IEDP 10 years
On its 10th anniversary, the EDP Institute (IEDP), the social arm of the energy company EDP, celebrates the milestone of 3 million people benefiting from its more than 300 projects aimed at generating income, improving educational quality, and supporting sport and health.
Over the course of a decade, R$ 100 million have been invested in cultural and social initiatives in the states of Amapá, Bahia, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Tocantins, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. In 2017 alone, 35 programmes benefited 60,000 residents in communities surrounding the Group's areas of operation.
With more than 20 years of presence in the country, EDP is one of the largest private companies in the electricity sector and operates across the entire value chain. The company, which has more than 10,000 direct and outsourced employees, has 15 hydroelectric generation units and one thermoelectric plant, and serves approximately 3.4 million customers through its distributors in São Paulo and Espírito Santo, in addition to operating in transmission, commercialisation and energy solutions.
Around R$ 100 million were invested in more than 300 social projects.
Quality of education
Among the projects carried out by the IEDP, the EDP in Schools programme stands out. In 2018, it will implement initiatives that stimulate learning for more than 8,300 students in the municipal public school system. The programme was one of the factors responsible for improving the quality of education in these institutions, with 77% of participants showing improvements in their results in the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB).
Also worth mentioning is the Community Gardens project, which encourages healthy eating and promotes local business, allowing micro-producers to supplement their income by selling their products, in addition to consuming them.
The appreciation of language is another priority for the IEDP, which, together with EDP, secured the largest sponsorship for the restoration of the Museum of the Portuguese Language. The investment of R$ 20 million will be allocated to the cause until 2019, when the space is scheduled to reopen. Also on this front, the company created the travelling exhibition ‘The Energy of the Portuguese Language’, which tours Brazil, bringing culture and information about our language to all corners of the country, and also supports the Paraty International Literary Festival (FLIP) for the second consecutive year.
One of the pillars of the IEDP is volunteering, inspiring company employees to participate in social and environmental actions. In 10 years, 42,000 hours of volunteer work were recorded in almost 1,200 supported causes, benefiting 150 organisations.
The EDP Institute's tenth anniversary was celebrated this year on International Portuguese Language Day (May 5) with the Letras de Luz concert, which brought together Gilberto Gil, one of the greatest exponents of Brazilian popular music, and singer Carminho, one of today's leading fado singers. The show, held at Sala São Paulo, also featured the duo Vanessa Moreno and Fi Maróstica, and the ECA/USP Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Gil Jardim. The event was promoted by EDP with the support of the Portuguese Embassy.