Omo offers cleanliness
The Omo Community Laundry is a temple of cleanliness in the middle of Heliópolis, a notorious favela (slum) that is home to 150 000 people in southern Brazil. Around 1 000 local women regularly come to the bright blue building to register for free two-hour slots to use one of our 36 state-of-the-art washing machines.
Launched in March 2004, the laundry is fully funded by Unilever. Responsibility for its day-to-day running falls to the Association of Associations and Inhabitants of Heliópolis and São João Communities (UNAS), a local community group. The land for the project was donated by the Municipality of Sao Paulo.
Maria Diva Souza Silva is the laundry co-ordinator. Resident in Heliópolis for 20 years and mother of eight children, she says: "The project has improved my life in many ways. I have a job and I can also do all my family's laundry in two hours."
Janine Dodge, Omo Brand manager, explains that the project saves the cost of electricity and water for its users. It also doubles up as an informal community centre, offering women a place to talk and catch up, with a small play area and garden to keep their children entertained.
Rexona & AdeS offer a sporting chance
Heliópolis is also the site for another of our brand-led community initiatives. Since 1997, the community has hosted one of our Rexona-AdeS Volleyball Centres. Funded by our Rexona personal wash and deodorant brand and our AdeS soy drink and developed in conjunction with the Parana state government, the project offers young people access to top class sports training free of charge.
The Centre makes sport more accessible to children in state schools, who have little access to clubs and gyms and little money to pay for them. It offers the chance to have fun, expert training and some healthy exercise through volleyball, a sport Brazilians are passionate about. Rexona also sponsors a professional women’s volleyball team, adding extra excitement to the children’s training as they can follow the team’s progress.
Around 20 000 children have been through the programme since it began, learning not only the fundamentals of the game but about the principles of fair play, discipline and respect for rules. As well as first class training, the Centre has created much needed job opportunities in the construction and maintenance of sports facilities.
