Social Development
Teamwork makes the difference
The Rights and Citizenship Institute (IDC) marks five years of activity in the Southern Bahia Lowlands
written by: Vivian Barbosa
photo by: Eduardo Moody
An important agent of local development, the Rights and Citizenship Institute (IDC), a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP), is celebrating five years of service to the Tancredo Neves community and another 15 counties in the Lowlands and Extreme South of Bahia. “We seek to strengthen social capital and disseminate participatory democracy, providing civic education and grooming leaders who are aware of their role in the construction and determination of public policy,” says Executive Director Maria Celeste Pereira.
The IDC’s many partners include the Federal Comptroller General, the State of Bahia, the Public Prosecutor of Bahia, the State Board for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, Municipal Governments in the Southern Bahia Lowlands and the Odebrecht Foundation.
The Institute’s activities include grooming Protection Councils and Boards for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, mediating conflicts, providing legal advice, and facilitating access to basic civil documentation (such as ID cards and birth certificates) and land titles. For educator José Alves, Chairman of the Presidente Tancredo Neves Board for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, the partnership with the IDC goes even further. “We get more than just support for the planning and execution of social projects. We have also learned that, if we are united and persistent, we can make things happen.”
Since its inception, the IDC has provided over 270,000 services. In 2009, 11,000 people have benefited from the IDC’s work. By September, it had mediated 171 conflicts, resolving 81% without going to court.