In 2020, the Toyota do Brasil Foundation made donations and promoted campaigns to fight the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus and to help vulnerable families.
Learn more about the actions:
– Donation of four Hilux vehicles, adapted for ambulances, to the cities of São Bernardo do Campo, Indaiatuba, Sorocaba and Porto Feliz (in the State of São Paulo).
– Donation of 30,000 bottles of hand sanitizers to the São Paulo State Government.
– Donation of 50 tons of food to the most socially vulnerable families in the municipalities where Toyota, the founder of the Toyota Foundation, maintains its operations: São Bernardo do Campo, Indaiatuba, Sorocaba, Porto Feliz (in the State of São Paulo) and Guaíba (in the State of Rio Grande do Sul) and communities where the Toyota Foundation operates in the country.
– With the support of Uni Arte Costura and ASCA, sewing cooperatives in partnership with Toyota in the ReTornar Project, produced over 8,000 fabric masks to meet the needs of the cities of Sorocaba and Indaiatuba (in the State of São Paulo).
– Regional aid in the Environmental Protection Area (APA) Costa dos Corais: besides the donation of food and hygiene products for 460 families in the Fishermen’s Village of Tamandaré (PE), the Toyota Foundation, in partnership with Pesca e Saúde and Ircos Projects produced 20,000 washable masks, creating protection, employment, and income for the local community; adapted and used the existing structures and facilities in the Fishermen’s Village Z-5 in Tamandaré for processing and obtaining the Municipal Sanitary Green Seal; produced a model to be replicated in other communities with fish delivery service, strengthening the village and local fishing; and trained fishermen in safe food handling practices in the fight against COVID-19.
– Regional aid in the Serra da Mantiqueira – the Águas da Mantiqueira Project, a partnership between the Toyota Foundation and Fundepag, delivered 200 baskets of basic food items to families in the municipality of Santo Antônio do Pinhal (SP). To continue the activities of the Santo Antônio do Pinhal, Sapucaí-Mirim (MG) and Gonçalves (MG) Public Elementary Schools, the organization helped to create three long-distance communication networks, with the objective of structuring the set of educational activities (pedagogical scripts), which support the students during this period of online classes.
– Donation of 500 inclusive (transparent) masks for the Black Women’s Movement (Momunes) and Lar Casa Bela to help in the communication process.
– Campanha do Agasalho campaign: for the first time, in 2020, the Campanha do Agasalho campaign was possible thanks to financial donations. With the amount raised, the initiative delivered warm clothing and bedding to assist entities that help children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly in vulnerable situations in Indaiatuba, São Bernardo do Campo, Sorocaba, and Porto Feliz — cities in the State of São Paulo where Toyota has manufacturing plants — and to Guaíba, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, where the carmaker has a vehicle distribution center.
The campaign takes place every year and is part of the Desafio Solidário, a Toyota do Brasil project that promotes initiatives with a social focus. Because of the pandemic of the new coronavirus, and to avoid contamination, the 2020 campaign was fully digital, and the fundraising was done through bank transfers, unlike previous campaigns, which was done through the collection of new or used items.
STEM Brasil is a high-quality, two-year training program for public school teachers. The program has a hands-on approach based on innovative techniques to raise the level of the Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics curriculum, with 304 practical and applicable activities for the three Brazilian education levels (Elementary I, Elementary II, and High School).
Each activity combines curricular content from the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) with 21st Century skills and abilities. The goal is to contribute to the training of educators of these subjects so that they can prepare public school students for college and for a more prosperous career.
In partnership with the Educando Project, the Toyota do Brasil Foundation takes the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) methodology to public schools in the state of Amazonas. The action, which will be carried out until 2022, will benefit almost 11,000 students from 17 Amazonian municipalities, including Manaus, Barreirinha, Borba, among others.
The results of the applied methodology are remarkable among High School students. In schools where STEM is applied, there was a 7% overall increase in student scores in all four subjects, the number of students scoring below basic in Math fell by 17.7%, and among participating schools, the overall average in Physics increased from 6.9 to 7.9. The ENEM average rose 7 points in Mathematics and 19 points in Natural Sciences.
Teacher training began online in October 2020. As the STEM methodology contemplates a two-year training cycle for teachers, when the pandemic is over, the meetings will become face-to-face.
There is no such thing as waste in nature; everything is reused in intelligent and natural cycles! And with the transformation of people and waste in mind, the ReTornar Project was created in 2011.
Today, much of the waste produced by the carmaker, such as airbags, automotive fabrics, uniforms and seat belts, is intended for raw material for sewing groups from Indaiatuba (Cooperativa Uni Arte Costura) and Sorocaba (Comunidade de Amor Social Association — ASCA), which generates work and income for several families.
Toyota donates this waste, and the Toyota do Brasil Foundation invests in the qualification of the seamstresses’ work and buys the products that are produced.
Positive Impacts
Circular Economy: Using waste as new raw materials – airbags, seat belts, automotive fabric, upholstered boxes, and uniforms come to life.
Waste Management: Smart disposal of waste for reuse and upcycling, one of the alternatives for Circular Economy.
Women’s Empowerment: Generating work, income, and boosting women’s community groups.
Industrial Ecology: Inclusion of Toyota suppliers in the project to increase and share the positive impact.
Conscious Consumption: Products reinvented from waste, made by social labor, bringing those who create closer to those who consume in a transparent, positive, and healthy relationship.
Buy at ReTornar store
Give gifts from the ReTornar line! Together, we can promote continuous improvement and care for people to create a more sustainable world.
In 2011, the Toyota Foundation expanded its activities to the Northeast through a new project: the Toyota APA Costa dos Corais, a cooperation between the organization, the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) and the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation. Previously, also in partnership with SOS Mata Atlântica, the Toyota e a Mata Atlântica Project was carried out with reforestation actions, protection of threatened areas, environmental education, and volunteer work.
The objective of the Toyota APA Costa dos Corais is to promote the conservation and sustainability of the Environmental Protection Area (APA, in its Portuguese acronym), named Costa dos Corais, in order to protect coral reefs, mangrove areas, all of the region’s fauna and flora, and also the ecosystems associated with the manatee — the most endangered aquatic mammal in Brazil.
APA Costa dos Corais was created by Federal Decree on October 23, 1997 and covers nine municipalities in the State of Alagoas and three in the State of Pernambuco, on the coast between the municipalities of Tamandaré (PE) and Paripueira (AL). It is one of the most beautiful regions in Brazil and has more than 406,000 hectares of protected area, that is home to one of the most important reef environments in the world!
Perpetuity Fund
One of the project’s priorities is the creation and maintenance of an investment fund to ensure perpetuity in supporting APA’s management, protection and sustainability. Since 2011, the Toyota do Brasil Foundation has made annual contributions to ensure the constant growth of the fund’s resources until 2021.
To achieve the goal, the fund can only be used after acquiring the capacity to generate, with its income, the necessary resources for the maintenance of the activities foreseen in the initiative’s Work Plan.
Environmental management
By supporting and investing in existing projects and organizations that are part of Costa dos Corais’ environmental management, the Toyota do Brasil Foundation will preserve the integrity of the region.
Among the activities that have already been mapped out, and that are eligible for support are: carrying out scientific studies, logistic and infrastructure support for control, monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation actions, production and execution of environmental education campaigns, and the promotion of businesses that combine sustainability and income generation for local communities.
Management plan
Another important action of the project is the implementation of the APA Costa dos Corais’ Management Plan by ICMBio — the Brazilian government’s environmental agency responsible for implementing, managing, and monitoring the Federal Conservation Units.
Toyota do Brasil Foundation’s investment helps maintaining the APA’s assets, such as the operational bases, vehicles, control equipment, and boats. In addition, it also promotes scientific research by universities and local institutions, expansion of no-fishing zones (essential for the recovery of biodiversity), the structuring of low-impact tourism, preparation and engagement of local representatives as paid environmental agents, and the promotion of cultural manifestations — contributing to the rescue of the regional culture.
As a fundamental element of the Management Plan, the 12 municipalities included in the APA Costa dos Corais will participate in environmental education and social communication programs, with the purpose of empowering individuals and promoting the principles of a conscious use of the area, so that both local population and tourists feel co-responsible for the sustainability work.
The Mulheres na Conservação Project was created by journalist Paulina Chamorro and photographer João Marcos Rosa, and released in January 2020 with the support of the Toyota do Brasil Foundation.
The multiplatform initiative tells the story of researchers who stand out for their commitment and leadership in environmental conservation projects in Brazil. As a matter of fact, many of them are responsible for saving endangered species!
The first season told the story of Beatrice Padovani — marine biologist and researcher of the Meros do Brasil Project; Patrícia Médici — biologist and tapir researcher; Karen Strier — anthropologist and coordinator of the Muriqui Project; Flávia Miranda — veterinarian and coordinator of the Tamanduá Project; and Neiva Guedes — biologist and researcher of the Arara Azul Project.
The second season was released in December, 2020 with Érica Pacífico — biologist and coordinator of the Arara-azul-de-lear Project — Research and Conservation, and the next stories will be made available throughout 2021. Follow us on social media to learn more!
Check out all the content from the initiative: podcasts on Spotify, and reports on the National Geographic website and also on the CicloVivo website.
The Vou de Canoa Project was created in 2020 by the Escola de Canoa Polinésia Itaipu Surf Hoe (Itaipu Surf Hoe Polynesian Canoe School) and is supported by the Toyota do Brasil Foundation and SGA Toyota. Held at Itaipu Beach, in Niterói (in the State of Rio de Janeiro), the initiative combines education, sports, and culture to bring children and young people closer to the biome where they live and to show them the importance of conserving it.
In addition to the practical aspect of the project, there is also a lot of knowledge that is passed on through an exclusive collection of sand samples from approximately 200 beaches from several regions of the world, a shell collection with more than 50 different species, and a collection of paddles and miniatures of traditional canoes, such as: the Brazilian caiçara, the Polynesian, the Viking from the Nordic countries, and the Canadian.
In total, there are eight hours of theoretical and practical activities that include: exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and the experience of paddling a Polynesian canoe.
Visits
With a focus on public school students, the Vou de Canoa Project will also receive bookings from private schools and individuals. Those who are interested should email us at: projetovoudecanoa@gmail.com.
The Expedição Pantanal Project was created by the Instituto Socioambiental da Bacia do Alto Paraguai (Socio-Environmental Institute of the Alto Paraguai watershed) — SOS Pantanal — with the support of the Toyota do Brasil Foundation in 2011 and has covered the entire Pantanal by mapping the best practices in the education, health, tourism, environment, and economy sectors.
Data collection, which was carried out during the trip, led to strategies for the protection of this environment and the diagnosis of socio-environmental problems, which resulted in the elaboration of a guide to sustainable practices, a documentary, and a photography book about the region.
In 2019, SOS Pantanal, with the support of the Toyota Foundation, held a new edition of the initiative. The 2019 Expedição Pantanal documented eco-friendly business opportunities in the Alto Paraguai watershed region, as well as biodiversity conservation projects, by highlighting their importance for the sustainable economic development of the Pantanal biome.
The Águas da Mantiqueira Project was created in partnership with the Agriculture Research & Development Foundation (FUNDEPAG) in 2017. The initiative aims at biodiversity conservation, territorial planning, and sustainable socioeconomic development in the municipalities of the Serra da Mantiqueira region.
Since 2017, researchers have conducted a diagnosis of the Atlantic Forest remnants — distributed across 10 watersheds in Santo Antônio do Pinhal (in the State of São Paulo) — that are essential to the maintenance of water resources. In addition, they have verified the impact on the sustainability of rural and urban areas with studies on biodiversity, agriculture, education, solid waste, and tourism.
With this result, the research determines the territorial planning of the region — respecting the ecological characteristics of the natural areas of the municipality —, which is essential to define the socioeconomic development guidelines and guarantee the conservation of the local biodiversity and the continuity in supplying the community and millions of people who depend on the waters of the mountain range.
As of 2019, the 37 watersheds in Sapucaí-Mirim (a town in the state of Minas Gerais) began to be diagnosed. The third stage of the project should take place in Gonçalves (in the state of Minas Gerais) in 2021.
Serra da Mantiqueira
The Serra da Mantiqueira region is one of the largest mineral water provinces in the world. It is approximately 500 km long and passes through municipalities in three Brazilian states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. In 2013, Science Magazine recognized it as the 8th most important ecosystem in the world.
The forests, natural fields and fauna of the Atlantic Forest are distributed over the relief of the mountain range, allowing for a unique climate and the largest concentration of mineral water in quantity and quality on the planet! These are the characteristics that give the region an essential role for the Cantareira System, in São Paulo, which daily supplies more than five million people.
Did you know?
Mantiqueira is a Tupi-Guarani term: “Amantikir”. “Amana” means “rain”, and “tiqueira” means “dripping”. It was known by the indigenous people who inhabited the region as “Mountain that cries” due to the great number of waterfalls.
The Arara Azul Project, created by biologist Neiva Guedes in 1989, aims to conserve the Hyacinth macaws and the biodiversity of the Pantanal wetlands. Since the beginning, the initiative has had Toyota’s support, and since 2009, it has been sponsored by Toyota do Brasil Foundation.
Its main activities involve monitoring and recovery of the birds and their nests, environmental education activities, and also workshops on conservation, citizenship, income generation for the local population, and awareness for sustainable tourism.
Thanks to the work of the project, the Hyacinth macaws were removed from the Ministry of Environment’s List of Endangered Species of Brazilian Fauna in 2014.
The trade, mistreatment, and trafficking of wild animals are prohibited by law. Besides reporting to Ibama (0800-61-8080), another way to discourage this practice is not to buy them!
The Arara Azul Institute, which is headquartered in Campo Grande (MS), also promotes other activities and research, such as the Aves Urbanas (Urban Birds) Project, which aims to conserve Caninde macaws and other birds that breed in cavities in the urban area.