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    Vale's approach to engagement with Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities aligns with international best practices and is supported by dedicated staff. Our approach respects local specificities and social and political organization, and is mediated through participatory processes.  

    Vale’s focus is on building and sustaining trust, empowering and building community resilience, and achieving mutual benefits. Learn about the outcomes of some of our initiatives in collaboration with these communities. 

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    40 years of relationship with the Xikrin do Cateté Indigenous People 

    In 2022, we celebrated 40 years of partnership with the Xikrin do Cateté Indigenous community, in Brazil. This milestone was also marked by an umbrella agreement to settle pending legal disputes. 

    The Xikrin do Cateté Indigenous Land and the six protected areas that Vale assists in protecting in the southeast of Pará collectively host a vast 1.2 million hectares of preserved forests, equivalent to nine times the size of São Paulo City.  

    One of Vale’s flagship initiatives with the Xikrin is helping to preserve and revive indigenous culture and heritage. This initiative, dubbed the Xikrin do Cateté Heritage Project, has already produced two books and launched a digital platform documenting the history of these peoples, including an audio archive of songs, rituals, and accounts of community life. The materials were selected by community members themselves from an extensive collection of photos, drawings, objects, and audio recordings gathered over a period of 30 years by anthropologists Lux Vidal and Isabelle Vidal Giannini and donated to the University of São Paulo. 

    Indigenous healthcare is also an integral part of our longstanding partnership with the Xikrin do Cateté. In the last four years alone, more than 3,500 indigenous patients have been seen by physicians in different specialties at the Vale-supported Yutaka Takeda Hospital in the Urban Center of Carajás. 

    To celebrate our 40-year relationship, Vale CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo and Xikrin do Cateté leaders came together on the Xikrin Indigenous Land and at Vale's facilities in southeastern Pará.

    About the Xikrin do Cateté Indigenous People

    Vale’s history with the Xikrin do Cateté people goes back to the discovery of the Carajás region by geologist Breno Augusto dos Santos in 1967. Following aerial surveys across the Amazon, he stumbled upon vast mineral deposits.  

    The Xikrin and other Indigenous Peoples in Pará and Maranhão have benefited from an agreement signed between Vale and National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) to fulfill one of the conditions for a World Bank loan for the Carajás Project in the 1980s. Among the initiatives under the agreement, the demarcation of Indigenous Lands was a significant milestone supporting the rights of these populations. Leading the efforts to meet the World Bank's requirements was architect and urban planner Maria de Lourdes Davies de Freitas, known as Lourdinha, who was appointed as the Environmental Coordinator of the then-named Companhia Vale do Rio Doce. 

    Vale Archive

    “With the support of the Brazilian Association of Anthropology (ABA), and in partnership with FUNAI, Lourdinha, along with architects Vania Velloso and Katia Serejo Genes, began visiting the areas that would be impacted by the development of the mine and railroad (EFC). She was assisted by various anthropologists, including Yara Ferraz from FUNAI, Lux Vidal and her daughter Isabelle Giannini, and by Antônio Carlos de Lima Venâncio, who later succeeded Lourdinha (...) and became the primary coordinator of indigenous affairs," as described by Maria de Lourdes in her memoir “Devotion of a Lifetime.”  

    Covering an expanse of 439,000 hectares, the Xikrin do Rio Cateté Indigenous Land was established in 1977 and officially ratified in December 1991. This indigenous community comprises approximately 1,600 individuals.  

    Vale Archive

    Internet connectivity for the Traditional Communities Support Program (PACT)

    In response the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting constraints on social programs, Vale developed hybrid education and learning systems to ensure the continuity of training and assistance activities as part of our Traditional Communities Support Program (PACT). The initiative, driven by the need for social distancing, reshaped these communities’ interaction with technology, unlocking new opportunities for social entrepreneurship and helping to strengthen community associations. 

    Previously, PACT projects were exclusively conducted in person across 22 Traditional Communities in 12 municipalities of Maranhão, primarily situated in rural areas lacking internet infrastructure. Vale launched a plan to provide infrastructure, connectivity, and access to digital resources for low-income families within these communities.  

    However, the program team recognized that using technology merely as a short-term solution during the pandemic would be inadequate. Instead, they viewed it as an opportunity to fundamentally transform how social enterprises are developed and community associations are empowered. This led to the lunch of our PACT Connectivity Plan in 2020. The plan included setting up multimedia rooms within the communities, supplying equipment and internet access, and training community members to work as digital inclusion facilitators. The costs of implementing and operating these rooms are also covered by the program, which additionally provides digital materials and content tailored to the needs of local communities. Associations are also receiving support in developing self-sustaining strategies for these facilities once the program concludes.  

    The introduction of this technology has not only benefited school communities by enabling them to participate in online classes at various educational levels, but it has also empowered associations and productive groups. Based on their experiences in remote courses and training, they have been able to seek additional remote training and capacity-building opportunities. In addition, they can continue to leverage the technological infrastructure post-pandemic, expanding services to the community, sharing experiences, and fostering stronger territorial connections. 

    At present, the program’s education and learning initiatives continue to operate within a hybrid model. An example is our Community Project Managers Training Course, which includes live online classes, pre-recorded content (videos, podcasts, games, and interactive forums), student support, and in-person classes involving practical activities and project development. 

    Indigenous Program for University Persistence and Opportunities (PIPOU)

    PIPOU is a Vale-sponsored initiative in collaboration with the Institute for Society, Population, and Nature (ISPN) — renowned experts in indigenous higher education — and representatives from indigenous social movements. PIPOU’s central mission is to foster the autonomy and empowerment of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples in the area of education.  

    The program supports the goals set forth in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular Article 14, which enshrines the right to access education without discrimination and the right of Indigenous Peoples to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning. 

     Andreza Andrade/ISPN Collection - delivery of notebooks to indigenous students at UnB carried out by the PIPOU/ISPN team

    PIPOU provides financial support through scholarships and provision of laptops. It also offers educational support and extracurricular activities, including assistance in subjects where students are struggling. Periodic discussions are held with a committee comprising both indigenous and non-indigenous experts, students, and representatives from Vale and ISPN.  

    Currently in its third year, PIPOU welcomes students from diverse Indigenous Peoples across Brazil. The selection process considers each student's life journey and their commitment to their undergraduate studies, as well as their dedication to their people and territories. Scholarships are initially granted for a one-year term but can be extended depending on proven achievement. 

    In 2023, PIPOU supported 100 Indigenous students from 40 Indigenous Lands and 32 Peoples. The group is present in 21 higher education institutions across Brazil, with the largest number of grant recipients being at the University of Maranhão (UEMA), the Federal University of Southern and Southeastern Pará (Unifesspa), and the University of Brasília (UnB). The main courses chosen include medicine, nursing, and social sciences. Since the beginning of PIPOU, in 2021, 11 students have graduated.