The Humanitarian Fraternity (FIHF), in partnership with Operation Welcome, continues to work with the indigenous immigrant populations coming from Venezuela and Guiana, and with Brazilian communities, at the IndigenousCultural and Training Center (ICTC), in the city of Boa Vista, Roraima. ICTC’s proposal is to establish a space for coexistence among the different ethnicities so they are able to preserve their cultural identity, strengthen their own capabilities, and at the same time, encouraging development, providing them with access to new knowledge.
Activities of the ICTC
Continuous Training Program for Development
In March, the Program for Continuous Training for Development was started, the objective was to encourage the integral development of participants through knowledge, the improvement of skills relevant to their journey and their productive insertion into the world of work, so they can achieve autonomy, taking on responsibility and participation in their personal and collective life. The CTPD is made up of three phases:
INTERCULTURAL INDIGENOUS MEETING EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE ON TRADITIONAL MEDICINE: The event gathered together indigenous representatives of the Warao, Macuxi, Wapichana, Taurepand, Akawaio, Saterê and Kariña, who had the opportunity of learning to make artisan bars of soap with clay and herbs.
- INDIGENOUS ARTISTS MEETING: Three indigenous artists met to interact and exchange experiences on painting techniques. Their paintings will be exhibited, as expressions of their cultures, in the Art Gallery to be set up in the ICTC structure.
- SHOE MAKING WORKSHOP: On April 25, a Workshop on Making Alpargatas (canvas shoes) began, with an instructor who is the representative of the Kawarao project and passed on his knowledge to those interested.
- VISIT OF INDIGENOUS TEACHERS ORGANIZATION: The president of the Indigenous Teachers Organization of Roraima (ITOR), together with the regional coordinators of the State of Roraima, visited the ICTC to examine the spaces and begin a partnership for carrying out joint trainings and activities.
Activities with Partners
- CONVERSATION ROUNDS: The ICTC hosts a round of conversations between the UNHCR and an indigenous group, represented by men, women, pregnant women, young people and the LGBTQIA+ community, with the goal of creating an information booklet about HIV/AIDS for the indigenous public. The booklet will be illustrated by the recipients themselves.
- FINANCIAL ECONOMY: As an integral part of the Handicraft Project that it develops with Warao indigenous people, and in partnership with the Jesuit Service for Immigrants and Refugees, the A Casa do Objeto Brasileiro Museum offered economic classes for the artisans who are part of the Project.
- NTEGRATION INTO THE COMMUNITY: Led by UNHCR and by the Jesuit Service for Immigrants and Refugees, the Narunoko Program, with the objective of supporting the departure strategy from the shelters, began the interviews with those interested, looking to identify people with the profile to fit requirements for receiving support, and in this way, achieve autonomy and social integration into the city of Boa Vista- RR.
External Activities
DAY OF THE INDIAN: “ANNA-ESERU” is the celebration of the Day of the Indian, which in the State of Roraima, is of special significance because of the strong presence of different indigenous tribes. The Humanitarian Fraternity (FIHF) participated in the event by bringing a group of Venezuelan indigenous E’ñepa women.
The participation of the ICTC occurs through the partnership begun in 2022 with the Indian Bureau of the State of Roraima.
- PARTICIPATION IN TRADE FAIRS FOR INCOME GENERATION:
In March and April, the ICTC continued to promote the participation in trade fairs done at the Government Palace, in the street fair “Toca da Bruxa”, at the Indian Bureau, and at the ICTC itself, all in the city of Boa Vista-RR.
- VISIT TO THE EDILEUZA LÓZ LOOKOUT: As part of its program, the first class of the basic Portuguese course, provided by the Centro Acolher com Português, visited the Lookout of the city of Boa Vista-RR.
Employment Preparation
Employment preparation services were carried out (preparation and updating of CV, digital job portfolio, creation of email, forwarding to job vacancies via email) and updating of the service database.
EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS
The Humanitarian Fraternity (FIHF) has been doing employment preparation in the ICTC and contacting city business, as part of the Continuing Training Program for Development (CTPD). The benefitting indigenous people are trained both for the job market and for gaining citizenship. As a result of this process, in April, in partnership with World Vision and the Senac, five recipients were employed in the positions of re-stocker, caretaker and bakery clerk in one of the large supermarket networks of Boa Vista-RR.
Handicrafts/Entrepreneurship
PEMON-TAUREPAND HANDICRAFTS
The Pemon-Taurepang cross-border ethic group exhibits original graphics paintings done on buriti fibers, stones, wood and cane, materials that come from Venezuela.
- E’ÑEPA COMMUNITY
Women of the E’ñepa tribe make and sell the traditional handicrafts of their community, made mainly with seeds.
- TIDA WARAO
During the participation of the entrepreneurs in the street market “Toca da Bruxa”, the group of women had the opportunity for handing out an introductory pamphlet on their products, as well as putting them up for sale to the attending public.
- INDIGENOUS CULTURAL FAIR “OPENING NEW WAYS”
The Indigenous Cultural Fair “Opening New Ways” took place at the ICTC on April 30, gathering together indigenous artisans and entrepreneurs of Venezuela, Brazil and Guiana for traditional cultural presentations of their communities and the exhibition of handicrafts and products made by their own hands.
New ethnicities from the three countries were represented, forming a space for coexistence and local integration of the indigenous peoples.
The programming included a moment in which the entrepreneur artisans presented both their product and the history of their ethnicities
- LIVE
The ICTC facilitated the transmission and participation of local indigenous women in the free online course promoted by the Bexiga Institute of São Paulo, in which feminine indigenous leaders make their leadership in urban society visible.
- FEMININE EMPOWERMENT
Participation of the entrepreneurs of the ecological absorbents brand Tida Warao (produced at the ICTC) taking part in the event in the Salvation Army headquarters, in Boa Vista-RR, to honor Woman’s Day. There was a round of talks that addressed the myths and truths on the use of ecological absorbents, an occasion that made the sale of 50 units of this product possible.
- PARTNERSHIPS AND ADVOCACY
Since 2021, the successful partnership with World Vision – ONG, with activities in different areas in many countries—has provided the indigenous beneficiaries with courses of Portuguese, IT and Dressmaking and other vocational trainings.
- Liaising with HR of Goiânia-GO and Senac does the referencing of indigenous people for employment interviews
- Psychosocial support in partnership with the Salvation Army for beneficiaries of the ICTC and indigenous communities
- Visiting the Indian Bureau to do joint work in support of indigenous people of different tribes of Venezuela, Brazil and Guiana
- Partnership with Federal Institute of Roraima (IFRR) for literacy and writing in Portuguese and introduction to basic IT.
