Brazilian Non-governmental Organizations Research Articles

The creation of the Fundação Brasileira para a Conservação da Natureza.

This study within the field of environmental history explores the scenario amid which the Fundação Brasileira para a Conservação da Natureza (Brazilian Foundation for Nature Conservation) was founded between 1958 and 1966; this important Brazilian non-governmental organization headquartered in Rio de Janeiro worked at the local, national, and international levels. Primary documentary sources were utilized, along with research of the related literature. The conclusions demonstrate the importance of non-governmental organizations predating this foundation, and the influence of conservationists on its establishment and current work.

Overcoming violence through a democratic and dialogical process

In this article, I present a way of understanding how to overcome violence through dialogue and the democratic organization of group relations. The goal is to discuss how this approach to overcoming violence in an NGO (non-governmental organization) revealed the need to be flexible, to listen to each other, and to be willing to create a new unknown path together with the students by developing the activities to overcome violence (AOV). The objective of the AOV was to change the interpersonal relationships in the organization, to make it a place of co-existence for the children and adults, and to overcome this preponderant form of relational violence. I present actual events that took place at a Brazilian NGO specifically founded to provide care for children at social risk. The project I designed at the NGO focused on the (re-)organization of teaching activities and daily life as a community practice creating a community as a space where the relationships among the participants could become more democratic. The idea was to transform the power and individualistic domination of the NGO’s teachers, coordinators, or founders into shared power relationships established through democratic and dialogical processes. The expected result was that the young attendees of the NGO would become community authors of their own life in the institution and have more personal autonomy. this process also showed us that while we could transform reality, the reality was also transforming our expectations. The very dynamics of the dialogical process require openness in the sense that one cannot predefine the goals according to one’s wishes. One has to be ready to accept the new, unexpected issues that may arise through dialogues and change initial objectives. In any case, I would reckon that one cannot strictly control the dialogical process. For this reason, the means and instruments, as well as the procedures for the AOV have to be understood, created, and reinvented during the process by the participants themselves and not by a single person prior to the AOV. The results showed that an action plan and instruments could only be suggested as a guide during the events, but not as an a priori condition, independent of all those involved in the actions taken.

Advocacy and the role of human rights organizations in the Brazilian legislative branch: Rede Justiça Criminal campaigns

PurposeThis study aims to understand, from the analysis of the work of a Brazilian network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), how advocacy on human rights issues is developed to defend causes before the legislative branch, identifying its contributions and effectiveness. For this, were observed, the strategies and tactics employed in the implementation of two advocacy campaigns promoted by a Brazilian NGOs network.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts the method of inductive investigation with a qualitative approach and uses the techniques of semi-structured in-depth interviews and documentary research. The paper is developed within the scientific field of public relations (PR), uses as reference the critical theory and the rhetorical theory of PR, and is based on the concept of advocacy.FindingsSome results of the advocacy are observed, such as the greater awareness of political decision-makers, in addition to the influence on the definition of the political agenda and on the action of the political decision-makers.Research limitations/implicationsAmong the limitations of this study are the time span for analyzing the campaigns' actions, which could be extended to observe long-term results, as well as the dedication of the study exclusively to the legislative branch since the campaigns also sought to influence decision-making in the executive branch.Social implicationsThe results found encourage the strengthening of the democratic environment since it increases the power and influence of civil society in the political decision-making of the legislative branch.Originality/valueThe study showed that advocacy, as a PR activity, increases civil society participation in political decisions.

Social entrepreneurship and social change: a practice-based study in non-governmental organizations

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how social entrepreneurship (SE) practices give rise to social change in the context of urban Brazil.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on a broader inductive, ethnographic and iterative practice-based study conducted in three Brazilian non-governmental organizations.FindingsSocial change is established through intertwined practices that involve active interplay of ambivalent positive and negative feelings associated with the social mission pursued by the social enterprise; flat organizational structures that encourage participation and taking of ownership among all stakeholders; and focused organizational objectives (social purposes).Research limitations/implicationsThe paper presents an analytical framework composed of five propositions that may be used in future research aimed at maturing and refining the understanding of SE. The study also provides a methodological contribution for future studies of new phenomenon and young fields of research that often must rely on inductive methodologies, by demonstrating how an iterative thematic analysis can be used in practice-based studies.Practical implicationsThis paper has practical implications directly connected to its social implications, because understanding how social change is achieved may enhance the effectiveness of SE practitioners in bringing desired changes about. Furthermore, the discussion also provided insights for practitioners to reflect upon the paradoxical nature of practices aimed at social change.Originality/valueThe study suggests a set of propositions and an original definition of SE that mitigates conceptual inconsistencies found in literature drawing on empirical data and by incorporating the political lens found in practice theory.

The 2008 map of consolidated rural areas in the Brazilian Legal Amazon state of Mato Grosso: Accuracy assessment and implications for the environmental regularization of rural properties

Accurate land use mapping in the Amazon is crucial to support the implementation of environmental policies. The new Brazilian Forest Code published in 2012 defines a “consolidated rural area” (CRA) as an area within a rural property and occupied by humans prior to July 22, 2008. Environmental infractions that occurred before that date are granted amnesty and landowners are exempted from the obligation to restore the degraded areas. To assess the compliance of rural property owners with the environmental legislation, the Brazilian government created the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), for mandatory electronic self-declaration of all rural private properties. The successful implementation of the CAR relies on the accurate mapping of CRA before the reference date of July 2008. The objective of the present paper is to assess the accuracy of the 2008 map of consolidated rural areas (CRA2008) that is the result of a fruitful collaboration between a non-governmental organization (NGO), a state administration and academic institutions. The CRA2008 map was produced by photo-interpretation of high resolution remote sensing images and validated after comparison with 90 aerial photographs. The validation metrics (overall accuracy = 0.926, Kappa index = 0.851 and F-score = 0.924) confirmed the reliability of the CRA2008 map. Most errors identified were due to imprecision at the edges between CRA and native vegetation because of different spatial resolutions of the CRA2008 and the aerial photographs. Consequently, the results were slightly lower (although still high; Kappa = 0.835) in the Amazon biome where landscapes are more fragmented. Finally, in a context of severe criticisms expressed by national government leaders towards Brazilian research institutions and NGOs, our results clearly demonstrate the benefits of combining institutional efforts and of working in synergy to produce relevant information with the aim of ensuring the implementation of public environmental policies and thereby improving land use sustainability in the Amazon.

Barriers to Corporate Social Responsibility: the perceptions of a leading non-governmental organization

Purpose – This study aims to identify the main barriers to develop Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the viewpoint of a leading Non-governmental Organization (NGO). The proposed methodology evaluates the importance attached to different classes of barriers to CSR from the privileged perspective of a Brazilian NGO.Theoretical framework – This study was based on the current theory of barriers to CSR initiatives and multicriteria decision making.Design/methodology/approach – The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to assess and prioritize barriers to CSR through expert opinion. The ranking of stability was tested through a sensitivity analysis of the assigned weights.Findings – The results indicate that the main barrier is a lack of commitment of senior management. By contrast, the least determining barriers were a lack of social auditing, diversity, and customer awareness.Originality/value – The article contributes by extending the application of multiple-criteria decision-making methods to CSR and evaluating the relative importance of the barriers. This study also offers empirical results that broaden the discussion on barriers to social responsibility, guiding managers and decision makers who lead CSR initiatives in organizations to understand which barriers should be overcome, and where managers should focus their effects to do so. Keywords - Analytic hierarchy process; Multicriteria decision making; CSR; Non-governmental organizations; Sustainable development.

RELATIONS BETWEEN THE USE OF ACTIVITY BASED COSTING SYSTEM AND CONTINGENCY FACTORS: EVIDENCE FROM BRAZILIAN NGOS

In the context of Non-Governmental Organizations, management control practices cannot simply be replicated, because due to their specificities as well as internal and external environmental contingency factors, these organizations need to make adjustments and adaptations so that these same practices can be useful for the process of decision making. This paper aims to analyze how significant are the relations between the use of the ABC system and contingency factors among Brazilian Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs). To reach this objective, a descriptive, exploratory and quantitative survey was carried out. The universe of this research was composed by all NGOs listed in the Brazilian Association of Non-governmental Organizations (ABONG). All of them were invited to participate in the survey and 43 agreed to provide information regarding the use of the ABC system and six groups of contingency factors. Data collection was performed through questionnaires sent by correspondence. All variables were operated on a six-level ordinal scale. The statistical technique used to analyze the significance of the relations tested was Kruskall-Wallis test. The results indicated evidence of statistically significant relationships between the use of the ABC method system and contingency factors related to strategy, structure, technology and culture.

A Public Project to Train Data Managers and Start a National Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Registry in Cooperation with the CIBMTR

Data management is essential to understand hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) activity and outcomes in a country, and to design strategies to improve results. Most developing countries, however, have neither a national registry, nor data managers knowledgeable to understand the complicated medical information involved in HSCT. The best strategy to treat patients is not the same in different regions, where social conditions and education may have profound implications on transplant results. Physicians may take part in specific projects, but only trained professional data managers make registries possible and reliable. Designing registries and forms is also extremely challenging. More than 2,500 HSCT are performed in Brazil annually, most of them payed by the government. Understanding the urgent need of knowing HSCT outcomes, the Brazilian government has approved a public grant (Pronon) to train Data Managers to start a Brazilian HSCT Registry (RBTMO). Objectives: To develop a training program to capacitate new data managers in all HSCT Centers performing unrelated donor transplants. Methods: A grant developed by Ameo, a Brazilian Non-Governmental Organization, was approved by the Brazilian government. It includes to: 1) select 3 health-care professionals fluent in English, 2) train them to understand HSCT-related issues, 3) translate the CIBMTR forms to Portuguese, 4) translate and adapt the CIBMTR manual, 5) prepare teaching material; 6) contract the public centers performing unrelated donor HSCT to hire a health care professional who will be paid by the grant to be trained, and to register the patients, 7) provide a laptop with internet access; 8) online web-based training in Portuguese for 2 months withclasses and discussions 3 hours/day, 3 days/week, pre and post-evaluations and documentation of participation; 9) visit each public contracted center for at least 3 days within 3 months for personal contact, teaching and understanding local characteristics and difficulties; 10) weekly meetings to maintain and improve data managers' skills, solve questions, and to build up cooperation among data managers from the different centers, 11) 2 more cycles will follow including auditing patient registration, 12) develop a portal in Portuguese to retrieve transplant outcomes with no patient or center identifiers. Results and conclusion: Three nurses are being trained and preparing the teaching materials. The contracts will be done in 2018, and the Data Manager training will start in early 2019. By the end of 2020, we expect to have a large team of data managers trained in Brazil and a strong cooperation with the CIBMTR to use the enhanced data back to center model to have the Brazilian HSCT Registry.

Análise de Rede Social como estratégia para avaliação de programas de saúde para o controle da tuberculose

A tuberculose, embora curável, é a doença infecciosa que mais causa mortes no mundo. A compreensão sobre suas peculiaridades, no contexto social, é fundamental para propor estratégias de intervenção. A partir de um banco de dados privado e de uso restrito de uma Organização Não Governamental brasileira, atuante no controle da tuberculose, discute-se dois elementos de perpetuação desta doença: o espaço de manutenção da doença relacionado as inter-relações (clusters) e a migração de laços fortes entre micro áreas da localidade em questão sugerindo que atuem como pontes de disseminação entre as regiões. A utilização da Análise de Rede Social mostrou-se como ferramenta eficaz não só para a compreensão do cenário, como também, para o direcionamento das estratégias de atuação. Tais possibilidades otimizam tempo, recursos financeiros e humanos além de sugerir entendimento sobre a dinâmica da tuberculose seja qual for o lugar no mundo.

Reduction of Breast Cancer Treatment Delay as a Result of Efforts Carried Out by Two Brazilian NGOs

Background: Brazilian breast cancer patients present disease often at advanced stages (III, IV). Previous studies indicated that system delay is a causal factor of bad prognosis and increased mortality rate. In the state of Paraíba, northeast of Brazil, two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Américas Amigas and Mulheres de Peito de Campina Grande (MLDP), promote faster access to treatment by donating diagnostic mammography and biopsies as well as anatomo-histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. Aim: The current study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the assistance provided by both NGOs and comparing patient flow between HNL and FAP, two reference cancer centers in João Pessoa and Campina Grande, respectively. Methods: Time-to-treatment was analyzed for different time intervals between first medical consultation and initiation of treatment. Comparison was performed between three groups of patients: 40 patients from Hospital Napoleão Laureano (HNL) in João Pessoa; 80 patients from Fundação Assistencial da Paraíba (FAP) in Campina Grande and 15 patients from FAP, who received support from the NGOs. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to compare time-intervals among the groups. To estimate the impact of socioeconomic variables Cox regression analysis was performed. Results: Mean time-interval between first medical consultation and hospital admission was 135 (SD=21.0), 370 (SD=73.7) and 515 (SD=36.6) days, for patients of HNL, MLDP and FAP, respectively ( P = 0.0021). Time intervals analyzed for patients within the FAP hospital, between first medical consultation and hospital admission, tended to be shorter for patients who were assisted by the NGOs, compared with those who did not receive any assistance from the NGOs. Patients who had consulted specialized oncological health services beforehand had an increased chance (HZ=2.32; 95% CI: 1.17-4.60; P = 0.016) of being admitted at the reference hospital within 90 days after the first medical consultation, compared with those who had not consulted such specialized services. There were no significant differences between HNL and FAP, regarding the time interval between hospital admission and treatment initiation ( P = 0.21). Conclusion: The assistance to patients provided by the two NGOs, aimed at speeding up the diagnosis process, accelerated patient flow between first medical consultation and admission at the hospitals. Regarding HNL, patients from the inland had been sent by primary health units in their municipalities, directly to the cancer reference hospital in João Pessoa, without being referred to an in-between health service. Such procedure explains the variation of time intervals when admissions at FAP and HNL are compared. The results of the current study indicate that by providing faster breast cancer diagnosis, the NGOs’ mediation can significantly improve patient flow.

School Psychology on the Formation of the Social Educator: Assessment of the Professional Profile

In Brazilian scenario, the profession of the social educator is recent in the non-formal educative spaces, including institutions which act in benefit of the poorest segments of the population. With the intent to contribute to the discussion on the formation of the social educator, this manuscript seeks to investigate the professional profile resources of social educators from a Brazilian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and the possibilities of contribution from the School and Educational Psychology to the consolidation of this profession’s identity. In this study, it was utilized the theoretical-conceptual perspective of historical-cultural Psychology in articulation with the competence approach. Six social educators participated in this study. The first research step consisted of the review and expansion of the social educator’s professional profile proposed by Soares (2008) through a literature review in School and Educational Psychology and institutional visits to a Brazilian NGO, which categorizes six competence resources for the composition of the social educator’s profile: 1) theoretical and conceptual performances; 2) technical and scientific competences; 3) practical knowledge competences; 4) interpersonal competences; 5) ethical competences; 6) esthetical competences. The second step involved the application of the instrument in six social educators. The results indicated predominance in relation to the practical knowledge, interpersonal, ethical and esthetical competences. In counterpoint, the theoretical and conceptual competences and technical and scientific competences were the less evidenced ones, suggesting a profile still undeveloped through paths of initial and continuous formation specific in the field of social education. Against this challenge in research, it is understood that School Psychology may bring contributions to non-formal educative spaces of Third Sector to favor the development and consolidation of the professional identity of the social educator, of the theoretical and conceptual production on the formation and actuation of social educators, as well as the expansion of School and Educational Psychology to differentiated educative spaces.

Reflexões a respeito de uma experiência de participação infantil no Brasil envolvendo os espaços urbanos e a perspectiva das crianças

O presente artigo tem como objetivo refletir acerca da participação infantil a partir das ações desenvolvidas por uma organização não governamental brasileira. A pesquisa desenvolvida se caracteriza como qualitativa por meio da realização de um estudo bibliográfico e documental, com a consequente análise de conteúdo. Entende-se que, por meio dos Estudos da Criança, especialmente a partir das contribuições da Sociologia da Infância, será possível pensar em formas de atuação da criança na sociedade com base na compreensão dessa enquanto ator social, sujeito de direitos e com voz. A experiência brasileira que trouxemos nos aponta caminhos importantes na consideração da participação infantil nos espaços públicos, especificamente no espaço urbano das cidades. Os projetos desenvolvidos envolvendo as crianças e seus contextos de vida contribuem para a consideração dessas como cidadãs ativas e competentes e nos mostram que as mesmas estão bastante atentas ao espaço que as rodeia.Palavras-chave: Participação infantil; Direitos; Criança;Infância ABSTRACTThe aim of the current study is to address child participation according to actions taken by a Brazilian non-governmental organization. The developed research is featured as qualitative due to the conduction of a bibliographic and documental study and to the consequent content analysis. It is known that studies focused on child participation, as well as the contributions from the Childhood Sociology, allow thinking about the way children act in society by understanding them as social actors, as subjects with rights and voice. The Brazilian experience we brought to the current study shows important paths about children's participation in public areas, mainly in urban areas. Projects about children and their life contexts give children the status of active and competent citizens, and show them as very attentive to the space around them.Keywords: Child participation; Rights; Child; Childhood

Knowledge and Power of the Civil Society: an empirical study of Brazilian professionals working in the NGOs

This study critically analyses the way Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operate in Brazil and their contribution to the development of the Brazilian civil society. The notion of "power fields" and "habitus", proposed by Bourdieu (1989; 1996), provides the theoretical backdrop to our discussions. This focusses largely on the recursive connection between structure and agency which resonates with the work of Fligstein (2006). This study seeks to critically analyse the learning and social practice developed by professionals in NGOs in their daily activities. This study is based on qualitative research and the results indicated that the knowledge produced by Brazilian NGOs, through the recursive connection between the agents of the fields and the structures underpinning them, contributes to the expansion and transformation of the field in which they operate. This perspective shows that the knowledge generated by this NGOs give them a certain level of power and influence in the Brazilian civil society.

Craque do Amanhã: Deporte, escuela y familia

The article’s purpose is to present a study about the “Craque do Amanha” project, which is implemented by cieds (Center for Integrated Studies and Programs for Sustainable Development), a Brazilian non-governmental organization, and developer of a methodology focused on articulating sport, school and families. The article aims to understand the connections between educational sports programs and the integrated development of children and adolescents. It was also identified that other results were achieved through educational sports projects. The exploratory research based on qualitative data showed several indicatives confirming the hypothesis that educational sport contribute to the integral development of children and adolescents; it was observed, however, an urgent need to link that with public policies of assistance, education and health. The main impacts of the project are about: participants behavior, improving school performance, family relationships, youth leadership, the development of families and their territory.

Self-perception of people who stutter regarding their experiences and results of stuttering treatments.

To investigate the opinion about stuttering treatments in people who stutter, based on their answers to two open questions. The participants were 40 adults of both genders, with self-reported stuttering. During the first phase of the research, we contacted two Brazilian nongovernmental organizations: the Brazilian Stuttering Association (ABRAGAGUEIRA) and the Brazilian Fluency Institute (IBF). These associations agreed to participate and were responsible for sending the research questions to their members via electronic mail. The first contact with the participants elucidated the purpose and method of our research and, after obtaining informed consent from participants, the two questions were sent. The research questions involved their opinion about cure, treatments to which the participants had been submitted, and their outcome. After analysis, the answers obtained indicated that people who stutter believe in a cure for stuttering; that the ideal therapy would be the one that led to the disappearance of the symptoms; and the most frequently reported professional to treat the disorder is the speech-language pathologist. The results also indicated that although most of the participants had undergone speech-language treatment for stuttering, neither significant improvements were observed nor satisfaction was positive. The results indicate that the answers presented by the participants were not based on scientific knowledge about the disorder but on their wish that "something could happen" to make stuttering "disappear." Although in this study we did not investigate the type of treatment to which the patients were submitted, the results suggest that the factors that contribute to an effective treatment are contentious.

Análise tendencial do discurso de uma ONG

Starting from illuminist proposals about the relationship between citizenship and information, they analyze the communication and information practices of an NGO (Non Governmental Organization) in the Brazilian scenario from the 80's on, as a generator/transmitter of information, relating its arising within the reborn civilian society after the end of the dictatorship period. As an empirical field of study, selects IBASE (Brazilian Institute of Social and Economical Analysis) - mother of all Brazilian NGOs - that is analyzed through its main publication - the periodical "Políticas Governamentais" (from number 65 to 97) - from which they try to perceive a biased reading of the speech in quantitative~and qualitative terms, through the words used in the titles of the published topics, by means of bibliometric techniques and a quick summary of its authors, in terms of gender, academic background and institutional entailing. The conclusion, within the statistical parameters, showed the word democracy as the main set of ideas of IBASE. They also outline an attempt of analysis as far as the function of the periodical, as ii is said, targeting the formation of social movement leaderships and its roll as an alternative mean of communication to the official information and the media. The title of the periodical, starting from number 100 is DEMOCRACIA (Democracy), what validated the perception of statistical reading. Originally this research was developed as a Master's Information Science dissertation

O controle global da solidariedade: transnacionalização e privatização na adaptação estratégica de ONGs britânicas no Brasil

A crise na captação de recursos enfrentada por organizações não governamentais (ONGs) brasileiras é também vivenciada em outras partes do mundo, inclusive nos países centrais, justamente nos que sediam as organizações que tradicionalmente têm apoiado projetos de organizações de países periféricos. Nessa conjuntura de crise, observa-se que ONGs europeias de solidariedade internacional, sobretudo as britânicas, vêm identificando o Brasil como um espaço potencial para a captação de recursos, especialmente em parceria com o setor privado. Para assegurar a sustentabilidade de programas, essas organizações empregam estratégias que remetem à globalização do capital, como nos casos de fusão com organizações brasileiras. O artigo visa a analisar, com base nos exemplos de OXFAM e de Save the Children, o novo cenário da cooperação internacional não governamental, marcado por processos associados de transnacionalização e privatização, com impactos no perfil e na agenda das organizações.

A leitura nas organizações não governamentais e inter-relações com a escola pública

Considerando o baixo grau de letramento dos alunos do ensino fundamental e médio no Brasil e, concomitantemente, o crescimento espantoso do número de organizações não governamentais (ONGs) trabalhando no campo da educação nas últimas décadas, o presente trabalho procura estabelecer uma ponte entre essas duas faces da educação no Brasil. Nesta investigação, pretendeu-se compreender a dinâmica e a influência das ONGs brasileiras, mais especificamente no campo da leitura, tendo em vista o desenvolvimento do letramento. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo qualitativo, com características etnográficas, baseado, sobretudo, em observações feitas em campo das atividades de uma organização, as quais foram analisadas a partir das concepções de leitura propostas pelos teóricos da psicolinguística (SMITH, 1999, 2003) e da estética da recepção (JAUSS, 1994,2002). Com isso, procurou-se contribuir com os estudos sobre leitura e, principalmente, avançar nessas novas possibilidades educativas que hoje nos são apresentadas pela sociedade civil e que impulsionaram a busca por soluções alternativas para um problema que vem afligindo os educadores há décadas no Brasil. Assim, considera-se que, por meio da troca de ideias e experiências e da implementação de projetos envolvendo leitura, as instituições educacionais não governamentais podem contribuir para o desenvolvimento de uma escola pública de qualidade, sem, no entanto, substituí-la, deixando para o governo a responsabilidade que lhe cabe.

Performance Evaluation in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): An Analysis of Evaluation Models and their Applications in Brazil

The objective of this article is to deepen the debate surrounding the practice of evaluation as performed by Brazilian NGOs. In order to accomplish this goal, we examined the results of an investigation conducted between 2007 and 2009 that had two stages: first, a national study and second, a quantitative and qualitative study made in the state of Santa Catarina. We also considered secondary sources of data from two important studies on the national level that were conducted in 2008 and 2009 by the Fonte Institute, with partnership of the Itau Social Foundation. The results showed that most NGOs use internal rather than external evaluation and conduct evaluations focused on projects and programs. Furthermore, they used evaluation mainly to help decision making about projects. Consequently, the majority of NGOs focused their evaluations on results and were not concerned with creating spaces for self-reflection and learning.

Marketing Orientation in the Third Sector: The Art of Afro Reggae

ABSTRACT Although there is a plethora of literature on marketing orientation in the private sector, within the nonprofit arena, this topic has been largely ignored. This paper analyzes the orientation and experience of Afro Reggae, a successful Brazilian nongovernmental organization that maintains a permanent presence in four drug-dominated slums in Rio de Janeiro. The present research uses the case study method for purposes of collecting and analyzing information. The paper discusses the implications for research in the area of marketing orientation in the third sector as well as the lessons learned regarding the low-income population vis-à-vis their experience with Afro Reggae.