By Eduardo Odebrecht de Queiroz

Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Executive President of the Odebrecht Foundation

My grandfather, Norberto Odebrecht, defended that an entrepreneur must understand integration and synergy as requirements for the achievement of effective results. “Everything at the same time now,” was a phrase repeated by him to show the relevance of focusing concomitantly on different contexts and, above all, not leaving anything for the next day, making of the contribution enacted in the present a way to build the future we desire. And it is this spirit that moves the Odebrecht Foundation.

Our priority lies in developing opportunities for people to transform their realities in a positive manner – for themselves as well as for their surroundings. And the creation of these opportunities requires immediate actions that are capable of generating effective transformations in scenarios where they are inserted. It is for this reason that we focus not only on providing a contextualized and quality education, but also in promoting a dignified work and a fair income distribution, with access to public policies, citizenship and respect for the environment.

In 2015, we celebrated our 50 years of activity with important milestones linked to the three programs that we coordinate. Through the Editorial Program, we are enabling Odebrecht Group members and the society in general to access the books written by Norberto Odebrecht, thereby contributing to the enhancement and dissemination of the principles, concepts and criteria of the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology, the basis of our culture and ethical and moral values.

Within the framework of the Tribute to the Future Program, the highlight is in the mobilization of citizens and businesses in order to benefit children and adolescents. About 8,000 participants joined this cause and contributed voluntarily to the actualization of social and educational projects that will offer new opportunities for thousands of people.

The Development and Integrated Growth Program with Sustainability (PDCIS in Portuguese), translates in practice our spirit to serve, providing to the families of the Southern Bahia Lowlands conditions to remain in their places of origin with dignity, and a future vision, minimizing involuntary migration, while helping to build local development on a sustainable basis.

The Odebrecht Foundation has been fulfilling its role of social and environmental responsibility as the Organization’s of social business, with transparency, fairness and focusing on providing qualified accountability. 

This represents the guarantee of governance that will make the Foundation progressively an attractive instrument for the promotion of social transformation. We will continue working to attract and mobilize partners to give scale to the social technology developed and refined in our programs.

We indeed build opportunities. However, effective and positive transformation only occurs if there is empowerment and one’s desire to be an agent of their own destiny is present. The path of sustainability is only possible if trodden in synergy and with partnership.

Our challenges are vast. However, our commitment to surpass them is even greater.