About

Amigos
do Bem

Discover the history, purpose and principles that guide Amigos do Bem's work in the sertão, the semi-arid backlands of northeastern Brazil.

Our history

More than 30 years of Transformation

Our work began in 1993 with a small group of friends, led by Alcione Albanesi. Today we are one of the largest social projects in the country, regularly serving more than 150,000 people in the sertão of Alagoas, Pernambuco and Ceará.

We drive the transformation of thousands of lives through continuous projects in education, income generation and access to water, housing and health. We are breaking a centuries-old cycle of poverty in the sertão. With opportunities, more than 10,000 children and young people already see a different future.

Territory

Why the sertão?

A place where millions of people are born, suffer and die with no prospect of a future. Poor income distribution and neglect are worsened by drought, condemning millions of people in the Northeast to extreme poverty.

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Our motto

The Amigos do Bem Motto

Let no one refrain from doing good On the pretext of being too small, For each of us has some resource To give worth to our destiny! Brotherhood is like a hymn We sing together, when someone Among us receives the divine balm That a friendly, fraternal gesture holds! In the face of social progress, to always work for the common good is our sacred duty! This is how I describe my motto in life: If I cannot do all that I should, I must, at least, do all that I can!

— Amigos do Bem

Manifesto

Our Institution's Manifesto

We believe that the responsibility to transform Brazil belongs to each of us, and the only way to break the cycle of poverty is through human intervention.

We believe in the victory of the human being.

With this belief, the 20 friends who arrived in the sertão in 1993 with donations have multiplied and today form the largest group of active volunteers in the country, transforming the lives of more than 150,000 people every month.

We believe that volunteering is the driving force of transformation. This force, applied with efficiency and love, results in concrete actions.

Our motto is "If I cannot do all that I should, I must at least do all that I can".

Amigos do Bem has already proven that poverty has a solution. With projects in education, income generation, health and infrastructure, we show that eradicating poverty in the country's neediest region is possible!

When we look to the future, we imagine this model of transformation replicated across many regions of Brazil and the world, so that hunger and poverty will only be remembered as historical facts.

Nice to meet you — we are Amigos do Bem!

Institutional identity

Mission, Vision, Values and Premise

Mission

We transform lives through education and self-sustaining projects that promote local development and social inclusion, eradicating hunger and poverty.

Vision

A future in which hunger and poverty in the sertão are only remembered as historical facts.

Values

Solidarity
Humanity
Transparency

Premise

We believe that every human being is capable of developing, as long as favorable conditions are offered. Each person can be a multiplier of good.

Leadership

Alcione Albanesi

Founder and President

Alcione Albanesi is an entrepreneur who built a company that became the market leader in light bulbs in Brazil. In 2014, she sold her company to dedicate herself, voluntarily and full-time, to the social project she founded in 1993 in the sertão.

Alcione has received several awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young, Projeto Generosidade from Editora Globo, Mulher Claudia, Trip Transformadores and Social Entrepreneur from Folha de S.Paulo. She was also honored with the titles of Honorary Citizen of Pernambuco and Ceará.

"Doing good is the feeling of a duty fulfilled before life. I believe in a better Brazil for future generations, a country without so many inequalities."

— Alcione Albanesi

Governance