Milu Villela designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Voluntary Action and Basic Education in Latin America
11-11-2004 1:00 pm UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura named Maria Lourdes Egydio Villela (Milu Villela) as Goodwill Ambassador for Voluntary Action and Basic Education in Latin America during a ceremony in the Brazilian capital on 10 November 2004. Ms Villela was designated “in recognition of her outstanding commitment to education and her attachment to the ideals and aims” of UNESCO. She is especially well-known throughout Brazil for her work with volunteer movements and youth. In 1994 she established Despertar (Wake Up), a community association offering technical and vocational courses for teenagers. Despertar also offers medical and psychological help and provides an income generation programme for adults which brings direct benefits to some 7,000 people every year.
In 1997, she founded the Sao Paulo Centre for Volunteers (CVSP), to encourage and train people to dedicate their time and talent for social improvement. Over the past three years, more than 50,000 volunteers have participated in the Centre`s activities.
In 2001, she coordinated the United Nations International Year of Volunteers in Brazil, and currently heads Faca Parte (Be Part of It), a non-governmental organization encouraging volunteer work, especially among young people, for the benefit of schools througout the country.
In her mission as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Voluntary Action and Basic Education in Latin America she will support the Organization’s activities in this field.
She is especially well-known throughout Brazil for her work with volunteer movements and youth. In 1994 she established Despertar (Wake Up), a community association offering technical and vocational courses for teenagers. Despertar also offers medical and psychological help and provides an income generation programme for adults which brings direct benefits to some 7,000 people every year.