As part of Port of Açu’s Volunteers Program, AbrAÇU, a group of the company’s associates, promoted a fun and educational morning with the children of Açu Beach. Done in partnership with the Sabonete Social Assistance Reference Center (CRAs), from São João da Barra, the children in the event participated in a lecture on environmental education, followed by releasing baby turtles and receiving school kits donated by the Port’s employees.
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About 60 children received the beneficial donations, which included backpacks, pencil cases, pencils, pens, and erasers, among other things. The babies who were signed up for the event received diapers and wipes.
For the Social Responsibility coordinator of Açu Port, Izabel Sousa, it is equally as important to collaborate with school supplies for the children as it is to contribute to this interaction with each one of them: “Our volunteers from AbrAÇU try not to just donate objects, but to also donate time and know-how to support the education of the children of Açu. The idea was that they become enchanted with participating in such a rich time of interaction with the local fauna and that this experience become a practical pillar in the children’s environmental education, and by multiplication, with their families,” she said.
The children who participated in the volunteer action had the opportunity to get to know the turtles of the Caretta caretta species, which use the beaches of Northern Rio de Janeiro State to spawn. They also learned about the animal’s behavior with responsible technicians from Port of Açu’s Marine Turtle Monitoring Program, in development since 2008. The monitoring spans 62 km of beachline, from Pontal de Atafona, in São João da Barra, to Barra do Furado, in Campos. During the reproductive period, which goes from September to March, the team finds, identifies, and accompanies the turtle nests up until the birth of the babies.
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For Júlia da Silva Gomes, resident of Açu and mother of two children, the experience was very positive. “It was really great to watch the reaction of the children seeing the turtles and accompanying their path to the ocean. I, for one, didn’t even know what the posts were for that mark the nests on the beach,” she said.
For Josinea Ribeiro Bandeira do Nascimento, interim Sabonete CRAs coordinator, today’s meeting also contributed to the creation of values in the children. “The families were not just accompanying the children, but also participating in all of the actions performed. This made a change in the whole family’s values possible and contributed to the education of the children. I am certain that this day will be unforgettable.”
This is the second AbrAÇU event in São João da Barra. At the end of last year, the Program made the elderly of São João Batista’s day, with an afternoon of music, bingo and presents. The idea is to have new events taking place over the coming year.
