400 children practice judo for free with the new Ippon Social Project, sponsored by Cenibra, in Nova Era, Córrego Novo, Bugre and Santa Bárbara

“Arigato-gozaimashita” – (Thank you very much), “Ippon” – (Perfect hit), “Ukemi” – (Dampened fall) are some new words from the vocabularies of children from Nova Era, Córrego Novo, Bugre and Santa Bárbara. 400 children and adolescents from these cities in the interior of Minas Gerais have been receiving free judo classes from the Ippon Social Year Project, since the beginning of February this year.

The initiative is sponsored by Cenibra, through the Federal Sports Incentive Law, the Special Secretariat for Sports of the Ministry of Citizenship and support from the Cenibra Institute and Municipal Governments. The project is carried out by the Civil Society Organization (OSC) Ajudôu.org. The classes, kimonos and shirts of the project are 100% free for all benefited students.

For Cenibra, sponsor of the project, Sport is an instrument of social transformation that contributes to the formation of the personality of citizens, which is why the company has one of the largest social presences in the Vale do Aço, Vale do Rio Doce and Metropolitan Region of BH . “Providing access to sport for children and adolescents is to invest in human development in an assertive way. For Instituto Cenibra, partnerships like this consolidate the excellence of Nosso Olhar Social; a view that integrates and brings people together for a better world” evaluates Leida Hermsdorff Horst Gomes, Coordinator of Corporate Communications and Institutional Relations, also responsible for the Cenibra Institute.

The change in the community and in the lives of the beneficiaries

Even with little time of activities, the transformation of the project in the life of the local community is already perceptible. The driver Geraldo Dias, from Bugre, has always been a martial arts enthusiast, but he was never able to practice. When Projeto Ajudôu released Ippon Social in the city, he wasted no time and put his two children, Thammara Dias, 15, and Ezequiel Dias, 7, into the spot. “Judo is a way to improve their discipline. They always wanted to do a martial art, but here in Bugre they had no choice. With the project here in the city, I didn’t think twice about putting them in”, says the father.

Judo School Benefit

The Ippon Social II classes are offered as a school complement, contributing to the training not only of athletes, but also of citizens. To give you an idea, judo is one of the most complete sports that exist according to Unesco, as it contributes to the physical and mental development of young people. The school community in the municipalities sees the initiative as a great opportunity for their students. Lúcia Melo, Director of the Adélia Hosken Ayres Municipal School in Santa Bárbara, believes that judo is a great ally in the education of children. “The project integrates the student with the sport helping in self-control. In judo, they learn and strengthen social values such as ethics and discipline”, he adds.

On April 3 and 4, 400 kimonos and shirts were delivered to the benefited cities. The children were gathered to make presentations of the classes to local authorities, Cenibra employees, the school community and family members.

About the Ajudôu.Org

Ajudôu is a Non-Governmental Organization, recognized for its public utility in the municipal, state and federal spheres. It was founded in 1995, in Timóteo-MG, and has already served more than 23,000 children and adolescents with free judo and other sports classes. Currently, Ajudôu is present in more than 15 cities in Minas Gerais.