Rondon Project:

The Largest Classroom in Brazil

Authors

Keywords:

Rondon Project, community service, volunteer, Rondonistas

Abstract

This article is organized into the following themes: Introduction, What Is the Rondon Project, what are the Objectives of the Rondon Project, The Evolution of the Rondon Project Since Operation Zero, The Rondon Project Operation Methodology, What is the Story Behind the Name Projeto “Rondon”, The Rondonista's Hat, and Final Considerations. The general objective of this article is sharing the history of this Brazilian project currently underway across several Ministries, coordinated by the Ministry of Defense, and recognized with several awards. We will define the Rondon Project as an interministerial action based on partnerships, seeking to develop and strengthen citizenship, provide sustainable solutions to social inclusion issues and regional inequities, and to strengthen national sovereignty. We will also share the objectives of the Rondon Project, and its evolution since its inception in 1967, in the so-called Operation Zero. To conclude, the life and citizenship lessons/learnings provided by the Rondon Project operations will be considered in this article, aligned with the titular quote “the Rondon Project is the largest classroom in Brazil”.

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Author Biography

  • Mara Rúbia André Alves de Lima

    Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA); Email: maral@ufcspa.edu.br. Current positions: Professor of Pulmonology, Clinical Reasoning, and Global Health, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, UFCSPA (since 1989). Volunteer Professor, Rondon Project (since 2014). Outreach Representative, UFCSPA Internationalization Committee (since 2018). UFCSPA Representative, One Health Network of Rio Grande do Sul - Rede Saúde Única -RS/FIOCRUZ (since 2018). Visiting Professor, Rutgers University, Rutgers Global, NJ, USA (Since 2023). UFCSPA Representative, Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) in the Academic Partnership Program Initiative (APPI) Subcommittee and the Global Health Educators Community (since 2024). UFCSPA Representative, Alianza Latinoamericano para la Salud Global (ALASAG) (since 2025). Other positions: Specialist on Global Health Diplomacy (FIOCRUZ, PAHO, WHO, 2023). Fulbright Chair in Global Health, Visiting Scholar, Rutgers-RWJMS, New Brunswick (2021). Professor of Clinical Reasoning at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS (1989 - 2017). Research and Clinical Fellowship at the Toronto General Hospital, Asthma Center, University of Toronto (1992-1993). PhD and MSC on Pulmonology (UFRGS) 2000 and 1987. Pulmonologist (UFCSPA/Santa Casa; SBPT; AMB, 1984). Medical Doctor by Federal University of Rio Grande, FURG (1981).

References

Bortheiry-Meirelles, A. L. (2016). História do Curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande: 1966-2016 (2ª ed.). Editora da FURG.

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Brasil. Ministério da Defesa. (2024). Edital nº 2/2024-CGPR/DPS/SEPESD/SG-MD. Processo Seletivo das Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) para Participação na Operação de Julho 2024 – Operação “Sentinelas Avançadas II” do Projeto Rondon. Recuperado de https://files.cercomp.ufg.br/weby/up/694/o/EDITAL_N%C2%BA_22024-CGPRDPSSEPESDSG-MD.pdf

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Castro, M. E. S. M. de. (2017). O pedagogo e o Projeto Rondon: relações, interações e contradições na formação inicial (Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, Licenciatura em Pedagogia). Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Bauru.

Ferreira, I. R. (2019). Evolução do Projeto Rondon: do assistencialismo ao empoderamento das comunidades (Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, Bacharelato em Ciências Econômicas). Faculdade de Ciências e Letras, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Araraquara.

Garcia, C. M. M. G., & Mariz, F. N. de C. (2017). Projeto Rondon e Universidade Católica de Brasília: uma parceria de 12 anos. Revista Diálogos, 21(2), 7-14.

Nascimento, M. L. F. (2016). Rondon, Einstein's letter and the Nobel peace prize. Editora Ciência e Sociedade, CBPF, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 4(1),

Published

2025-04-25

Issue

Section

Historical research or essay

How to Cite

de Lima, M. R. A. A. (2025). Rondon Project: : The Largest Classroom in Brazil. Sesiones De La Sociedad Uruguaya De Historia De La Medicina, 44(1). https://suhm.uy/revista/index.php/suhm/article/view/99