Team Uberlandia

There are 19 of us in right now Uberlandia– 15 from IBM, and 4 from JP Morgan Chase (JPMC). The JPMC folks are testing the waters of corporate volunteerism, so they’ve sent a team of pioneers to work with the 15 of us IBMers. We have been split up between 5 clients – my team of 4 are with the Municipal Tourism Department of Uberlandia. The other teams are helping a diverse bunch of NGOs with their problems. Here are there tales.

Instituto Ipe Cultural promotes recycling by acting as a drop-off point for all sorts of recyclables from neighborhood houses and makes wonderful décor and furniture from the plastic Coke bottles, toothpaste tubes and other material they collect. They have a nice garden with herbs and vegetables, and the entire building is a showcase for sustainable living – rainwater recycling, organic gardens, walls and roof made of recycled materials - the works. The two teams there are helping them create a business plan for a new clothing line and to introduce professionalism in their daily management.

Acao Moradia teaches women to make eco-friendly bricks  and provides them employment. One team is working to help them reduce breakage levels in the finished bricks, and another team is implementing a financial management system for the organization.  

Insituto Politriz provides day care and education to at-risk children while their parents are at work. The CSC team is helping them with a communication strategy, including a website and Facebook presence.

ONG CASA provides childcare services to kids while their parents are seeking employment. The team is helping them develop a plan to become a nodal agency that helps NGOs in the area raise funds and professionalize their operations.

All utterly noble causes. In the capable hands of a bunch of great people whom I’ve come to know and like a lot in the past 2 weeks, I have no doubts they will be left a lot better than when we arrived.

Robert, the well-travelled Slovak (50+ countries), who lives in Dubai and has a Thai wife

The talented Mmlle. Sylvie from France via Santiago, Chile

 Terumine, our man from Tokyo, with his ever-present camera

Leslie and Nirav, JPMC bankers. Nirav is an Indian who lived in Portugal for many years and is now in London. Leslie is a New Yorker. 

Mike, the New Zealander is a converted Scotsman - amazingly funny. 

Olaf, the resident DJ from Amsterdam and Anna the brick-making champ from Krakow. 

Cool guy Bruno, the IBM CSC program coordinator from Sao Paulo - nice chains, dude !

Larissa, our fantastic local coordinator and Vanessa, the perceptive national program coordinator

Rodrigo, the program manager - Brazilian from Washington, DC, Christy and Paul (both New Yorkers) 

 The whole crew at Parque Sabia

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