The Reckitt Benckiser Global Challenge lands in Brazil
This week, the 64 RB employees from 33 different countries are arriving in Brazil for this year’s RB Global Challenge in aid of Save the Children. 31 of them landed here in Petrolina yesterday and the Community Challenge is well under way.
Everyone was a bit bleary eyed last night after the miles and miles they’d travelled from all corners of the world but as soon as they arrived at the two creches this morning, it was full steam ahead!
The team, along with the trekkers who will arrive next week, has raised nearly £300,000 for Save the Children over the past nine months and some of these funds are being used to renovate and rebuild two creches in the Joao de Deus community of Petrolina.
The construction company started the renovations 6 weeks ago and it’s amazing to see the changes that have already taken place – a new roof to stop kids being rained on and bathrooms flooding, repainted classrooms, a much improved space for babies, aged 6-12 months.
Dengue pools drained
And gone are the stinky stagnant pools of water that were a breeding ground for the dengue fever carrying mosquitoes. The team here will work on the construction this week to improve the crèches for the 480 children that attend them whilst their parents are out working on the surrounding fruit farms.
I was with the team at Padre Zequinha creche where they completed laying bricks for the new wall which will substantially extend the outdoor play area for the kids and then came the exciting and very tough task of demolishing the old wall.
Everyone had a stab with the sledgehammer, fully goggled and hard hatted up with bricks and mortar flying left right and centre.
I think we were fortunate today as it was overcast with a nice breeze (apart from it blowing all the dust and sand in our eyes) and a few sprinkles of rain.
The real hard work will start when the sun decides to beat down as it has every other day since I’ve been here…
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