The year 2025 brought us many surprises and will remain etched in our memory. IC reached heights it had long dreamed of and, as a result, care reached 2,490 people, directly impacting 1,279 children and adolescents. Throughout the year, we prepared ourselves, restructured our work and strengthened internal processes to sustain a growth that was already proving necessary.

This movement required institutional maturity and brought important challenges, but it also opened paths for us to go further. Those on the front line of these changes, like our administrative director Diego Schultz, were able to follow the impact on day-to-day work up close. “These were months that demanded resilience, flexibility and a great capacity to adapt. Despite — and because of — these challenges, 2025 was also a year of hard work, dedication and growth,” he says.

With these transformations, we began to look at our work from new perspectives. We work with care and the guarantee of rights on different fronts, which led us to reassess our methodology, make progress in the use of indicators and implement new ways of monitoring families’ progress. This process was essential for IC to be ready to expand its work beyond the territory where it was already established.

In this context, we came to understand that our work is organized into three main fronts. Direct support to the families who take part in our activities. The multiplication of our methodology with institutions that want to strengthen their care practices. And advocacy work focused on influencing public policy and producing knowledge. This clarity was decisive in sustaining the expansions that marked the year.

Now, to fondly preserve the memories of 2025, we invite you to look back on some of what happened here.

We strengthened care

Care is part of our DNA, and one of the ways we bring it into people’s lives is by talking with them to understand their needs and help them overcome obstacles. In total, we provided 4,022 services, which connect us with families and build bonds so we can get to know each of them more deeply.

Individual sessions allow the technical team to understand which issues need more attention in each context, whether in psychology, employability, education, nutrition or access to rights. “Each meeting is an opportunity to build bonds, get to know families closely and address the most urgent matters in a personalized way. That is how we respect each family’s story, taking into account their experiences and individual circumstances,” explains Kátia Moreti, IC’s project manager.

Group sessions, on the other hand, bring up necessary discussions that are part of everyday life and shared by many families, such as health, access to public services and even financial education. In some of these groups, the involvement of volunteers was essential to ensure even more specialized support. “These are moments when people, who are often going through the same difficulties, connect with one another,” Kátia adds.

The partnership with volunteers also took shape in initiatives such as the training of adolescents through the Vozes do Futuro (Voices of the Future) Project, by the company LLYC, focused on career guidance for the job market. Another example was the financial education sessions led by students from FEA USP, who helped families organize their finances based on each one’s reality.

In addition, our work in the territory, especially at the North Zone Hub, helped strengthen families’ access to public services in the region. We held regular meetings with representatives of the social assistance network, promoting debates on issues that affect residents’ lives, and also took part in events such as Maio Laranja (Orange May), a campaign against child sexual abuse.

Many of these achievements were also made possible thanks to the volunteers who dedicate their time and talent to expanding our reach. In 2025, in addition to well-established fronts, such as support in the toy library and work with the Nota Fiscal Paulista program, we had nutrition professionals working on selective eating and legal support for guidance on specific cases. This combination of knowledge strengthens the care offered to each family.

We went further

In 2025, the desire to expand IC’s work took shape. The expansion to new cities was the result of a careful process of coordination, listening and joint construction, always in dialogue with local organizations and the social assistance network, to ensure that each initiative made sense in its territory.

In Taubaté, after years of dialogue and mobilizing partners, we began working in partnership with Projeto Hapet, which carries out psychosocial and educational activities with children and adolescents. Through this collaboration, we will support the families served by the organization, strengthening care in a holistic way. We currently have two people on the local team and continue to advance in coordinating with the network’s public services. Services are scheduled to begin in 2026, with the goal of supporting 100 families over the year.

In Porto Alegre, the expansion is taking place in partnership with Instituto Mari Johannpeter, in the Restinga neighborhood. The work will focus on families who already take part in Instituto Mari’s activities. Positions have already been opened, and the hiring process begins in January. Planning, the territorial assessment and training will take place at the beginning of the year, with services expected to start between March and April. The goal is to support 100 families by the end of 2026.

In São Paulo, Cyrela placed its trust in Instituto C’s methodology to offer holistic care to its employees and their families. The pilot project was structured in two complementary contexts. One involved serving families at the North Zone Hub. The other brought care directly into the workplace, with psychology and social work sessions held at construction sites.

At the Hub, the technical team provided services in social work, psychology, pedagogy, income generation and nutrition, guiding each family according to its needs. This work strengthened bonds and reaffirmed the project’s commitment to accessibility, listening and holistic care.

At the construction sites, a model of psychosocial care in the workplace was implemented. In this setting, we found that many workers faced emotional vulnerability, food insecurity and difficulties in accessing their rights.

In total, 496 people were impacted, and we made formal referrals to public health services, social assistance and the rights protection system. The experience brought important lessons and reinforced our commitment to high-quality care, capable of producing concrete effects in people’s lives.

We claimed our space

Advocating for childhood is also a central part of our mission. In 2025, we worked to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood care, ensuring that children grow up in healthy environments with full opportunities for development. In partnership with Fundação Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal, we took part in the Agosto Verde (Green August) campaign, which promoted relevant debates about this stage of life. During the same period, we relaunched a booklet for caregivers and care professionals, covering essential topics in child development.

Along the same lines, Vera Oliveira, IC’s executive director, took part in the Executive Leadership Program in Early Childhood Development, an initiative of Núcleo Ciência pela Infância aimed at training leaders committed to transforming public policy in Brazil. Vera also attended the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century course, part of the Young Global Leaders program, for which she was selected in 2024. The program brought together 65 leaders from different sectors, such as politics, the third sector and startups, to discuss the challenges of leadership in the 21st century and how to expand their impact on the world.

For IC, being present in these spaces is a very powerful opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences. “These environments, where we take part as individuals but also as an organization, greatly contribute to building public policies that work better for citizens. And they place the institute in a position to coordinate with other bodies, whether in government or other organizations,” says Vera.

Paloma Costa, our institutional relations manager, also represents IC in defending children’s rights. She is a member of the Municipal Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents and says that being part of such a relevant council makes a difference. “For Instituto C, this presence is essential: it broadens our vision, strengthens our work and places us in a space where we can advocate, with grounding and legitimacy, for the needs of the families we serve,” she says.

A year of many dreams come true

Looking back on IC’s journey this year fills us with pride: we achieved milestones we had dreamed of for a long time. We turned 14, and with that came many gifts. One of them was appearing on national television for the first time, on the show Domingão com Huck, and shortly afterwards receiving the news that we had been selected for Criança Esperança.

We earned seals and certifications that reinforce the seriousness of our work. For the 9th consecutive time, we were among the 100 Best NGOs in Brazil, and we were recognized with the Autism-Friendly Seal, the Human Rights Seal and the Racial Equality Seal, each of which represents the pillars we have worked on over all these years. We also received CEBAS (Certification of Charitable Social Assistance Entities), a certification that officially recognizes our work in this field.

A lot happened, and all of it is the result of the dedication of every person who committed to supporting IC and the families we serve. At this moment, we also remember our team, an essential part of this growth and of every achievement.

In 2026, we want to keep growing and reaping the rewards of such a valuable year. There is a lot ahead, but we are ready for this new phase and eager to serve more families and multiply care.

To close this special cycle, administrative director Diego Schultz left a message for the team. “My sincere thanks to this incredible team, who dedicate themselves every day to Instituto C’s mission and make the organization happen, even in the face of the greatest challenges. It is thanks to this collective commitment that we keep moving forward, growing, learning and expanding our impact.”

To look back on such an intense year full of achievements, watch our 2025 video and walk with us along the paths that care has helped transform.