The Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano is serving more than 400 children in 2022. In the latest selection, held in February and March of this year, 173 children were registered. Of these, 67 were approved and have already started classes.

Priscilla Augusta Martinez went to Moinho Cultural at the insistence of her daughter, Isabela Augusta, who wants to be a violinist. “I’m very happy about her approval and even happier because it’s what she wanted. She’s the one who encourages us to do everything for her benefit. I’m very grateful to Moinho for this new experience she’s going to have in her life. We are very happy about the approval and that she wants to be here, wants to study violin,” said the mother, right after learning that her daughter had been approved.

Also celebrating – and doubly so – was Rosa Irene Dorado Chávez, mother of two Bolivian children who were also approved in the 2022 selection process. “My girl already wanted to be part of it, because she really likes art, music. Both of them managed to get in. Seeing them enter together is very good. They already study together, and now they’ll be here together,” she celebrated.

The general coordinator of Moinho Cultural, José Roberto dos Santos Júnior, explains that training at the institution lasts eight years. “We have a curriculum that covers various artistic expressions, such as dance, music, as well as technology and computing. Over almost 20 years of work, we have seen how much art can transform and change life stories. Here, the children and adolescents served have access to cultural and technological assets, which helps reduce social vulnerability in many cases. To the new participants who started here at Moinho this year, we want to offer all of this too,” he says.

Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano
Opened in Corumbá in 2004, Moinho Cultural is a civil society organization (OSC) that offers dance, music, technology and computing classes to children and adolescents in situations of social vulnerability in Corumbá, Ladário, Puerto Suarez and Puerto Quijarro. The continuing education offered by the institution lasts up to eight years. Moinho also works on training creative performers for young people and adults, through the Companhia de Dança do Pantanal, Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal and Núcleo de Tecnologia. The institution’s mission is to reduce social vulnerability in the Brazil-Bolivia border region, through access to cultural and technological assets. Since activities began, more than 23,000 children and adolescents have already been served by Moinho.

Currently, Moinho Cultural has master sponsorship via the Lei de Incentivo Cultural from Instituto Cultural Vale, as well as sponsorship from Bellalluna Participações LTDA, Brinks, BTG Pactual, Carai Empreendimentos LTDA, Comper, Instituto Itaú Cultural, Hinove, Rodobens and Criança Esperança, in addition to the partnership of J.Macêdo, Itaú Social and FecomércioMS-SESC. Institutional partners include the Fundação de Cultural de Mato Grosso do Sul, the City Hall of Corumbá, the City Hall of Ladário, the City Hall of Puerto Suárez, the City Hall of Puerto Quijarro, Instituto Homem Pantaneiro, IFMS, UFMS, Acaia Pantanal and other individual and corporate donors.