Rio Melhor (Better Rio), a joint venture including Odebrecht, is responsible for the infrastructure services being provided in this complex of low-income communities on the outskirts of Rio. The works are already changing residents’ lives, but these engineering and construction projects will leave a different kind of legacy in “Alemão”: a skilled workforce. By September 2011, when the works are scheduled for completion, over 6,000 people will have benefited from the professional education and leader training courses the joint venture is offering in their community. The aim is to contribute to sustainable development by creating jobs and income. Residents of Complexo do Alemão are seeing the dawn of a new era – a time for putting civic spirit into practice and believing in a better future.