A Look Back at 2019 (and a few ideas for 2020)

What a year! Despite the many challenges, our results and achievements in 2019 were tremendous. As we look back on everything we’ve done, our overriding feeling is one of pride! We hope you’ll also enjoy the highlights of our 2019 Year in Review.

2019 Review:

Social Programmes In 2019, we continued to work in line with our mission, which is to preserve the dignity and promote the wellbeing of vulnerable older people, whose independence and support networks have been compromised by the passage of time, thereby giving back to those who have so much for us.

And we’ve done a great deal for older people:

An increase of almost 50 per cent in the number of beneficiaries for the second year running

We ended 2019 with 222 elderly beneficiaries of any of our projects . This represents a 42 per cent increase compared with 2018, the year in which We ended the year with 156 beneficiaries.

This increase is mainly due to our Community Centre for the Elderly (CCI), which has expanded and become more established over this period.

Consolidation of the Butantã Community Centre for the Elderly (CCI)

This project, which began as a pilot scheme in late 2018, became a great success in 2019.

We ended the year with virtually all our places filled. In total, 86 older people were enrolled in at least one activity. The average daily attendance rate stood at 74 per cent. Furthermore, our waiting list has more than 20 people interested in to join the project in 2020.

To meet this growing demand from older people, we had to expand the CCI over the course of the year. The Centre – which is based at the Butantã branch of Cultura Inglesa, located at – is now open from Monday to Thursday, from 8.30 am to 12 noon, and offers a full programme of activities.

Leisure and culture for the over-65s

A good example of this success was the two plays that the Centre’s participants staged and performed that year. In the first semester, the play *Comida* was staged at **, directed by Professor Yara Toscano, and in the second semester it was the turn of the play *Relatos: a* at ** ‘Life begins at 60’’, directed by Professor Victória de Paula.

In the same cultural vein, we organise two excursions a year. In the first semester, we went to the Santander Theatre to see *Sunset Boulevard*, produced by IMM Esporte e Entretenimento . And, in the second This term, we visited the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS-SP) to see the exhibition ‘: Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of a Genius’ .

We also focused heavily on strengthening the CCI’s leisure activities. That is why we organised 10 celebrations and parties over the past year. Among other things, we celebrated, Páscoa, and Festa Julina, – the project’s first anniversary and the Year-End .

Will the CCI continue in 2020?

Yes! We’ll be resuming activities in Butantã in February, and enrolment is now open. We hope to fill all available places and, at the same time, clear our waiting list. That way, everyone interested will be able to take part in at least one of our workshops.

Among the new additions to our programme, it’s worth highlighting a new music workshop that we’re launching at the request of the Participants at the Centre.

New centre in Paraisópolis!

As well as resuming activities in Butantã, we will also be launching a new Community Centre for the Elderly in Paraisópolis. This centre will also operate in partnership with Cultura Inglesa, which has opened a school in the area to provide free English lessons to local residents.

We will begin with two weekly workshops on memory and crafts, and will support 60 vulnerable older people living in the area throughout the first half of the year. We are confident that the project will be a success and will continuation beyond this initial trial period.

These trials, incidentally, will only be possible thanks to a donation from an FBB partner – to whom we are very grateful – who heard about the idea and decided to back the project. We are very keen to seek out new partners who wish to support us in maintaining and expanding the CCI Paraisópolis, as well as in opening new centres.

Hold on! New CCI centres?

We strongly believe in the project and the benefits it brings to people aged 60 and over. That is why we – the Board, partners and staff of the British Foundation – are reviewing the project to make it easier to open new centres. Stay tuned for updates, as we should have some good news very soon!

Progress of the Cuidar Programme

In 2019, we carried out 655 medical check-ups with elderly beneficiaries of the Cuidar Programme. On average, this amounted to 55 check-ups per month – or almost two per day.

This represents a 100 per cent increase compared with 2018, when our total number of consultations stood at just over 300. And a 200 per cent increase compared with 2017, when there were 200 medical consultations .

Another piece of good news regarding this programme is the launch of our partnership with Saúde Concierge , a company specialising in managing the health of its beneficiaries and optimising the use of its partners’ medical and financial resources. They will be of great help to us in improving the standard of care we provide to our beneficiaries.

And that’s not to mention the support provided as part of the Multiplicar programme, which will be detailed below.

Maintenance of the Multiplicar Programme

As part of the Multiplicar Programme, we are continuing our support for the ‘’ (Mother Teodora Home for the Elderly) , which provides shelter for around 70 vulnerable elderly people in the South Zone of São Paulo.

In addition to our usual support, with resources that help with As part of our ongoing organisational support, we also arranged 32 medical check-ups for the elderly residents at the Home.

In keeping with the tradition of recent years, we also promoted intergenerational interaction with a visit by pupils from St Paul’s School to Madre . We also organised a special Easter event
, featuring a rabbit handing out eggs donated by the PTA (Parents and Teachers’ Association) of St Paul’s School, and we distributed a large quantity of hygiene products kindly donated by Sabrina.

Events with and for elderly beneficiaries of our programmes

It’s been a very eventful year. As well as the results and events I’ve already listed, we’ve also had a few more activities that deserve a mention in this 2019 Review!

Meeting of beneficiaries of FBB projects

As our projects have grown and diversified, we felt it was important to an event that brought everyone together for a day . And it was brilliant! We took nearly 100 older people to the SPYC (São Paulo Yacht Club) at the Guarapiranga Reservoir, where we enjoyed a boat trip, yoga, circle dancing, music and movement, and a gardening workshop organised by the São Paulo Garden Club .

Tea Party
at St Paul’s School

Nothing beats An afternoon tea to honour our British heritage . And the school’s pupils organised a lovely tea party to accompany good conversation and laughter. It’s quite possible that this gathering will bear further fruit, such as a memoir based on the stories shared that day.

2019 in Review: Institutional

For all this to happen, the other departments of the British Charitable Foundation also had to play their part. Here are the highlights:

Charity event: The Queen’s Birthday

In May, we held our traditional celebration of the The Queen’s Birthday (or Queen’s Birthday Party ). As well as being a very important celebration for the British community, all proceeds from the event go towards our social projects.

The party was lovely and featured performances by two choirs, which made it even more special. And, thanks to our sponsors, supporters and guests, we made a ‘profit’ of R$ 15,000, which we have reinvested in the Community Centre for the Elderly.

St Paul’s School International Day

One of the greatest achievements of 2019! We were selected by the St Paul’s School PTA’s ‘’ as one of the organisations to benefit from the ‘’ International Day this year.

It is a fantastic event at which part of the proceeds are donated to a number of local NGOs, including ourselves. We are honoured to share this experience with leading organisations. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Liga Solidária, Tucca, Mão Amiga and ACER Brasil is a source of great pride.

As well as setting up a stand and showcasing our work to the school community, we took a few elderly beneficiaries of our projects along to enjoy the event. It was brilliant!

And we’ve already received some great news: we’ll be taking part in International Day 2020!

More volunteers!

We’ve had help from a number of volunteers throughout the year. At CCI, we have a few people who come in weekly to help us organise the space. We also have volunteers in charge of some of our activities, such as our dear Penny’s Music and Movement workshop.

We’ve also had volunteers for one-off activities, such as theatre performances and events. Others have helped with administrative tasks and communication needs. Apart from our Executive Committee and Audit Committee, all our volunteers dedicate a significant portion of their free time to the FBB.

We are immensely grateful to all of them. Thank you very much!

Partnership with university students

In 2019, we also welcomed students from a number of universities to take part in our projects. It is worth highlighting the work carried out by two of these groups:

FEA-USP Community Service Extension Programme (PESC)

This is a university volunteering programme aimed at students at FEA-USP. Its objectives are to provide opportunities for students to share the knowledge they have acquired with society, and to develop in students a strategic and entrepreneurial vision for social action.

Their work took place within our Cuidar Programme. They helped us enormously in reviewing our organisation and logistics to optimise the use of resources. It was a brilliant experience that yielded some very interesting results.

Reporting project by journalism students at UNIP Tatuapé

Meanwhile, students from UNIP Tatuapé wanted to carry out an academic project as part of their Journalism degree. To this end, they visited our CCI and interviewed our team and our beneficiaries. The result was a very extensive and detailed article on longevity entitled ‘
: Life doesn’t stop at 60
’. We’ve published it on our blog and highly recommend a read!

Conclusion Writing this 2019 Review has been a great way to look back on – and celebrate! – everything we’ve achieved over the past year.

And it serves as motivation for us to kick off 2020 in style!

We’re excited and looking forward to having more amazing things to share this time next year.

We hope you’ve enjoyed it, and if you have any questions, please leave a comment or send us a message.