The ABCD CHARITABLE TRUST is a philanthropic fund that supports projects in the areas of education and health. Its purpose is to help break down barriers to learning, support mental health, and promote medical advances.
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ounded in 2009 by PATRICE DE CAMARET, a French entrepreneur and investor located in Brazil, the ABCD Charitable Trust is registered with the Charity Commission, which regulates philanthropic entities in England and Wales. Donations are defined by the trust group, following the strict regulations of the English commission and criteria, based on the purpose of the fund.
The idea of creating a fund – not a non-governmental organization (NGO) – was to specifically support institutions and professionals who were already fighting for the cause of dyslexia and education in Brazil. In order to do so, the ABCD Trust has allocated its first investments to the creation of the ABCD Institute, inspired by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) model: diagnostic support, educational initiatives and advocacy.
Since then, the ABCD Trust has provided financial support to entities and professionals involved in research and activities in education, literacy, mental health and medical technologies in Brazil and other countries. In addition to financial support, it fosters networks in order to best leverage its supported projects.
In the early 2000s, Patrice’s son Nicolas was diagnosed with dyslexia. Unable to find adequate care in Brazil, the family moved to England, where the educational system had established practices and resources aimed at dyslexia. “In England, we learned about the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), which was instrumental in creating an educational system that enables learning for those with learning disabilities. When I decided to start working with philanthropy, I thought about dyslexia in Brazil – after all, I had the opportunity to provide a quality education for my son, but most Brazilian families do not have this option,” says Patrice.
Patrice de Camaret is the principal partner of Squanto Participacões – a single-family office. His early career was in banking with Banco Frances Brasileiro (Brazil) and Credit Lyonnais (France), where he worked as a Credit Officer, Client Relationship Manager and Investment Advisor respectively. In 1981, de Camaret moved back to Brazil and started working at the local subsidiary of the Louis Dreyfus Group – Coinbra S/A – specializing in commodity processing and trading. Over the next two decades he was involved in various other activities and locations, in a senior management capacity, eventually becoming the CEO of Louis Dreyfus worldwide commodities in 2003. He was instrumental in developing Louis Dreyfus worldwide activities, leading the expansion of the group’s major subsidiaries into trading and processing of soft commodities, emerging market finance, freight and metal trading. On leaving Louis Dreyfus in 2005, de Camaret founded Lentikia Capital, an FSA regulated asset management company. The fund it managed – Brocade Macro Fund – reached over USD 1 Billion of Lentikia merged with the newly created BTG Pactual in 2009. In 2010 together with Gerard William Louis Dreyfus he founded Sierentz LLC, a new commodity trading operation, which he left in 2014. Since then, Squanto has been involved in various investment and trading ventures in areas such as commodities, hedge funds, private equity, shipping, farming and real estate through various entities: Squanto Participacões (Brazil), its advisory arm – EPA Sarl (Switzerland), Lentilha Shipping Ltd (Malta), Squanto Management Inc (US).
De Camaret supports philanthropic efforts through direct donations and non-profit project funded by the ABCD Charitable Trust, UK. These philanthropic efforts include: Instituto ABCD Brazil (Founder), British Dyslexia Association UK, John Hopkins Medicine Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Urology, and Y-Mind Institute Brazil.
Mr. de Camaret attended the London School of Economics.