Learning for Better Life Choices in Brazil

November 2021

Employee volunteers from HP’s Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre sites in Brazil are using HP LIFE to bring hope for a better future to girls in the Brazilian juvenile detention system.

Employee volunteers at HP’s Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre sites began collaborating with Instituto Mundo Aflora in March. The charity’s work centers on providing girls in Brazil’s juvenile detention system with programs to improve their emotional wellbeing and equip them with the skills they need to make better life choices when they return to their communities.

After a successful first project, the HP volunteer team extended its relationship with the charity, creating a new volunteer project to support the HP Foundation’s 40 Days of Doing Good campaign.

“Technology impacts virtually every aspect of our life today so it’s important for everyone to have the digital skills they need to participate in society equally,” said Elaine Bandeira, HP employee volunteer and project lead. “This was the driver behind our new collaboration.”

The 40 Days of Doing Good project was developed with the support of the detention center’s pedagogical team and focused on teaching and mentoring with HP LIFE, emotional intelligence, sustainability, and diversity and inclusion. Seven HP LIFE courses, including Success Mindset, 3D Printing, and Social Entrepreneurship, were carefully selected to provide the girls with a mix of up-to-date business knowledge and digital literacy skills.

HP LIFE is a free IT and business skills-training program from the HP Foundation. It is accessible online, offline, and in person (where safe) offering more than 30 courses in eight languages for entrepreneurs, business owners, and lifelong learners all over the world. It is also an adaptable educational resource used on the ground by trainers, educators, and mentors.

Thirty-six employee volunteers from HP’s Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre sites delivered the HP LIFE courses and additional content to 168 girls in 23 one-hour virtual sessions, providing context, sharing examples, and answering the girls’ questions in real time.

“Working with these girls is a gift. They are bright, intelligent, and curious. I never felt as if I was working inside the juvenile detention system. I was very humbled by their energy and willingness to participate. They deserve a bright future and I am so proud to play a part in helping them achieve that,” said Elaine.

Following the success of the project, Elaine and the volunteer team continue to work with the girls while exploring the possibility of developing a similar project to support boys in the juvenile detention system.