BRF Works On Different Fronts to Include Migrants and Refugees in Brazil

BRF, one of the largest food companies in the world, participates in different actions that welcome migrants and refugees in Brazil and is one of the main employers of foreigners in these conditions in the country. Immigrants currently represent more than 5,000 employees in Brazilian units, most of them Haitians and Venezuelans.

The process of including this public in BRF involves internal and external actors, such as organizations and local governments. Since 2019, the Company has started a partnership with ONU Migração, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM Brazil) and with Operação Acolhida, by the Brazilian Government, to hire Venezuelan immigrants. The Company also participates in the Business Forum with Refugees, organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“BRF is present in more than 125 countries and is composed of more than 90 nationalities, so diversity and inclusion are part of the essence of the company. We understand our role as an agent of change to achieve our purpose as an organization, which is to provide a better life for all people and this is only possible through solid partnerships”, says Thiago Pereira, global executive manager of Diversity, Culture and Learning. from BRF.

In the south of Brazil, at the Videira (SC) unit, for example, the family of the Venezuelan couple Marquia Iezama and José Luis Bolívar Amador, who have been in Brazil since December 2020, operate. Migration (IOM-Brazil). Since September 2021, Marquia, Bolívar and their children Luz Marina, 22, Luis Mário, 18, and Ledismar, 16, have been working at BRF. Ledismar is part of the Young Apprentice program, is a student of the Food course at Senai de Videira and is in the second year of high school. “I really like Vine. Here a better future can be seen, because there are job opportunities. I know that in the city I will have a better future”, says Ledismar.

The BRF Institute (IBRF), the Company's social arm, is a partner of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in several programs in the education agenda, which includes support for the construction of a Súper Pánas space (Super Amigos, in Spanish) , the fund's program to receive and promote education for children in refugee conditions who arrive in the country, especially on the border with Venezuela. In these spaces, girls and boys participate in non-formal educational activities, receive psychosocial support and are monitored to prevent cases of violence, abuse and exploitation, where they can resume their school routine, before enrolling in the Public Education System, ensuring to continue learning.

The IBRF allocated resources for the permanent hiring of psychologists, social workers and educators for the existing shelters, as well as for the restructuring of the place, guaranteeing a more welcoming and friendly space for children. In early April of this year, the IBRF Institute also signed a partnership with the NGO Visão Mundial to offer 400 places for migrants and refugees residing in Boa Vista (RR) and Chapecó (SC) for free Portuguese and professional courses. Also with a focus on diversity and inclusion, 70% of the vacancies are for women.   

Below are some internal actions to support foreigners working for the Company or looking for work:

• BRF put into operation the digital admission and general information platform, where the candidate has the option to select languages ​​such as French, Spanish and Creole – languages ​​of the majority of refugee foreign employees – for entering data in the portal. Then, the candidate receives support material and step-by-step instructions for completing and navigating the portal. The Transparency Handbook is now available in different languages, as are the main working documents, contracts, guides and guidelines.

• Integrity Ambassadors work at different BRF units. Currently, there are more than 70 Ambassadors responsible for disseminating the culture of ethics and integrity in the company, providing training on the Transparency Manual and helping foreigners in their integration, among other activities, in the units that have collaborators from other countries in greater numbers. .

• In 2021, BRF created the role of translator in its operational units, where there is a greater population of migrant refugees – who, for the most part, do not speak Portuguese. The translator is responsible for facilitating communication between Portuguese-speakers and others, in addition to translating the company's main communications.

About BRF

One of the largest food companies in the world, BRF is present in more than 127 countries. Its purpose is to offer quality food that is increasingly tasty and practical, for people and their pets around the world, through the sustainable management of a live, long and complex chain, which provides a better life for everyone, from farm to table. Owner of iconic brands such as Sadia, Perdigão and Qualy, the Company bases its actions on the fundamental commitments of safety, quality and integrity. The company bases its strategy on a long-term vision and aims to generate value for its more than 100,000 employees worldwide, more than 300,000 customers and approximately 10,000 integrated companies in Brazil, all of its shareholders and for society.

About the BRF Institute

Founded in 2012 by BRF, theBRF Instituteis a private association to strategically direct the Company's social investments. The objective is to support citizen initiatives that contribute to the development of communities locally. Since its creation, through volunteer actions and direct investment projects, the BRF Institute has already impacted half a million people, mobilized 32,000 hours of volunteer work and carried out more than 2,000 social actions in 70 cities around the country.  

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