Who we are

Guaicuy (or Uaimiii / Gwaimi-y) was how the indigenous people from the basin referred to the Rio das Velhas (Elder Women’s river). The choice of the name “Instituto Guaicuy” was not accidental: it is a celebration of the indigenous people from this region and also the origins of the Institute itself, which was born in 2000, from the Manuelzão Project (UFMG), which fights for the revitalization of the Rio das Velhas Basin.

Over these two decades, Instituto Guaicuy has focused on and supported various socio-environmental causes, primarily advocating for the care of water, mountains and communities in Minas Gerais. Their work is guided by popular leadership in the pursuit of ways of life that promote socially just and environmentally sustainable coexistence among people, water, and the land.

The experience and social recognition that the institute’s founders brought from Manuelzão contribute to Guaicuy’s work today in the fight for socio-environmental justice and the defense of natural resources in various fields of work. A transdisciplinary, intersectoral, and interinstitutional approach, that values both science and popular knowledge, is present in all activities routine.

After the Samarco mining company (Vale and BHP Billiton) crime-disaster in Bento Rodrigues (2015), which became associated with the city of Mariana, Guaicuy tirelessly fought for the creation and approval of the “Mar de Lama Nunca Mais” (Mud Sea Never Again) law, which later gave rise to the State Policy for People Affected by Dams in Minas Gerais (PEAB). Among various significant achievements, it was PEAB that established Independent Technical Assistance (ATI) as a right for people affected by dams in the state.

In 2020, the Instituto Guaicuy was elected by people affected by the rupture of the Vale dam in Brumadinho (2019) – which affected 26 cities – to act as ATI in ten affected cities by lower Paraopeba, Três Marias dam region, and communities along the São Francisco River in Três Marias and São Gonçalo do Abaeté. Access this page to read more details about the process of repairing the damages in Regions 4 and 5.

The following year, the institute was also chosen by the community of Antônio Pereira (a district of Ouro Preto) to assist in the decommissioning process of the Doutor dam, operated by Vale. Since the end of 2018, the population has been living with the risk of dam break, and hundreds of people have been relocated from their homes.

Guaicuy’s activities as ATI in Antônio Pereira officially began on December 1, 2022. Click here to learn more about the Institute’s work with the communities of Antônio Pereira.