THE INSTITUTION
Our History
Raiz Nova Institute was founded by a group of women from four different nationalities, with the most diverse professional backgrounds, but with a common objective: to collaborate in a concrete way for environmental conservation and recovery, through conscious children’s and youth education, in partnership with public and private schools in urban and rural areas, and with other NGOs.
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MISSION
Provide the communities with which we work with the necessary instruments to care for the environment, through the implementation of agroforestry and meliponary, rescuing with these communities an ancient technique, helping them to acquire their food sovereignty and collaborating to develop a hands-on learning program land, which also allows them to have access to healthier food and offers them a possible instrument to combat food insecurity.
GOAL
Implementation of agroforestry, with a view to recovering the fertility of the land, increasing biodiversity, reducing the waste of soil water, controlling pests and, associated with the meliponiculture activity, stimulating the presence of pollinators, in addition to encouraging the protection and recovery of certain species of bees (meliponas, stingless bees native to Brazil).
Thus, we help children, young people and their families to obtain the practical knowledge necessary to act in environmental conservation and also have access to healthier food, facing and combating food insecurity.
Impact in 2021
5
Agroforestry Implemented
10
Hives
1711
Impacted Families
OUR TEAM
Cinira Amaral
Ferraz
President
About Cinira
Professional experience in the areas of marketing and sales, finance and social responsibility for over 25 years.
Co-founder and President of Instituto Raiz Nova, and member of the Board of Directors of Instituto Incanto.
Leader of the Google Educators Group for five years.
Co-coordinator of the sustainability action group of the International School of Curitiba (ISC).
Graduated in Business Administration (Unicenp), postgraduate (FAE-PR) and MBA in Marketing and Project Management (FGV).
Patricia V. Cavalcanti
de Marotta
Vice-President
about Patricia
With more than 25 years of professional experience in the areas of university education, social entrepreneurship and international relations.
Co-founder and current Vice-President of Instituto Raiz Nova. Co-founder and current member of the Board of Editora Platô and co-editor of the book Desigualdades em Foco: Curitiba (ISBN:978-65-89229-09-4).
She holds a degree in Economic Sciences (UCAM-RJ), a Master’s in International Relations (PUC-RJ), and a second Master’s in Literature (UFPR).
He studied a doctorate in International Relations (ABSUSAL, Argentina).
She is currently a doctoral candidate in Literature (UFPR) and teaches at the University of the Propó (Pasadena, CA, USA).
Sara Fernandez
Garcia
Secretary
About Sara
Graduated in History and Geography from the Universidad Jaume 1er de Castellón, in Spain.
For over 20 years he has been working in the education development sector and works directly with young people and different organizations in different countries such as France, Germany and Italy.
Currently, she is an active member of several NGOs in Curitiba, teaches Spanish and French and is in charge of marketing and social media at Instituto Raiz Nova.
Bárbara Bahia
Nabais
Treasurer
About Bárbara
Degree in Zootechnical Engineering from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, in Portugal and with professional experience in the field of Agriculture.
Con experiencia en el área de desarrollo y educación de jóvenes, como Monitora de Campamentos de Verano desarrollados por el Instituto Português da Juventude, como miembro de los Scouts trabajando con jóvenes de 6 a 15 años y como participante y organizadora de ONG’s actividades en Mozambique y Brasil. Fue miembro activo de la PTA (Asociación de Padres y Maestros), en varios Colegios Internacionales en Mozambique, Portugal y Brasil.
She is currently an active member of the Raiz Nova Institute as treasurer.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
João B. V. Gomes
I am an Agronomist, specialized in pedology. Pedology is the study of the soil in its environment, involving basic research (genesis, chemistry, mineralogy, etc.) and applied research (environmental distinction, soil geography, spatial planning for productive and environmental purposes).
I joined Embrapa through a public tender in 1990, having worked on research projects in all regions of Brazil.
I accepted the IRN invitation as an opportunity to work on initiatives that value sustainable practices in the areas of environmental education and food production (agroforestry and agroecology), aimed at improving the quality of life of different partner communities.
Marta Yoshie Takahashi
I have a bachelor’s degree in tourism, specialist in Technical Management of the Urban Environment; Tourism Planning and Management and recently, Entrepreneurship and Social Business.
I have been working in the public sector for 23 years with experience in the executive branch of the municipal and state spheres, with emphasis on the areas of local and regional sustainable socio-economic development, rural tourism in family farming, tourism in natural areas, structuring and management of conservation units , partnerships with the private sector and the third sector in the management of public facilities.
I am a consultant in the areas of tourism, municipal master plans and regional planning.
I also act as a counselor, representing the institution to which I am linked in the State, in Tourism Councils and Mobility Cycle.
I am enthusiastic about human connections, networking and impact entrepreneurship. I believe that cooperation and diversity are basic values for proposing creative, innovative and sustainable solutions.
Maurício Draghi
I’m 45 years old and I’ve been playing rugby since I was 14. The sport arrived here in Brazil along with football over a century ago, but it hasn’t become popular. It was in the elite. I was an athlete on the Brazilian youth and adult national team and I always paid to play in competitions around the world. My companions also had privileged conditions. It was with the idea of changing this reality and offering the benefits of the sport to a segregated audience that, in 2004, Fabricio Kobashi and I, a teammate from the club, decided to introduce rugby to the children of Paraisópolis, one of the largest favelas in São Paulo and from Brazil
We expected forty children, but about 100 showed up, in addition to a lot of mothers interested in the activity, without even knowing what it was. It was a one-off initiative that, already that day, I realized would have to become continuous. Rugby for All was born there.
Over the years, we have developed a transdisciplinary methodology to meet the needs of young people to almost adults.
Sonia Crisótomo
I am married, mother of two daughters, graduated and post-graduated in Computer Science, MBA in Executive Marketing (FGV). I’m from ETI Europe and Business Manager at Perfect Connection (Portugal). I have training in Emotional Intelligence, Neurolinguistic Programming, Hypnotherapist specializing in Clinical Hypnosis (International Mind Training Academy), Master’s student in Holistic Psychology and International Coach, Master Ambassador of the Clube Mulheres de Negócios de Portugal, Columnist for EA Magazine and, happy Writer. Today, I join you on the IRN Board with great joy and the intention of giving back and generating sustainable business.
Tim Kenny
I am an American educator and have lived in Brazil for over 30 years. I worked at three different international schools that promoted sustainable practices. My most recent role was “Sustainability/Environmental Education Coordinator” at the International School of Curitiba. In this role, I was responsible for creating a sustainable campus that included organic gardens, a school-wide recycling program, a composting system, installing a native bee program, designing and maintaining interpretive trails at a nature center, coordination of educational green trips, installation of a solar energy charging station for computers and cell phones. I was also responsible for the school’s “Teaching For Sustainability” curriculum and the professional development of faculty and staff to teach for sustainability. I was part of a team that designed a sustainable building to be built on the ISC campus. I have always been passionate about teaching children to care for our environment. I am known locally as an environmental activist who is connected to many local and global organizations that promote sustainability for the future of our natural world. I’m excited to be working with Raiz Nova to create more sustainable school projects.
