The Ramacrisna is a nonprofit social institution, which serves the low-income community of Betim and region in Brasil. The institution has a wide range of projects, ranging from strengthening children public education, to the professionalization of teenagers and alphabetization classes to the elderly. Due to the large extent of their projects and the reach of an audience with more than 30 000 individuals in the region, Ramacrisna gained notoriety in the media, with government partnerships in the city of Betim and the state of Minas Gerais, as well as educational institutions and national and international companies as Petrobrás, C&A e Cemig.
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History
Based upon the work of Sri Ramakrishna, the Ramacrisna was founded in 1959 by professor Arlindo Corrêa da Silva in the city of Betim, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Between 1963 and 1964, Prof. Arlindo opened the first two buildings of the institution, those of which worked as an internship for children at social risk. From 1992 afterwards, Ramacrisna services were opened to the general public of the region, boosting Ramacrisna growth and its general need for projects, as the need for a bigger place to attend to the needs of the community. Until 2011, the Ramacrisna already had 21 social projects and it occupied a vast area with multiple buildings.
Work policy
The Ramacrisna Institution was established with the goal of promoting social welfare, education, job training, culture, environmental awareness, recreation and sports for children and adolescents in vulnerable situations, and living in suburban neighborhoods and rural areas of the city of Betim. Parallel to this work, Ramacrisna works with their families, making them aware of their responsibilities to their children, their education and their preparation for life.