A textile collective for Eldorado-Diadema, Brazil

State aid has been reduced in post-pandemic Eldorado-Diadema at the same time as the cost of living is increasing, with the result that poverty and food insecurity continue to be problematic. Employment opportunities are gradually expanding, but they are mostly of the informal, precarious kind that give rise to exploitation. Our young people are further disadvantaged by a two-year gap in their high school education as a result of the closure of local schools during the pandemic.

Some of the students from our ‘Eldorado Moda’ group, who are now completing their two-year vocational training course in textiles and fashion, have joined forces with the women’s group to form a team to fulfil commissions. Some are making pieces on a weekly basis for the collective to sell while they decide on a career or a path to follow. Higor, a talented and highly motivated student, has taken on the role of monitor, and is helping the students complete their garment collections, which they will use as a basis for marketing and sales.

Both our women’s and young people’s groups are currently working hard on sales for the pre-Christmas period. They have already made 40 embroidered cushions and are working on embroidered place mats that can be sold in mix-and-match sets. Some members of the collective are using their newly acquired skills on the industrial sewing machines to make items of clothing, and have received orders for 50 garments. We are excited about these new opportunities to expand commissions and sales within Brazil, which are an important step towards the long-term financial sustainability of the collective. They will also create income-generating work that supports gender and racial equality in a country that ranks among the top ten most unequal in the world.

We hope that in the longer term, the women and the young entrepreneurs who are provided with resources and given training in textile skills at ACER will improve the financial infrastructure and contribute towards the transformation of the social environment in Eldorado-Diadema.

Once again, thanks are due to you, our generous supporters, for helping us achieve these aims.

The members of the Collective worked hard to make items for an information and sales stand at a fête in London on June 12. Camille, a volunteer who has recently been working with Andressa, our Child Protection Officer, brought the items on her return to the UK and assisted at the stand. We were also delighted to exchange news with Mauro and Ana, two young people from Eldorado, currently in London, who have had a long association with ACER, having attended as children and later progressed to become facilitators in ACER’s school reading scheme.

There were many attractive items on sale that reflected the skills acquired and progress made by the women and young people of the Collective. Higor, a talented student with Eldorado Moda, contributed children’s sunhats adapted from an adult version that he had designed and made himself.

Kyara has now taken over from Renata as our part-time administrator. Like many of the ACER team, she participated in ACER projects before becoming a youth monitor in the reception and then assistant to our administrative director, Michael.

Local quangos Sebrai and Senac are continuing to offer free, certified courses at ACER during the winter months. Fifteen of the women recently attended a course on the production of track suits and t-shirts, and a two-week course on customisation of clothing is currently taking place. We are delighted that they are using these opportunities to expand their repertoire of skills.

A huge thanks to you, our donors, for helping to provide resources to the Eldorado Textile Collective that grow, develop, and support the local community.