Centro de Assessoria do Assurua

What Centro de Assessoria do Assurua does

Centro de Assessoria do Assuruá (CAA) is a Brazilian non-governmental organization founded in 1990 in the village of Gameleira do Assuruá, municipality of Gentio do Ouro, Bahia, with headquarters relocated to Irecê in 2005. It operates a portfolio of social-development programs focused on coexistence with the Brazilian semi-arid, anchored by rainwater-harvesting cistern technology (16,000L household units and 30,000–52,000L school cisterns), agricultural technical assistance and rural extension (ATER, ATER Quilombola), fisheries technical assistance (ATEPA), water-supply improvements (Projeto Aguadas), youth empowerment (Juventude Quilombola), sustainable cities (Cidades Sustentáveis), and civic participation (Programa Cidadania). Programs are delivered through community-led methodology using field agents, local commissions, and partnerships with municipal and traditional community organizations across approximately 40 municipalities in the Irecê and Velho Chico territories of Bahia.

CAA is a founding member of Articulação no Semiárido Brasileiro (ASA), a network of over 700 civil society organizations, and acts as a managing unit in Bahia for the P1MC (Programa Um Milhão de Cisternas) national cistern program. It is recognized as a pioneer in cistern technology, including the Cisternas nas Escolas program (launched 2010 in Bahia), which won the Prêmio FBB Tecnologias Sociais 2011. The organization is led by Executive Coordinator Mário Augusto Jacó (with Leonardo Tomaselli also referenced as Coordenador Executivo) and operates with a core team of approximately 11 employees supported by field agents and project-based contractors.

CAA's business model is that of a project-funded nonprofit: it does not charge beneficiaries and generates no product revenue from end-users. Funding flows from institutional counterparties including the Brazilian Federal Government (Ministry of Social Development), the Bahia State Government (Sedes, SDR, SEPROMI), Petrobras (corporate sponsorship), Fundação Banco do Brasil, the European Union, Misereor (German development cooperation), CODEVASF, INCRA, and ASA-network allocations. Distribution is direct, via field technicians and partner commissions in beneficiary communities, and marketing relies on community mobilization, community radio, participatory events, and a light digital footprint (website, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter).

Name

Centro de Assessoria do Assurua

Legal name

Centro de Assessoria do Assuruá

Website

https://caabahia.org.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centro de Assessoria do Assuruá (CAA) is a Bahian NGO founded in 1990 that delivers rainwater-harvesting cisterns, agroecological rural extension, and community-development programs to rural, quilombola, and traditional families across approximately 40 municipalities in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAAAHAE

Irrigation, Fertigation & Nutrient Delivery Systems (Dosing, Injectors, Sensors)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Equipment & Technology/Controlled Environment Agriculture (Greenhouses, Hydroponics/Aeroponics Systems)

SECONDARYEUAHAAAH

Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

Keywords

• Rural development services
• Rainwater harvesting systems
• Agricultural extension programs
• Community development NGO
• Water security projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Irecê

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Funding and Government Partnerships: CAA operates primarily through project-based funding from government programs, international donors, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Revenue comes from implementing public policies such as the P1MC (One Million Cisterns Program), government technical assistance contracts, and sponsorship from companies like Petrobras.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Centro de Assessoria do Assuruá (CAA) is a non-governmental organization that delivers a portfolio of social development programs for rural families, quilombola communities, rural schools, and youth in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil. Its core offering centers on rainwater harvesting cistern construction combined with rural technical assistance and extension (ATER), agroecological production support, and citizenship-building programs. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiary communities and are funded through government contracts, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Centro de Assessoria do Assuruá (CAA) is a non-governmental organization offering a portfolio of social development programs focused on coexistence with the semi-arid region of Bahia. Its offering is not a unified software product but a collection of interconnected programs anchored by the Cisterns programs (Projeto Cisternas, P1MC, Cisternas nas Escolas, and Cisternas de Placas via FBB), which provide rainwater harvesting infrastructure. These are complemented by agricultural extension programs (ATER, ATER Quilombola, ATEPA), youth empowerment (Juventude Quilombola), citizen participation (Programa Cidadania), sustainable cities (Projeto Cidades Sustentáveis), and water supply improvement (Projeto Aguadas). The programs collectively address water security, food security, income generation, cultural identity, and political participation of family farmers and traditional communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Projeto Cisternas Rainwater harvesting program that builds cisterns for human consumption and agricultural production in the semi-arid region of Bahia, having constructed more than 5,000 cisterns benefiting over 27,000 people. Target audience: rural families in semi-arid Bahia.
• P1MC - Programa Um Milhão de Cisternas (One Million Cisterns Program) National program for the construction of one million rural cisterns, part of the Articulação no Semi-Árido Brasileiro (ASA) network. CAA is a managing unit in Bahia, having constructed over 286,518 cisterns nationally by 2009. Target audience: rural families across the Brazilian semi-arid region.
• Cisternas nas Escolas (Cisterns in Schools) Pioneer program that builds cisterns in rural schools, providing water for human consumption and food production (30,000L and 52,000L cisterns respectively), combining social technology with inclusive contextualized education. Built over 2,000 cisterns in 43 schools. Target audience: rural schools in semi-arid Bahia.
• ATEPA - Assistência Técnica e Extensão Pesqueira e Aquícola Technical assistance and rural extension program for artisanal fishing and aquaculture, targeting 300 families in nine municipalities of the Baixo Sul territory of Bahia, focusing on agroecological principles and organizational strengthening. Target audience: fishing and aquaculture families.
• ATER - Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural Rural technical assistance and extension program focused on sustainable rural development, coexistence with the semi-arid, food security, productive organization for commercialization, and access to public policies for family farming. Target audience: family farmers in the Irecê territory.
• ATER Quilombola Technical assistance and rural extension service for quilombola communities aimed at sustainable ethno-development, transition to agroecology, food security, and economic inclusion through 720 quilombola families in five municipalities. Target audience: quilombola communities in the Irecê territory.
• Juventude Quilombola (Quilombola Youth) Youth empowerment program for quilombola communities, sponsored by Petrobras, targeting 200 young people aged 16-29 in eight quilombola communities. Provides training in agroecological production, family productive unit management, and cultural identity strengthening. Target audience: young people from quilombola and rural communities.
• Programa Cidadania (Citizenship Program) Citizen formation program promoting popular participation, social control of public policies, and strengthening of popular organizations through campaigns such as combating electoral corruption and public budget awareness. Target audience: rural families and community organizations.
• Projeto Cidades Sustentáveis (Sustainable Cities Project) Sustainable cities program expanding social inclusion in the Irecê Territory through food security, income generation, access to social and political rights, and institutional strengthening for 300 families and 2,000 children. Target audience: families and children in the Irecê Territory.
• Projeto Aguadas Water supply improvement initiative through cleaning of aguadas, construction of cisterns and trench barriers, targeting rural populations in 16 municipalities to store water for livestock and food production. Target audience: rural populations in 16 municipalities.
• Projeto Cisternas de Placas no Semiárido (FBB) Cistern construction program executed in partnership with the Fundação Banco do Brasil (FBB), aiming to install 1,335 cistern units in the municipalities of Seabra and Morpará, with capacity building for families in water resource management and semi-arid coexistence. Target audience: families in Seabra and Morpará municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 286,518 cisternas construídas, mobilizando 294.425 famílias
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASA - Articulação no Semiárido BrasileirocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAA is a founding member of ASA, which brings together over 700 civil society organizations. CAA participates in the state executive coordination and manages the P1MC (Programa Um Milhão de Cisternas) program.
• CODEVASFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompanhia de Desenvolvimento dos Vales do São Francisco e Parnaíba provides institutional support for water programs.
• INCRAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária supports land reform and quilombola community initiatives.
• Sindicatos de Trabalhadores RuraisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal rural workers unions serve as community partners for project implementation and mobilization.
• Pastoral da CriançaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic children's pastoral organization partners for community development activities.
• SEPROMI - BahiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecretaria de Promoção da Igualdade Racial supports quilombola community policies and development programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MOC - Movimento de Organização Comunitária: MOC is a Bahia-based civil society organization with overlapping focus on citizenship, gender equity, and rural community development in the semi-arid, frequently partnering with CAA on Sertão Esperança and related programs.
• CAATINGA - Centro de Assessoria e Apoio aos Trabalhadores e Instituições Não Governamentais Alternativas: CAATINGA is a northeastern Brazilian NGO providing technical assistance and rural extension services to family farmers and traditional communities, structurally similar to CAA's ATER programs.
• Articulação no Semiárido Brasileiro (ASA): ASA is the national network of 700+ civil society organizations for which CAA is a founding member and managing unit of the P1MC program. It is the closest peer, operating the same cistern-building methodology and policy advocacy across all Brazilian semi-arid states.
• IRPAA - Instituto Regional da Pequena Agropecuária Apropriada: IRPAA is a peer NGO in Bahia focused on agroecology and coexistence with the semi-arid, using similar methodologies (water harvesting, family farming technical assistance) and serving overlapping rural beneficiary populations.
• PATAC - Programa de Aplicação de Tecnologia Apropriada às Comunidades: PATAC operates in the Cariri/Seridó region of northeastern Brazil with a comparable focus on appropriate technologies, water access, and family agriculture in semi-arid contexts.
• AS-PTA - Assessoria e Serviços a Projetos em Agricultura Alternativa: AS-PTA is a national NGO promoting agroecology and sustainable rural development, comparable to CAA in technical assistance delivery, farmer-to-farmer methodologies, and rural community mobilization.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid Brazil: WaterAid is an international water and sanitation NGO with operations in Brazil. It is comparable in mission (water access, WASH, community development) though operating at a much larger global scale.

Others

• Fundação Banco do Brasil (FBB): FBB is both a funder of CAA's Cisternas de Placas program and a broader investor in social technologies across Brazil. It is comparable as a peer in social technology funding and capacity-building for rural semi-arid communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CAABAHIA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CAAdaBahia
• Facebookfacebook.com/caabahia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-de-assessoria-do-assurua

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centro de Assessoria do Assurua