FUNDAÇÃO ALMERINDA MALAQUIAS
Founded in 2000 by Miguel Rocha da Silva and Jean-Daniel Vallotton, this non-governmental organization has been serving as an environmental education center for children and youth aged 6 to 17, with the mission of preparing them to lead environmental initiatives that help keep the Amazon forest standing.
Its facilities — including classrooms, an events center, a kitchen, and a dining hall — currently welcome 200 children in after-school programs, offering multidisciplinary classes and activities.
FAM also works on Income Generation, providing professional training and skills development through woodworking and marquetry design using reclaimed wood — a craft that ensures a steady income for around 50 families.
FAM
EDUCAÇÃO RIBEIRINHA
There is no preservation without education. Based on this basic premise, the Projeto Educação Ribeirinha — an initiative managed by the Almerinda Malaquias Foundation, an NGO from Novo Airão (AM) that has been promoting environmental education for children and young people for 24 years — celebrates the delivery of 16 community schools.
Launched at the end of 2021, the program’s main goal is to provide quality basic education, starting with the improvement of infrastructure in 25 schools located in isolated communities within the vast territory of the municipality of Novo Airão, which spans 38,000 square kilometers. The construction and renovation include not only the school buildings themselves, but also kitchen annexes for meal preparation, restrooms with ecological septic tanks, and — equally essential — teacher housing. In addition, the project includes the installation of solar power systems and satellite internet networks.
The school units were designed with a sustainable architecture concept by Atelier Marko Brajovic, aiming to integrate them into the natural surroundings while also honoring the cultural heritage of the original populations of these forest regions: riverine communities, Indigenous peoples, and Quilombolas. Inspired by regional constructions — with raised bases, wooden structures and cladding — the design also incorporates openings protected by mosquito screens, natural lighting, and cross ventilation. To adapt to different communities, programs, and topographies, three different modules were created. The project relies exclusively on local labor and provides materials and technologies accessible to these communities, both for construction and for maintenance.
In March, it received the iF DESIGN AWARD 2024 in the “Public Architecture” category — one of the most important and prestigious design recognitions in the world. Every year, thousands of designers, architects, and companies from around the globe participate to have their projects evaluated by independent design experts.
The Almerinda Malaquias Foundation and its Projeto Educação Ribeirinha are supported by the ecotourism companies Expedição Katerre and Mirante do Gavião Amazon Lodge, also based in Novo Airão (AM). These companies participate in the administrative and management council, provide financial support, and foster connections with companies and individuals to raise funds and donations for the construction of the units.
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