In early July, we featured the launch of Paracatu’s virtual Integrar program which is aimed at connecting the community virtually while supporting social actions and promoting engagement. Since the launch, the program has yielded positive results, with almost 5,000 users and over 9,000 beneficiaries!

The program focuses on the four main pillars: education, environmental awareness, culture, and generation of income and economic opportunities. More recently, it also expanded to include healthcare and human rights. These topics are featured through seminars hosted by professionals in the region who share their knowledge and expertise with participants.

Some examples of seminars include:

• Solidarity network hosted by the Municipal Secretariat of Social Assistance
• Preservation of heritage hosted by the Municipal Secretary of Culture and President of Northwestern Minas Gerais Academy of Letters
• COVID-19 information and prevention hosted by an Epidemiologist from Brazil
• Identifying violence against women and providing support hosted by the President of the Municipal Council of Women and President of the Family Home Project
• Identifying violence against children and providing support hosted by the President of the Municipal Council for Children and Adolescents and Municipal Secretariat of Social Assistance

These seminars have delivered several positive impacts in the community including an increase in community members trained in health and safety, increased mental health support, and economic opportunities for small businesses through the solidarity communication agency.

“We are very proud of the turnout we have received through the virtual Integrar program since its launch this summer,” said Ana Cunha, Director, Government Relations, Community, Social Responsibility, and Communications, Paracatu. “These seminars are an excellent opportunity to keep the community engaged and use our resources to share helpful information, especially pertaining to health and safety during this time.”

The virtual Integrar program is available through social media, phone calls, virtual meetings, webinars, radio programming and WhatsApp. Stay tuned for more information on the program!