The culture of giving is a collective construction that brings together values and practices encouraging individuals and companies to contribute voluntarily to social, environmental, cultural, and other causes. Social awareness and collective engagement awaken giving as a natural behavior, making this gesture part of our responsibility as a society.

We are among the most generous countries in the world, reflecting how Brazilians are always willing to help one another. A 2024 survey by the Institute for the Development of Social Investment (IDIS) found that individual donations in Brazil reached R$24.3 billion last year. The survey analyzed institutional monetary donations made to NGOs, campaigns, or socio-environmental projects.

João Paulo Vergueiro, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Giving Tuesday, notes that Latin Americans have a cultural inclination toward generosity: “In general, our Latin American and Caribbean populations are very generous. We have a culture of solidarity within families, communities, churches, clubs, neighborhood associations, and samba schools.”

Other data from the survey help us understand the donation landscape in Brazil. For example, the average annual individual donation increased from R$300 in 2022 to R$480 in 2024. Many donors adopt a strategic approach: 83% seek information before contributing, and 86% carefully choose the causes they support.

Barriers to Giving

For social organizations that rely on donations to operate, there is still potential to attract more contributors. João Paulo explains that people tend to donate to causes close to their lives, such as health, education, and childhood. This “closeness” helps to sensitize donors.

The IDIS survey also shows that people donate more in emergencies, like the tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul in 2024. Extreme events mobilized half of Brazil’s population to give last year, but also raised concerns about fraud. With so many collection points, it became hard to distinguish between scams and legitimate causes—a constant concern for donors.

Paloma Costa, Institutional Relationship Manager at Instituto C, observes how distrust still affects donations: “This generalized distrust creates an emotional and rational barrier when donating. Transparency, accountability, and clear communication are essential to rebuild trust.”

Another challenge is fostering a sense of collective responsibility, encouraging people to contribute to societal development. Organizations like Instituto C address this through content that informs and demonstrates how the nonprofit sector positively impacts families.

Encouraging Generosity

Promoting giving as a continuous action is challenging but achievable through initiatives that show its impact on beneficiaries’ lives. Donating also shares a privilege one once received, helping reduce inequalities.

Ideally, donations should become part of a person’s life, like a monthly priority, reflecting causes that impact social well-being. Paloma emphasizes, “It’s crucial to show people that by contributing, they are not only helping temporarily but expanding access to rights that many lack, transforming solidarity into active citizenship.”

One way to integrate giving into daily life is through tax incentive laws, like donating part of income tax to sports, social, and cultural projects, or programs like Nota Fiscal Paulista, which allow contributions to registered organizations. Raising awareness about such initiatives encourages donations.

Giving Benefits Everyone

Donating has many benefits, including for the donor. João Paulo reflects, “The act of giving fulfills the donor because they know they are sharing the responsibility to make a difference in society.”

In English, the phrase “give back” captures this sentiment. In Portuguese, it reflects gratitude for the chance to positively impact the lives of people and institutions in need. Overall, donating creates a sense of satisfaction and happiness, as research confirms. “Giving tends to make people feel more at peace with themselves and the society, understanding that they are doing their part for a better world,” says João.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global initiative promoting generosity and the culture of giving. This year, it takes place on December 2nd, when organizations and individuals mobilize to collect donations for specific causes or NGOs working on diverse issues.

João Paulo is a pioneer of Giving Tuesday in Brazil, recognizing it as one of the countries where the movement has spread most. Campaigns operate in various ways, through organizations or community-led initiatives. The current challenge is to reach more people and “break the nonprofit bubble.”

Collective mobilization is already making a difference and will continue to do so. João emphasizes, “Giving Tuesday is about generosity, about doing good. Every form of generosity is valid on this day, and you can express it in any way as long as it does good.”

At Instituto C, we invite you to join us this Giving Tuesday to help hack inequalities and expand care for hundreds of families. At IC, we remove obstacles preventing vulnerable families from achieving full citizenship, such as lack of access to information about rights, absence of support networks, and low self-esteem. Click the button below to learn how to donate.

Entrepreneurship among women in peripheral communities is growing stronger and shows just how much this type of work has transformed families. Women are investing in different areas to create their own businesses, especially in the neighborhoods where they live, where the demand for services comes from within the community itself. In 2024 alone, women accounted for 34% of entrepreneurs in sectors such as services, commerce, and technology across the country. In favelas, women lead 60% of enterprises, according to research by Investe Favela.

For mothers, entrepreneurship provides the opportunity to manage their own work schedules, which is especially important for those caring for atypical children. At Instituto C, many entrepreneurial mothers balance caring for their children with autonomous work. Despite the obstacles, they achieve financial independence and regain self-esteem through their work at home. This also strengthens the family, as mothers gain access to new opportunities and resources.

Challenges of Entrepreneurship in Peripheral Areas

Even with the growth of entrepreneurship among women in peripheral communities, many still face barriers that hinder professional growth. According to our income analysts Carol and Giovana, one of the biggest challenges they face is limited access to financial resources, especially for entrepreneurs in the food and beauty sectors, who need to invest in order to see positive results.

Lack of access to the necessary knowledge to formalize a business is another obstacle. One of our roles is to provide information so women understand their rights as entrepreneurs, whether through registering as a MEI (Individual Microentrepreneur) or other public initiatives.

Moreover, entrepreneurship is very common in peripheral areas, which creates strong competition among entrepreneurs. This requires women to find new ways to develop their businesses to stand out and reach their audiences.

It is also important to remember that many mothers start businesses out of necessity, not always choice, which can prevent them from seeing themselves as entrepreneurs. This necessity stems from needing income while maintaining flexibility. “It’s not about an entrepreneurial mindset; it’s about vulnerability,” explains Giovana.

Income Generation at Instituto C

Our Income Area listens to these entrepreneurial mothers, and many inspiring stories pass through here. Businesses range from selling cakes to creating educational toys through crafts and working as nail designers. Many women turn hobbies into a source of income.

“The Income Area at Instituto C helps families identify strategies and possibilities for financial health and income growth,” explains Giovana Santos, income analyst at the Institute. With guidance from our team, mothers share experiences and receive advice on MEI registration, income transfer benefits, organization, and access to technical and higher education courses.

Carol Fontes, also an income analyst, emphasizes that women’s drive to generate their own income often comes from the responsibilities of maintaining a routine that requires flexibility, as they are often the primary caregivers in their families.

Mothers Who Saw Entrepreneurship as an Opportunity

Nathalia Stephanie, who lives with her daughter, is an example of a woman who combined a dream with work. She took a manicure course at Instituto C (in partnership with Acciona), which sparked her passion for the field and became a source of income. In a competitive market, Nathalia distinguished herself by offering home services, gradually reaching more clients in her neighborhood. Today, she works from her home studio and also teaches courses.

By boosting other women’s self-esteem, Nathalia found that the beauty industry allowed her to transform her family’s life and redefine how she sees herself as a woman. “Sometimes it’s just a nail, but it’s always more than that. My profession gave me faith and hope, and I pass that on to my clients,” she emphasizes.

Similarly, Fátima Regina, who also lives with her daughter, found entrepreneurship through hairdressing. During the pandemic, she had to reinvent herself when salons closed, starting a new business selling books online. Passionate about reading, and inspired by her siblings who also sell books, Fátima now has a collection of around 2,000 donated books and views her business as a way to expand her knowledge.

New Perspectives in Entrepreneurship

Vanessa Ferreira, a mother of two, turned her love of crafts into income. She creates everything from decorative cakes to educational toys and works from her home studio. Vanessa also sells mini donuts for extra income, finding that her craft work helps her occupy her mind, express creativity, and take care of herself. “While I’m working, I’m not just Vanessa, the mother; I’m myself, useful and able to express ideas,” she explains.

Natália Alves, mother of two daughters, runs a family business with her husband, selling clothing and baked goods. She appreciates the flexibility entrepreneurship provides, allowing her to care for her children, even bringing them along when needed. For atypical mothers, work must adapt to the routines of both them and their children.

“A Sense of Empowerment”

Entrepreneurship strengthens these mothers and fosters a sense of community beyond business. At Instituto C, many mothers navigate caregiving challenges while caring for their children’s health. Having their own business gives them a new perspective, helping them see themselves not just as caregivers but as women deserving of care and opportunity. “Many atypical mothers don’t have partners, so they need to believe in their potential and that they can live fully,” reinforces Natalia.

Despite the challenges, entrepreneurial women feel fulfilled and believe this path is possible for many mothers. Fátima adds, “Entrepreneurship is a leap, but for me, it’s more important to have freedom with my time and to do things when I want. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.”

The end of the year arrives as a real breath of fresh air and a reminder that we should dream and renew our wishes for the next cycle. Dreaming is like fuel that keeps us believing life can bring us good things. But for those living in the peripheries, holding on to that outlook becomes harder when other worries stand in the way.

At Instituto C, we work together so that families on the peripheries can keep dreaming and also make those wishes come true. It is important that they do not merely survive amid the daily rush, but are also able to envision and achieve what they want, and with knowledge of their rights and guidance, that path becomes less winding.

Greater accessibility, the opportunity to study and owning their own property are part of many families’ dreams. With this in mind, and from the perspective of residents of São Paulo’s peripheries, Thais Gomes and Nicolie Barbosa, Design students at PUC-SP, set out to answer the question “what does it mean to dream in the periphery?” and spoke with mothers and children served at IC’s North Zone Hub, who moved us with every answer.

As residents of the periphery themselves, Thais and Nicolie have always lived the duality of resisting and dreaming amid chaos, which is how the idea of bringing this theme into their project came about. “Our idea for our final undergraduate project came from a conversation we had last year, in which we talked about how privileged we were to be able to dream despite the reality we grew up in, in the periphery — and how many people in the same reality don’t have that opportunity,” says Thais.

For Nicolie, who studies at PUC through the University for All Program (PROUNI), this was a way of giving the will to dream back to people living in peripheral areas. “I always say that the place where I was born, Capão Redondo, is a dream factory. We are a generation of dreamers who see hope beyond where we come from. I carry that hope with me, even in the face of the adversities I faced on my way to university,” she says.

What is it like to dream with your mind in many places?

Achieving a dream is a moment worth celebrating, but it means different things to each person. For many mothers, the dream has their children’s faces: more safety, education, health and opportunities they themselves never had. Even in moments when they can let their imagination run free in countless ways, they keep thinking of dreams that would bring good moments to everyone around them. And for many children, the dream is the window through which they see a world that goes beyond the narrow streets they know.

In the periphery, dreaming is not just an automatic everyday exercise. It is also something built piece by piece: cutouts of wishes and small victories. That is why the activity Thais and Nicolie proposed was for the families to make collages with images representing their dreams. There, imagination flowed, and cutouts appeared of trips, cars, motorcycles and even cures for illnesses that afflict their lives.

Faced with a heavy routine, this imaginary world is what helps sustain hope and creates new possibilities. Although it should not be this way, having time to dream sometimes becomes a privilege, and that is what strengthens families on different fronts: it helps them see paths where real life has not yet reached, builds self-esteem and places people at the center of their own story, and rebuilds a sense of the future, which is often worn down by a lack of opportunities.

Studying: a dream for children and adults alike

The busy routine of caring for their children means many mothers cannot find time to pursue their own dreams. When asked, many of them spoke about wanting to finish their studies and go to university, like Vilma, who shared that this is one of her dreams: “I really want to go to college, but I never had that little push. For me, it’s the biggest dream of my life.”

Through children’s eyes, dreaming also becomes a way of imagining a change of life for themselves and their families. They carry the desire to transform their reality through a profession, and fortunately some of them already know what makes their hearts beat faster: “saving lives. Being a doctor,” is Alan’s dream.

The right to dream

In childhood, imagination travels to the most diverse places; this is when the world becomes a place of infinite possibilities. But when limitations are imposed, it is as if a barrier were built between that child and everything they could still become.

Like Alan, many children dream of pursuing professions that make their eyes light up, but reaching those dreams is only possible when the conditions to achieve them exist. Quality education and a safe space to develop fully are the right of every child, and we must fight to make this a reality.

Adults also need this fuel to keep believing their wishes can come true. “I think it’s never too late to dream,” says Cristiane, showing that there is no right age for dreaming, and that all it takes are the possibilities and opportunities to make it real.

Dreams that inspire

Thais, who lives near Brasilândia, where our North Zone Hub is located, says that the exchange with the mothers and children was very enriching and broadened her perspective on dreaming, an act that, however simple, also changes realities. “For me, it was a truly transformative experience: being able to listen to other people’s stories, seeing how a dream is something simple and optimistic through children’s eyes, and how it also stays alive in the mothers,” she says.

Nicolie, in turn, recognizes that her dreams are also what drive hope, and that telling other people’s dreams is a way of seeing the reality of the peripheries from different perspectives. “It was moving to see how everyone looked up when they talked about dreams and how their eyes sparkled during the collages. The final video is just a small piece of what this experience was. The greatest impact lies in what the process brought to us and to those who took part in it,” the student recalls.

To learn more about Thais and Nicolie’s work and understand how dreams can be an important bridge for people living in the peripheries, click here and watch the full video with testimonials from some of the mothers and children served by IC.