Valdomiro Dondo

For more than twenty years, Brazilian philanthropist Valdomiro Dondo's patronage has improved the lives of Angolan citizens through the consistent development of infrastructure and healthcare services. A decade before Angola's civil war ended in 2002, Dondo entered into trade negotiations with the region's newly accessible economy. While exploring business interests in the country's natural resources, Dondo dedicated himself to establishing a critically necessary framework of basic transportation and educational and medical services within the developing country. Emphasizing affordable and accessible transport as a key to fostering Angola's middle class, Dondo arranged construction of the country's inaugural urban transport system, as well as its first fast-food restaurant, shopping mall, and movie theater.

In addition to his entrepreneurial achievements in the region, Valdomiro Dondo sponsors multiple key organizations that supply Angolan citizens with critical healthcare provisions. Although all of these groups share a goal of relieving Angola's inhabitants from the effects of poverty, malnutrition, disease, and lack of education, they accomplish these effects through variegated means. One of Dondo's beneficiaries is Project Uhayele, in which Brazilian and Angolan health officials collaborate to evaluate and solve the region's most prevalent health afflictions. As a result of Project Uhayele's assessments, Angolans are currently afforded unprecedented access to such regionally essential resources as malaria and poliomyelitis vaccines and thorough pre-natal healthcare. Project Uhayele underscores these epidemiological solutions with thorough and multi-generational education of Angola's people to supplant potentially harmful endemic beliefs regarding hygiene and nutrition.

Another charitable group operating under Valdomiro Dondo's aegis is Project Smile. This organization ameliorates the widespread and potentially dangerous lack of oral care in the region through the provision of material resources and relevant education. By teaching sustainable oral hygiene routines, Project Smile has diminished the incidence of tooth decay, pulpitis, and dental caries across the country. The support of Dondo and other philanthropists allows Project Smile to provide both assessment and treatment of patients through the use of mobile clinics and laptop computers, considerably extending the campaign's range of accessibilit