Je
ane
As If every day was new year's eve In addition to the fires that light up the sky, the food that indulges the memory and the festive atmosphere that can even change the mood of neighbors, there are still other reasons for Jeane Valentim to repeat the phrase that, because of how good it was, became the title of her biography. Réveillon comes from the verb “ré-veiller” which, in French, means to wake up – hence the awakening of a new year. Starting over is this woman specialty who was born in the countryside of Alagoas and embroidered a story of overcoming difficulties. Her childhood was marked by lack. She had to share a boiled egg with eight people and took care of her siblings, mother, father and grandmother, without giving up on her. She stands out because of her art work producing Singeleza Lace, considered cultural heritage of Alagoas, a state in the northeast of Brazil. Sassy, wise and spokesperson for her community, she was chosen to join the Biografia Colaborativa project.
Va
nes
sa
Warrior of Mundaú When 50 shellfish gatherers from Lagoa Mundaú got together to define the name of the group they were founding they chose Cooperativa de Trabalho das Marisqueiras Mulheres Guerreiras, Guerreiras is the word for warriors in portuguese and word “warriors” in the cooperative name drew attention. Those women, however, felt – and were – worthy of the adjective. And so it stayed. Among them was Vanessa dos Santos Silva, a shellfish collector since time immemorial. Member of a family whose women, for generations, have been raising their children with the shellfish they extract from Lagoa Mundaú. Vanessa is also president of the cooperative in the community where she lives – and her role, in this daily fight, has changed the lives of many who live there. Her energy and leadership skills led her to be chosen to join the Biografias Colaborativas project.
Ko
ram
Resist to exist In Palmeira dos Índios, a city in the countryside of Alagoas, is located Mata da Cafurna, shelter of the Xucuru-Kariri people. And it is there that we can find Koram, one of the indigenous leaders of this community, usually taking care of her herbarium. Or, who knows, working on the team of nursing technicians at Mata da Cafurna Indigenous Family Health Program, valuing knowledge and indigenous medicine. Nowadays, it is also possible to see her working in her own business, Magia da Terra, an enterprise of sweets and banana-based products, through which she gives work opportunities to other women in the community and to her partner, Nildo. Leader, healer, entrepreneur and student, Koram chose to place the fight to protect the culture and traditions of the Xucuru-Kariri people at the center of her own life. Her strength and many facets led her to be chosen to be part of the Biografias Colaborativas project, which traveled around Maceió in search of five inspiring stories starring women entrepreneurs.
Noe
me
Blooming with beauty Artisan, mother and northeastern woman. This is Noeme, whose name should have been spelled “Noemi”, meaning “pleasant”, but the mistake ended up bringing “blooming with beauty”, from Tupi, which describes her even better. As a child, Noeme faced challenges. She had to work on her parents farm and take care of her younger siblings while she attended school, where she suffered attacks from teachers and hostility from classmates. In addition to the scourges imposed by poverty, she was forced to face the adversities of being a woman in a patriarchal society, when she found herself trapped in an abusive and violent marriage. But Noeme did not let herself down. She found her strength in her studies, and later in handicrafts, becoming the first student to graduate from a new program offered by the Federal Institute of Alagoas. Then she set up her own craft business made out of alternative materials. Her resilience and strength led her to be chosen to join the Biografias Colaborativas project.
Pa
trí
cia
Aluminum flower The penultimate daughter of six girls and a boy, Patrícia Ramos was born in Barra de Santo Antônio, a city located 45 kilometers from Maceió, where, since the beginning, she saw her father, José Amorim, sweating in the extensive sugarcane plantations. Despite the day-to-day life marked by the difficulties of feeding so many mouths, José and Maria Cícera, Patrícia is mother, did everything to preserve their children is childhood, and even today, Patrícia keeps in her memory the days of the June festivities filled with typical foods and jokes she he experienced on the Lagoa Vermelha farm. These memories would help her endure the great challenges that lay ahead: the death of her father, a victim to cancer; moving with her family to the outskirts of Maceió in an attempt to escape hunger, working as a maid in her mid-teens, the murder of her only brother and early marriage and motherhood. All of this, however, Patricia turned into fuel to continue fighting for survival. Until she found an opportunity to renew her life and that of thousands of people around her with her work as a waste collector for recycling. This trajectory of overcoming obstacles led to her being chosen to be part of the Biografias Colaborativas project.
Collaborative Biographies
3rd EditionMaceio – Alagoas
Five women, five stories, five biographies crisscrossed by the difficulties of being a woman, living on the outskirts and being an entrepreneur. But intertwined, above all, by their courage, talent and ability to overcome challenges. Collaborative Biographies 3rd Edition is a project written by many hands. Including yours.
Collaborative Biographies is a project that emerged in response to the context where enterpreunership is one of the greatest dreams of outskirts residents as the only possibility to have a better life.
However, the vast majority never had access to management training and financial assistance reality that is even tougher for women. Our project selected five amazing women to receive financial support, training and to have their stories turned into books. Books with the last chapter blank. The idea is that the income from sales is directed to the business of each entrepreneur and that these inspirational stories continue. Because they will be written by many, many hands.
The Collaborative Biographies Project is sponsored by Braskem through the Federal Culture Incentive Law. Produced by Sagre Incentivized Projects and Events Agency, Ministry of Culture and Federal Government.
A company that has a passion for transformation and believes in people. Braskem is committed to investing in projects like this one, a unique opportunity to share stories that give protagonism to women who transform their lives and the lifes of their families through female entrepreneurship. It is a way of enhancing positive impacts for the society and community where it is present, today and in the future.
Learn more about Braskem in Alagoas: braskem.com.br/braskemalagoas
