Coopercamare has been operating in Paragominas, where Hydro operates a bauxite mine, for 11 years. In order to professionalize the activities and create a virtuous cycle of income generation, a technical partnership with the Gaia Negócios Sociais, a non-governmental organization (NGO) was established. An online event on Thursday, April 29, marked the end of Hydro's participation in the project.

The meeting was attended by cooperative members; the president of Coopercamare, Ivanilde dos Santos; representative of the NGO Gaia Social, Maira Pereira, who was the technical executor of the project; representative of the City Hall, Jociele Fernandes; and Hydro representatives Domingos Campos, Evilmar Fonseca and Milene Maués.

Activities were developed whose results showed the Cooperative's high level of improvement. With a focus on leadership development, the most important results were the training in Regulatory Framework and Public Policies (State and Federal); training in Project Development and Fundraising; guidance and technical follow-up on Administrative-Financial Management Tools; two projects prepared and sent for financing; and participation contemplated by the Education Department of the State of Pará in the Public call for selective collection in the State Schools of Paragominas. 

For the president of Coopercamare, Ivanilde Soares dos Santos, Hydro played a fundamental role in supporting the organization of activities. “The partnership helped us to set standards and professionalize our work. Today we have everything well organized. We can participate in tenders and conquer the market,” Soares dos Santos says.

“Our mission is to contribute to a more viable society, promoting sustainable development and this partnership was fundamental as a contribution to the municipality. We have left a legacy and we are very happy to have participated in the history of Coopercamare for a more sustainable future in the municipality,” says Maués.

One action employed a methodology used by Gaia for businesses with a social and environmental impact and which accelerates the development of recyclable waste cooperatives and associations. "The idea is to transform cooperatives into sustainable and economically viable enterprises, enhancing the recovery of post-consumer waste and creating a production cycle," says Geraldo Virgínio, project coordinator at Gaia.

Coopercamare also needed to adapt to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. For a period, activities were halted, but even so, Hydro maintained financial support and maintenance of the virtual actions of the project, which places the cooperative as a reference in the collection, handling and environmentally correct destination. of the largest volumes of recyclable material in the municipality of Paragominas and begins the formation of a network in search of the development of its business.