Call for projects in Barcarena, Pará, mobilizes organizations to present their local development proposals

The Call for Sustainable Connections Projects Platform in Barcarena , Pará, has been mobilizing organizations to present their development proposals for the city as a whole, promoting the protagonism of local entities and the sustainable development of Barcarena.

Launched earlier this month, the Sustainable Connections platform is an initiative of the Hydro Sustainability Fund (FSH) in partnership with the Partners for the Amazon Platform (PPA) and the United States Agency for Development (USAID) , through support for Sustainable Barcarena Initiative (IBS).

Synergia, since 2020, has been responsible for the development and implementation of the management methodology of the Executive Secretariat of the IBS (Sustainable Barcarena Initiative), a project that aims to strengthen the capacity of local communities to drive social change and local development .

The call for projects in Barcarena prioritizes the funding of projects and social initiatives whose object is community-based and structuring actions . The objective is to achieve, in a collaborative way, development based on sustainable solutions for the region.

For Miriam Armelin, project manager at Synergia and coordinator of the Executive Secretariat of IBS, the process of defining priority themes for better development in Barcarena – such as work and income, sanitation and the environment, education, etc. it took place in several stages and considered different points that would be essential for the municipality. In this way, it is now possible to gather, select and finance projects that really make a differencein local development. “The call for projects represents the implementation of an entire process of construction of the Theory of Change within the scope of the IBS, and which guided the choice of areas to be contemplated with project financing – job and income generation; sociobiodiversity; sanitation and solid waste management”, she points out.

It is important to point out that the construction of the Theory of Change , a process mentioned by Miriam, seeks to identify the necessary transformations for the territory, the indispensable actions for this and the results that are intended to be achieved.

The Theory of Change thus becomes a simple and creative way of showing, in an organized way, the relationship between the actions and the changes that one wants to achieve in the direction of the sustainable development of the territory, in this case, Barcarena.

Eduardo Figueiredo, executive director of the FSH, highlights the importance of bringing the various suggestions, proposals and projects , considering the knowledge of those who really experience the reality of Barcarena and who aim both to assist and to be part of the development of the municipality. “This whole process is about trust. […] this decision to relinquish management control of a process like this, calling for projects, is an important decision. […] It takes more work, demands much more attention with administrative matters, but the result is much stronger for what we intend for the future”, says Eduardo.

Check out the full interview with Eduardo Figueiredo, executive director of the Hydro Sustainability Fund, about the call for projects in Barcarena

It is worth noting that projects interested in applying to receive funding can apply until June 3, 2022 , on the website of the Iniciativa Barcarena Sustentável , where it is possible to find complete information about the application and selection process.

According to a spokesperson for the Hydro Sustainability Fund, calls for projects in Barcarena are intended to primarily benefit local community organizations , through the “opening of deadlines for submitting projects in two stages: in 2022, a call for projects community projects and a call for structuring projects; and, in 2023, with another call for community projects.”

The public notice for community projects has been open since May 3 , the date of the launch event of Conexões Susteníveis, and the public notice for structuring projects will have an open call in June of this year.

The Call for Projects Platform – Sustainable Connections is an initiative of the Hydro Sustainability Fund (FSH), in partnership with the Partners for the Amazon Platform (PPA) and the United States Agency for Development (USAID), through the support of the Initiative Sustainable Barcarena (IBS).