Growth, challenges and impact – we hear Tia Mônica’s reflections
Just over six months ago the doors opened to a brand-new school in the São Paulo district of Parelheiros. This new building was a replacement for an existing educational facility that, due to lack of funding for upkeep, no longer offered a safe and sanitary space for learning.
The school build was taken on as the K2 Foundation’s inaugural project, a decision made by K2 CEO Nick Plummer, following a visit to the original site in 2022. During this visit, Nick met Tia Mônica, the driving force behind, and co-founder of ‘ Associação Semeando Amor com a Tia Mônica’, the organisation responsible for operating the school for local children
Nick was moved hearing about the circumstances that led Mônica to set up a kitchen table classroom for her nephew and one other student, and about how pupil numbers at her home school had steadily grown and grown since then leading to a requirement for a bigger premises. Nick pledged the support of K2 and the K2 Foundation, and so plans were put in place to help re-build the existing school, before a pivot produced a new directive: to build a brand-new school.
With the new building now having been home to the students and volunteer-staff for more than half a year, K2 Brazil’s Financial and Admin Coordinator, Ana Paduan reached out to Tia Mônica to ask her to share her reflections.
Tia Mônica comments:
“On January 27th 2025, we began a new and exciting chapter in our story: we moved into our new building with 150 children. It was truly a dream come true! The scent of a new home, renewed hope, and the certainty that we were experiencing an unforgettable milestone. The new space is large and welcoming, allowing us to double the number of children we can serve.
Today, we have spacious classrooms for tutoring, a computer lab, a nursery, a staff room, a large kitchen, a dining hall, an infirmary, an art room – plus, we even have a small salary fund. We can’t forget the elevator too, which has been essential in providing access for children with mobility challenges.
We now have 171 children enrolled to attend our dream castle school.”
“Our roof garden is also a source of great pride. It’s a simple project that has had a huge impact on the children’s development, teaching them to plant and harvest with their own hands.
In recognition of the value this project brings, the local townhall office have extended their support to help us maintain and grow it, offering a small monthly stipend to cover the work of two volunteers. We have decided to share this amongst all volunteer teachers, so that everyone receives a little extra support.
We are hopeful that with this support we will be able to expand the garden into the grounds of the adjacent lot, and in turn receive funding to include two further volunteers in the program.”
“Of course, with growth comes new challenges. Keeping this ‘castle’ running takes a lot more of everything: more staff, water, electricity, phone service, food, and general upkeep. We are still getting used to the requirements of operating at this scale, but we are slowly adapting.”
The K2 Foundation are committed to supporting the school with operating costs on an ongoing basis, and Ana and K2 Brazil’s Country Director Patricia Tavares are also working with Tia Mônica and her team on budget management, to enable their skills to grow with the school.
In April of this year, the wider K2 Brazil team visited the school to run a series of educational activities for the children, focusing on the conscious use of electricity and water, to tie in with Earth Day and raise awareness of important environmental issues. The whole team will visit the school again for Children’s Day in October, and for an end of year celebration in December.
In the six months since opening, the new school has not only had a positive impact for the children who attend, but also for the wider community, with its completion having been the catalyst for increased investment in local infrastructure.
This school has become the beating heart of the community; a place where hope takes root and dreams are given room to grow. Here, every child is welcomed with open arms, their voices heard, hands held, and curiosity encouraged.
We look forward to sharing more stories from the school, and its students, later in the year.
For more about the K2 Foundation, the projects it supports, and how you can help, get in touch: K2Foundation@k2corporatemobility.com
