“I am very well both psychologically and physically,” says Antônio Francisco da Silva, also known as “Antônio Nen” or “Seu Antônio”, from Várzea Alegre, who, at the height of his 73 years of age, is the oldes enumerator working in the 2022 Population Census in Ceará. And he is not only experienced in life, but also in working for the IBGE: this is his fourth Census. He also took part in the 1980 and 1991 editions and in the Census of Agriculture, in 1995.

Besides being a dedicated enumerator, Antônio de Nen has been involved in other activities in favor of his fellows throughout his seven plus decades of life, and has become a very active leader in the neighborhood community. Having been a producer of fruit trees and head of the City Council, Seu Antônio has a lifestory marked by actions directed to the common good and that inspire everyone around him.

At the age of 73 anos, Antônio de Nen is the oldest enumerator working in Ceará

Seu Antônio is now enumerating housing units in his municipality, Várzea Alegre-CE.

A history of social engagement

Throughout the almost two decades in which he was not participating in a Census, Seu Antônio never stopped, and was engaged in different social projects in his community. Born in Sítio Ubaldinho, in the district of Naraniú, rural area of the municipality, he has been president, for more than 20 years, of the Socio-Community Institution of the Ubaldinho Agricultural Village (ISCA). The organization was created to fulfill the needs of families who are still living in the area where a public weir was built.

Seu Antônio is also the current president of the municipal Lions Club no município, a local group belonging to one of the main international organizations aimed at the prmotion of social causes and rendering of community services. Besides all that, he was a city counselor for 22 consecutive years since 1983, having been head of the City Council and of the Commission in charge of writing the city’s Organic Law.

These are only some of his accomplishments, as Antônio de Nen is involved in a number of other activities in his everyday life. “I am currently dealing with seedling of fruit trees. And I have contacted schools to create a project and show the children the importance of the environment,” he says, cheerfully, about the latedst initiative ha has engaged in. The plants have even been distributed to residents he enumerated. “I love nature and I preserve the environment.”

“I can never be idle. “Eu não posso ficar ocioso. I suffer when I’m not doing anything,” says the long-lived enumerator who says he had a bad time to face social distancing measures imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “I like working so much that, in the coming Census of Agriculture, if I am healthy and mentally fit as I am today - and if the six womenr in my life allow - I will prepare myself to take part in one more Census,” says Seu Antônio, kidding, as he explains who the six women are: his wife, three daughters and two granddaughters.

One more Census

“This year, when my daughter Cátia heard about the recruitment, shw thought: I will make Dad a surprise. She sent my application and told me after she got home,” says Seu Antônio, who was very happy with the initiative. He got even happier after he passed the tests and the training phase for data collection. “Here in Várzea Alegre there are 35 enumerators. Only 10 had grades above mine,” celebrates the experienced enumerator who immediately checked the list of names and saw he would be the oldest enumerator in the state.

Antonio de Nen reveals he feels like a child being among so many young people, and added: “I make a lot of effort to be an example for these youths who are working in enumeration with me.” He says he gives some advice to his younger colleagues as he has acquired experience from previous Censuses, so they can avoid situations that can damage the survey.

The older age also has challenges, on the other hand. “I had some difficulty during training with the electronic appliance. The Census I took part in used paper material, we would fill out a form,” explains Seu Antônio who, in spite of the effort he made to learn how to use the Mobile Data Collection Device (DMC), considers training was enough to “tame” this new technology.

Field work stories

Seu Antônio’s social conscience in life could not be apart from his work in the Census. Beyond monetary pay, he sees the enumeration activity as an opportunity to do two things he considers very imprtant: “I love being in contact with other people and, in addition to that, I can help them learn the real situation of Brazil.”/p>

He shares with us some experiences from this period as an enumerator. “I have visited many hard-to-reach housing units. I saw families living in extreme poverty. During my work, I helped a sick elderly man and took him to the hospital. I fed a cat that was living in an abandoned building and set it free. I found a horse tied to a place under the sun and helped it stop under a tree with a big shadow. I distributed almost 150 fruit tree seedlings wherever I went…I have worked in a very responsible way and enjoyed the Census a lot.”

Seu Antônio has already enumerated 11 areas i his municipality. In five of them he worked alone, because they were located in the urban area. In other six areas, more isolated ones, he worked in partnership with enumerator Elioenai de Sousa and used a car to go from place to place. Although he noticed the population was more fearful in relation to the enumerator, being afraid of frauds, Seu Antônio says he did not have much difficulty being accepted. “If I say so myself, I was never rejected, for even those who didn’t know me in person were already familiar with my story, and that meant credibility,” he adds.