This October, Instituto C celebrates 14 years of a journey born from the desire to transform lives through social impact. In 2011, the project took shape with the resources available at the time, and the following year, services began—inside a garage in the Santa Cecília neighborhood. Today, Instituto C has supported more than 6,000 families through comprehensive care provided by services in nutrition, psychology, income generation, pedagogy, and rights advocacy.

Over the years, the Institute has undergone many transformations—expanding projects, strengthening partnerships, facing challenges, and reinventing itself every day to continue working with impact and responsibility. And during this entire time, more than 24,000 people have had their lives transformed by the work of our team. Likewise, every person who works here has also been impacted by the daily contact with families.

Those who have been here long enough have followed this trajectory closely, and they have much to share. That’s why we invited some of them to talk about this impact and share meaningful moments they have experienced with Instituto C and how their stories intertwine with its own.

From a personal dream to a collective cause

Looking back at everything Instituto C has built sparks deep pride—especially for those who planted the first seed. Vera Oliveira, founder and executive director of IC, recalls with emotion the day she opened the doors of the garage and took the first step toward turning her dream into reality.

She remembers having her family and close friends by her side—people who had listened to her doubts throughout the process:
“It was very special to see so many important people gathered there, believing in a dream, and I was genuinely happy about the start of a new path that represented the fulfillment of a project that came from the heart… I had no idea where it would lead, but it was enough to know I was contributing to a better world,” she says.

Today, she reflects on how this journey has also transformed her own life:
“I was just a girl when Instituto C began, and today I have my own family, a new perspective on the Institute, and it truly feels like a dream that becomes more possible every day,” Vera reflects.

For her, choosing a single meaningful moment from these 14 years is nearly impossible. Among the milestones she holds dearly are the move to the headquarters in Vila Buarque, the first time Instituto C received the Best NGOs award, and the expansion to the North Zone of São Paulo. Each of these achievements strengthened the IC mission and expanded access to care in territories that still struggle to access public policies.

A path built by those who practice comprehensive care

Many of the transformations over the years are reflected in Instituto C’s methodology. For those who work daily in direct service, there is something that has never changed: the focus on development, the commitment to network collaboration, and the approach centered on active listening. These pillars placed IC among the 100 best NGOs in Brazil for eight consecutive years.

Kátia Moretti is an example of someone who grew professionally within the Institute. She joined as a psychology intern in the income generation program and today is the project manager, leading the technical teams across the centers. For her, many moments have impacted her over nine years at IC, but the closing group sessions—when families complete their program—are always the most emotional:
“Those moments show the real impact of our work on the lives of each person who spent time with us,” she says.

Instituto C has a multidisciplinary team dedicated to welcoming each family’s story uniquely, as it should be, so that they can reach autonomy. Kátia says this individualized care is what touches her the most—whether in interactions with families or within the technical team. It’s no coincidence that the “C” in our name also stands for care.

Stories that intertwine with Instituto C

Flávia Almeida, administrative coordinator, is another person whose growth mirrors the Institute’s own evolution. For her, Instituto C is a transformative and fulfilling place to work. Having been part of the team since her internship, she says the experience has allowed her to better understand the vulnerabilities present in society—especially in the lives of children living with chronic illnesses and of neurodivergent mothers.

After so many years observing the organization’s development, Flávia’s eyes still light up when she talks about her journey. “I joined as a girl and today I’m a woman with many responsibilities, leading a team of very different people. Every day I learn more, I mature more, and I become more aware of the space I occupy at IC,” she says.

She notes that the impact of this journey extends far beyond her professional life. The work she does and the relationships she builds daily have deeply shaped her personal life as well. Without realizing it, Instituto C became intertwined with her story. During her years here, she got married, bought a home, bought a car, and became a mother—able now to provide her daughter with a better life. Each of these achievements carries the mark of a place that has become so meaningful.

Paloma Costa, institutional relations manager, also highlights many personal milestones since joining the Institute, where she found stability and growth. She shares that the expansion to the North Zone was an especially happy and symbolic moment. Raised in Brasilândia—the region where our center is located—by a single mother who worked tirelessly to raise three children with dignity, Paloma felt this moment deeply.

“Being part of Instituto C’s arrival in Brasilândia meant so much. It felt like giving back to my community the kind of care my mother and so many other women never had access to,” she recalls.

She reflects on how essential a support network like IC is for so many families—and how the absence of such a network shaped her mother’s life when she and her siblings were children. “There was no space like Instituto C, a place that welcomes, guides, and supports women in their many journeys. Watching my mother face everything almost alone left deep marks on me and shaped what I believe social transformation truly is,” she shares.

The future we continue dreaming together

Much has changed—and much will continue to change—but on anniversaries like this, our hopes are renewed and a path full of possibilities becomes visible. For Vera, the wish for the coming years is that Instituto C continues to strengthen its role within the social assistance field, becoming a leading reference in intersectoral work and in a holistic, person-centered approach as a real strategy to fight poverty.

Kátia hopes the Institute can reach even more families and impact more lives, by strengthening existing centers and expanding into new territories. Her wish is that we continue supporting families toward long-term autonomy, transforming realities in a sustainable way. Flávia shares the same hope, wishing for continuous growth and improvement of IC’s practices to generate more social impact.

Paloma adds:
“My greatest wish is for this work to reach many more families, with a financially sustainable model, and that, just like me, many people may have the chance to achieve their dreams.”

As it completes 14 years, Instituto C reaffirms its commitment to comprehensive care, family strengthening, and building sustainable pathways out of poverty.

We continue to believe that care transforms—and that, together, we can transform even more stories.

October is Children’s Month, and although we would love to talk about the joys of childhood during development, the reality is still far from ideal. Even though conditions have improved in recent years, in Brazil, 28.8 million children and adolescents still live in multidimensional poverty. This is the result of inequalities in different areas—such as health, education, and access to leisure—that directly affect their lives.

It is within this context that we work with hundreds of families so that this number decreases and more children can grow up in a healthy way. Nayara Oliveira, institutional psychologist at Instituto C, emphasizes that the organization is committed to caring for children as a whole, which also includes the well-being of their caregivers: “Addressing childhood inequalities means providing comprehensive care—for children, families, and especially for those who care for them. Our work begins with attentive listening and the strengthening of primary caregivers, who are mostly single mothers and grandmothers responsible for daily care,” she explains.

Just like Instituto C, ChildFund Brasil also works with the purpose of empowering lives and reducing inequalities. Mauricio Cunha, CEO of the organization, reflects on how deeply poverty shapes children’s lives: “Childhood is a decisive period for physical, emotional, and cognitive development, and poverty compromises this process in profound and lasting ways.”

Professionals who work with children daily have an even clearer view of how inequalities affect different areas of their lives. Renata Souza, a psychologist at Instituto C, explains how a lack of resources can affect cognitive development. “Often, when we talk about poverty, we’re talking about children who don’t even have access to school or to adequate food… Which means they won’t be able to concentrate in the spaces they attend,” she explains.

It is essential to listen to what children have to say

One of the most sensitive aspects of working with children in vulnerable situations is addressing topics that affect their lives without diminishing their pain. This is part of Renata’s work, and she explains that she always tries to adapt themes to a child-friendly language so that they can understand and ask questions.

According to Renata, adults tend to normalize many things and stop questioning them, while children remain curious and sensitive. They understand what is fair and unfair, and they grasp the meaning of rights and responsibilities. When discussing topics such as social inequality, the psychologist says it is important to open a dialogue and listen to the stories children share—whether about themselves or their peers.

Education is also undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools for transforming realities. ChildFund understands that education—together with protection and family support—expands horizons and prepares children to break cycles of exclusion and vulnerability. “Education is present in our methodologies not as tutoring or formal instruction, but through activities related to financial education, life skills, play, and the encouragement and practice of reading,” says Mauricio.

Everything begins with public policies

Despite advancements in public policies for families in situations of social vulnerability—such as Bolsa Família and the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC) for people with disabilities—we are still taking slow steps toward eradicating poverty and reducing inequality.

Instituto C understands that accessing rights is one of the key ways to reduce barriers faced by families. Nayara considers that progress has been made in designing protection and income transfer programs, such as the creation of the National Care Policy, which promotes shared social responsibility—and shared responsibility between men and women—in providing care, considering multiple inequalities. But it is still necessary to invest in sustainability and continuous funding for care and social protection policies, so that care ceases to be a private burden and becomes public infrastructure.

For ChildFund, actions such as proper funding for child-focused policies—especially in rural and peripheral areas—the strengthening of social protection networks with a focus on preventing physical, psychological, sexual, and institutional violence, and offering support to families, must be priorities when caring for children.

Furthermore, addressing the inequalities that affect childhood is only possible when public policies recognize care as both a right and a collective responsibility.

The collective responsibility to protect children

Just as Instituto C and ChildFund Brasil work in this mission, many other organizations also dedicate themselves daily to ensuring that children can develop free of barriers—but with collective effort, this mission becomes lighter. The public sector and social organizations play important roles in reducing childhood inequalities, but civil society is also an essential and indispensable ally in guaranteeing children’s rights.

During this Children’s Month, it is important to reinforce the invitation for everyone to take an active role in defending children’s rights—after all, this is a collective responsibility. This mobilization can begin with listening to and involving children and adolescents in discussions, and by valuing childhood as a priority. Only then can we ensure that future generations live in the best way possible.