The Sociedade Protetora dos Desvalidos (SPD), the first civil organisation for Black people (anno.1832), requests funding for the safeguarding of their archive.
The SPD was set up by Manoel Victor Serra, a freed African, with the aim of helping others purchase their freedom and to help freed slaves to gain an education. Currently, the SPD carries out actions for the development and valorisation of Afro-Brazilian culture in Brazil. The archive holds more than 200 items dating back to the inception of the SPD and is in a precarious condition due to lack of funding that led to neglect and improper storage. The documents have water damage, mould and have been damaged by improper handling and rodents. The applicant plans to safeguard the archive by restoring 20 of the most important documents and preserving and properly storing the rest. The proposal also includes measures to digitise the archive to increase accessibility and preservation.
Image copyright: Conservartecuador
