Konecta’s new work & skills hub in Brazil favela will boost local economy and transform lives

Residents of peripheral communities and favelas in São Paulo face significant challenges that impact their employment prospects and quality of life. A lack of jobs close to home means residents may spend 3 to 4 hours a day on public transport to get to work. Others may struggle to find jobs at all, without skills, training or professional development opportunities. Konecta and PagBank’s new Paraisópolis work hub addresses these issues head-on.

By pooling their resources to support impactful social change, Konecta and PagBank have not only financed the facilities but also promoted local recruitment and professional development. The first phase has already seen 17 people hired, 16 of them women; many of these were living in extreme poverty or on low incomes.

Fundamental in tailoring the project to the needs of these local people and in building support networks that enable them to maintain jobs and improve their living conditions, has been the collaboration with G10 Favelas.

The project in Paraisópolis is the latest in a long line of Konecta initiatives to support socio-economic change and opportunity in disadvantaged communities across Brazil and other Latam countries.

In 2023, Konecta worked with the Amor Philia NGO to open a work hub in another peripheral community in São Paolo,  Jardim do Colégio, Embu das Artes. With capacity for 35 workstations and up to 80 hires, the center provides accessible employment opportunities and training for vulnerable women to find jobs in the customer service sector.

Over 100 women from local communities have benefited directly from the initiative, and seven of them have now joined Konecta after completing their training successfully. A wide range of employability workshops and courses includes customer service training, IT and digital skills, and personal and professional development tools for managing life and work.

In Colombia too, Konecta’s programs are transforming lives in disadvantaged regions. These include a project in the town of San Vicente to create teleworking jobs and development opportunities in an area where many local people struggle to enter the labor market.

Through the initiative, more than 30 local people are now working as customer service agents, providing customer service for Novaventa, a leader in retail and e-commerce in Colombia. Over three quarters of these agents are from low income groups, and for over a quarter of them, it’s their first job. In addition to job opportunities and customer service training, the program includes working with local communities to develop communication skills. support networks for families, and community activities - all with the intention to create a lasting impact in the local community, support sustainable development and improve quality of life.

With these projects, Konecta is seeking to create an environment where talents can flourish and skills be improved. We believe strongly that the true success of a company is measured not only by its financial achievements, but by its ability to contribute value to society. The new Paraisópolis workspace and these other projects in Brazil and Colombia exemplify that perfectly.