Operating since 2003 as the social arm of Avon, a company that for over 130 years has connected millions of women to each other and to a life with more opportunities, the Avon Institute’s mission is to “Mobilize society to address breast cancer and violence against women and girls in Brazil”.

As a partner of the Avon Institute since its inception, IDIS supports the programmatic management and donations made by the institute to projects and civil society organizations working on the causes of breast cancer and violence against women and girls.

In 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an aggravation of cases of violence against women and girls, which motivated the Avon Institute, in partnership with Accor, to establish the Private Social Investment Fund for the End of Violence against Women and Girls. The Fund, which was created in an emergency context due to the increase in violence against women and girls, is now undergoing a process of evolution to become a permanent fund.

Our team was involved in defining the strategic guidelines, governance, and goals of the fund, as well as establishing its lines of action, characteristics, and criteria for donations and beneficiary selection process.

The fund began to operate, therefore, from four fronts: shelter – providing emergency shelter for women at high risk of violence and assistance in improving shelter services efficiency; food security – addressing the basic and immediate needs of women in situations of violence; legal and psychological support and training – aiming to create conditions for the resumption of an active life and an end to the socio-economic dependence of these women; and strengthening public policies – encouraging the engagement and commitment of the government to address the problem.

The results achieved in 2021 were significant for the change in perspective that the fund seeks to incentivize. In its first year of operation, the actions of the fund were able to provide 233 services and shelter 70 women with 77 companions in Accor hotels through the Acolhe program, and create 430 shelter vacancies in seven supported halfway houses in six Brazilian states.

In the area of food security, R$126,000 was raised for the distribution of 210 cards, each worth R$600, among women assisted by the supported halfway houses and partnerships through the fund, as well as beneficiaries of the Acolhe program. Just over R$800,000 was transferred to halfway houses for the purpose of renovations, aids, and necessary equipment for the comfort of those accommodated.

2022

In 2022, we celebrate 20 years of partnership with Instituto Avon. The first project carried out was the strategic planning, which gave rise to the Institute itself, which initially embraced the cause of fighting breast cancer and, 5 years later, began leading actions to address violence against girls and women. Since its founding, over R$180 million have been invested in more than 400 projects, research, and awareness actions, making the Avon Institute a reference in these two causes. To this day, IDIS contributes to the management of the Institute’s donation.

One of the highlights of this history is the creation, in partnership with Accor, of the Private Social Investment Fund for the End of Violence against Women and Girls. It was a response to the worsening cases of violence against women and girls during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Team of Instituto Avon at IDIS office.

In addition to being the programmatic manager of this fund, in 2022, IDIS conducted a workshop to transform the Emergency Fund into a Permanent Fund. Our team contributed to the definition of strategic guidelines, governance and goals of the fund, as well as the establishment of lines of action, characteristics, and criteria for donations and the beneficiary selection process. The methodology applied was the systemic mapping of violence against women, created by Rights 4 Change, sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which led to a survey of the positive and negative points of current policies. This was the first step in helping the Fund to define its new priorities.

“The ISP Fund inaugurates a new stage in the Avon Institute’s work on combating violence, as well as being an innovative project that proposes additional resources to existing public policies. It allowed us to immerse ourselves in women’s protection networks in different regions of Brazil, learn about their operation and challenges, and propose integrated and qualifying solutions to the services. An example of how social investment can and should contribute to strengthening public policies,” says Daniela Grelin, executive director of the Avon Institute.”

Throughout the year, support for programmatic management and donations made by the Institute to projects and civil society organizations working on Breast Cancer and Combating Violence against Women and Girls was also maintained.