and transvestite people, maroons, migrants, refugees, adults, adolescents, young and old.

Baobab Fund for Racial Equity did a work of analysis and tabulation of data of the Program of Acceleration of Female Leaders: Marielle Franco. For more details, please visit this link.