Tribute to JP - Empower Brazilian Children

 

Tribute to Joao Paulo Seabra: You will always be with us

 

Dear INSEAD family,

There is no easy way of saying this. We have lost Joao Paulo Seabra on the 30th of January 2021. It still feels like we are in a stage of disbelief, and probably we will always be. Very hard to accept the loss of a friend, someone as young and as loved as him.

Our dearest JP was born on 29/03/1984. He was a treasure to his family, wife, his friends, and everyone who knew him. He strived to make Brazil and the world a better place throughout his life. In this sense education was very dear to him. Connecting to people and touching their lives have been integral to his character. Maybe that’s why he got along so well with everyone and created countless long-lasting friendships with very profound memories.

His smile would light up the entire room, his laughter would make your days. There was not a single moment where he wasn’t positive or cracking jokes. He was spreading goodness, happiness, and joy. He was the very first person most of you met during INSEAD. He was the one laughing hardest at your jokes, making you feel you are the funniest person. That was probably not the case. It was the goodness in JP himself, and his energy, his tremendous ability to connect, care, and love. He would never let you down. He would listen, he would be there for you. He would be sad when you are sad, he would cry when you cry. He would always be there to protect you. We all have learnt so much from him.  

His loss is unfair, cruel, and shocking. While we will always struggle to cope and grieve, we are also determined to honor his memory, contribute to his legacy, and do it in a meaningful and long-lasting way.

In line with that, a group of us set up a tribute to our dearest JP. After diligently evaluating several options, we detailed a tailored campaign (CPM connect) together with his wife Alexandra and his family for CPM, the education NGO he was involved in before and during INSEAD.

CPM (Cidadão Pró Mundo) is an NGO, which has the mission to promote opportunities of social inclusion and integration in Brazil through English education. It focuses on providing quality English education to underprivileged kids with the vision of being a reference in English teaching for the youth and the educators of the Brazilian public schools. In 2020 they reached 2.5k students across 150 classes with (70% retention rate). The NGO is operated by competent volunteers and JP was one of them. Teachers (1.6k) are volunteers, teaching materials are donated by Cambridge, and classes are given in public schools during the weekends.

https://www.cidadaopromundo.org/en/

Due to Covid, classes are being given online, which has brought technological challenges to a part of the class. So, we are raising funds to provide the tech needs necessary to guarantee that kids can stay active in the course, and CPM can continue to take on new students. The project will include giving a tablet with 6-month internet access to 300 kids from low-income communities for next semester for a cost of 170EUR/each.

CPM has a very strong track record, experienced leadership, extensive reach, and scale. We have had numerous discussions with them, stress tested their previous impact and current operations in detail. They have a full commitment to this exercise, and we are confident that they will meet expectations. This initiative is also even more meaningful to them as JP was their previous colleague working for the same goal. You can also see JP in the video above talking about the NGO, CPM. Ricardo Rennó, 14J, is based in Brazil and will be an outside advisor to this specific initiative and we will closely monitor the impact.

The total targeted amount to enable this project is 50kEUR (300 kids). It is essential to create a critical mass. Our support as INSEAD 14J is essential to make this successful, and create a long-lasting impact. Therefore, we request you to kindly i) donate and ii) disseminate it through your networks. Any amount is welcome. Please keep in mind 170EUR donation covers the education of 1 kid. 510 EUR covers the education of 3 kids and 850 covers the education of 5 kids.

JP, you brought joy, happiness, and laughter to us all; you will be missed forever. We are proud to be your friend, your classmate, and determined to spread what we learnt from you: “Making the world a better place”. We will carry your legacy.

Today, the 29th of March, is JP’s birthday. If he had been with us, he would have celebrated his 37th birthday.

We launch his tribute project on this very special day to celebrate and honour his memory and to create an impact for a dear cause that he fully believed in.

Happy birthday brother. You will always be with us. We love you.

INSEAD 14J
29/03/2021