In an atmosphere of great joy and relaxation, on the 4th of August, on the occasion of the National Friendship Meeting, in Londrina – Paraná, the qualifiers for the project “Reforesting Brazil” were awarded. The project not only represents our contribution to environmental issues but is also a symbol of unity between Rotary clubs and Houses of Friendship. The Rotary Club of Boca Raton West, together with the National Coordination of Houses of Friendship in Brazil, and the project creator, Dr. Amario Cassimiro da Silva, joined forces and developed a project, at a national level, that crossed borders and exceeded expectations.
The project emerged with the aim of promoting reforestation in urban and rural spaces, in different Brazilian regions, from an environmental education perspective that contemplated the process of recomposing the vegetation cover, the recovery/preservation of springs, and the formation of awareness and care for the planet. To achieve these objectives, a national reforestation contest was held, with prizes for the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth places.
In all, those who participated in this project:
- Ninety-four Houses of Friendship signed up for the contest.
- Fifty-four projects made it to the final stage.·
- Houses of Friendship participated in the project, in partnership with.
- Sixty-eight Rotary Clubs.
- Five Interact Clubs.
- Three Rotaract Clubs. ·
- One Rota Kids. ·
- Thirty-four City Halls.
- One City Council.
- Twenty-three NGOs and Communities.·
- Thirty-seven public and private companies.
- In addition to schools, universities, and residents’ associations.
The Reforesting Brazil Project planted more than 25,000 trees in the six biomes of Brazil and helped to make children, young people, and adults aware of the importance of preserving the environment.
All of this was only possible thanks to the commitment and dedication of the organizing and evaluating committee, and the participation of the Houses of Friendship and its partners, who believed in the project and spared no effort to make their contribution to the planet and our beautiful country, Brazil.
All projects were analyzed by the evaluation committee, which considered the following classification criteria:
1 – Pertinence of the project to the socio-environmental context of the region and the objectives of Reforesting Brazil Project
2 – Activities of Environmental Education and community involvement
3 – Partnerships with public and private institutions, schools, NGOs, universities, community groups, etc.
4 – Accomplishment of the proposed objectives
5 – Evaluation of the process and results
6 – Monitoring of planting and continuity of the project
Of the fifty-four projects that reached the final print, the projects presented by the Friendship Houses of Aparecida, Apucarana, Assis Chateaubriand, Cascavel, Cuiabá, Núcleo Guará, Realeza, Rondonópolis, São Miguel do Iguaçu, Teresina and Três Passos stood out. These projects had the final classification carried out by Dr. Vera Margarida Catalão, who is a Post-Doctor, Professor, and Research Advisor in Environmental Education and Rural Education, and in the Graduate Program in Education at the University of Brasília – UNB, with emphasis on the complex and transdisciplinary approach to water. Dr. Vera ranked the top five:
- 1st place: RONDONÓPOLIS – Restoration of the Marechal Rondon Springs Complex.
- 2nd place: REALEZA – Rescuing the Royalty of Pine.
- 3rd place: APARECIDA – Project Reforesting Brazil.
- 4th place: TRÊS PASSOS – Planting Awareness for New Generations.
- 5th place: CUIABÁ – Revitalization of the Córrego do Urubu APP.
We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to work in partnership with The Houses of Friendship of Brazil on such a grandiose project, which will leave a significant legacy for future generations.
By Luciana Beuke (President of Rotary Club of Boca Raton West 2021-2023)
