Our brilliant professor Gagui Silva, has been acknowledged for the amazing work she does in Complexo de Mandela.

Her team “Estrelas do Mandela” is organizing a campaign to get food, essential hygiene items, and alcohol gel to be distributed among residents. 

She has been running her female empowerment projects as a volunteer since 2002, and last year, ACE adopted her project and gave her a salary to continue her fantastic work. Looking after 57 girls, she created a space for them to play football, discuss issues of gender, race, and plurality, as well as helping the girls to feel empowered by their role in the favela. 

When the coronavirus began, Gagui was on hand to start a movement to help the favela community, which is so often overlooked by state, federal and global institutions. 

“We, from the favela, are placed as marginalized, excluded. But the favela population is supporting the families of the community at the moment. The favela has to try to survive on its own. But if we are going to be able to continue to fight, we need the politicians

Gagui explained how she started this project: 

“When the coronavirus isolation started, I started receiving messages from the parents of the girls talking about the difficulties they face. One family had nine people living in the same house, sharing the room. So I decided to start the campaign to mobilize a donation.”

This is how “Ação Solidária.” (Solidarity Action) began among the residents.  They are collecting food baskets, water, soaps, and essential PPE. ACE Projects has just donated seventeen footballs and kits to keep the children entertained and help support our local leaders

We are so proud of the incredible work Gagui has begun, and we hope that communities around the world can follow her example of taking the initiative and helping those most vulnerable around us.