Main aim of the charity

RIZOMA is a social-emotional education program. Different than a giving program, RIZOMA doesn’t provide money or gifts. RIZOMA teaches social-emotional life skills, preparing kids for a better future. Empathy, cooperation, learning how to deal with emotions, conflicts solving and respect for diversity are the RIZOMA’s legacy. As result: children improving its relationship and interaction in the community, and their parents’ positive feedbacks about their new behavior. RIZOMA project is one exercise for democracy, because volunteering, we vote every day about the kind of community we want to live in!

How the employee got involved and why

I was seeking for a social cause where I was able to add value to people in vulnerable situation, and, at the same time, to volunteer in a weekly basis, following the impacts of the project on those people lives. The warm welcome, transparency, horizontal management and the orientation I received from the NGO Base Colaborativa, touched my heart instantly. RIZOMA is one of the Base Colaborativa’s projects, and the one I choose to work with, due to children's love and spontaneity. RIZOMA means RIZHOME , the name given to bamboo's stem, which has horizontal growth and network expansion, as our project is. I am only one, I can’t do everything, but I can do something: my everyday 1% more of contribution for a better world!

What work does the employee do for charity?

Our activities take place every single Sunday in Portelinha community. On Monday evenings we have the volunteers planning to structure Sunday’s activities. Funny and low-tech games are carefully designed to help kids to develop crucial life skills, to go beyond the school and their homes. Starting with a self-awareness check in, to help kids to understand how they are feeling inside and teach them self-regulation. The main activity practice is focused on the identification of kids strengths, helping them to learn compromise, practicing how to see things from another person’s perspective, and to find solution that meets everyone’s needs. Last Year Project Numbers: - 48 Sunday’s Activities (2h each) - 48 Monday’s Evenings Meetings (2h each) - More than 30 active volunteers - More than 60 children impacted by RIZOMA’s project - 10 extra activities (cultural tours with kids and fund raising events) - 1 fund raising photos exhibition - 1 book written & published RIZOMA project not only teaches kids, but also teaches volunteers that everything can be possible!