Project COBWEB (Collaboration for a Better Work Environment for Brazilians) or Parceria in Portuguese began in 2003 with the combined efforts of the Work Environment Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), the Brazilian Immigrant Center (BIC) – a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1995 for Brazilian immigrant workers in Boston – the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), a NGO that fights for the rights of workers in the state, and from two health care centers: the Lowell Community Health Center and the Massachusetts General Chelsea Health Center. This last partner withdrew from the project in 2005.