In 2013 and 2014, Rio Verde won a new client: Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP), located in São Gonçalo do Amarante, Ceará, near the port of Pecém.
Rio Verde's management has always believed that, wherever the company operates, it is essential to look around, get to know the region, explore the details and, above all, look for ways to help the community. With this in mind, the leaders shared this vision with the CSP construction team. Enthusiastically, they came up with various ideas for action, including the "Painting the Future" project.
"Painting the Future" became a project conceived in partnership with the municipality's Department of Education. The main idea was to ask children between the ages of 10 and 12 how they believed the major work carried out by Rio Verde for CSP would affect their future. The children were encouraged to express their opinions through artistic drawings.
With the support of the municipality's Department of Education, the initiative was implemented in eight schools. Rio Verde contributed with school kits and made a professional available for artistic guidance, together with a local art teacher. The teacher's mission was to transfer knowledge of drawing techniques so that the children could represent on paper the impact of the new industry on their future and that of the community.
After the participating schools had created their drawings, the teacher evaluated each one and selected four schools for the final phase of the project. At this stage, the schools decided which drawing would represent them. With the help of the teacher, the children reproduced these drawings on the wall of the Rio Verde office, with the aim of transferring the drawings from paper to the wall on a large scale.
The final stage took place on the day of the wall painting. The walls were prepared and the children collectively painted the four finalist drawings. It was a very pleasant day, and Rio Verde provided breakfast and lunch for everyone. At the end of the day, Rio Verde employees who were working on site were invited to evaluate the drawings and choose the grand champion.
All the students received prizes (iPods, iPads, tablets, watches and other age-appropriate items), but the most important thing was that Rio Verde was able to instill in the children reflections on the impact of major construction on their lives. The children left happy and enriched with knowledge, learning to idealize their thoughts.
This social project marked Rio Verde's history and left a significant legacy for the company and the municipality.