When Ester Carro, 25, was invited to join the Fellowship program at Avenues São Paulo, she had already approached three private schools in the area, finding nothing but shut doors. She’s a resident of Jardim Colombo, a highly vulnerable community in the vicinity. She’s also the daughter of a local community leader and she presides the Sports and Education League, an NGO she made grow at a dizzying speed ever since the took over her father’s legacy. “I told everyone that I would only step up to the plate if I had their full support. I didn’t want the responsibility if I was to work by myself”, Ester explains. The collaborative environment caught on, and the number of people working with and for her just keeps multiplying.

“We wanted an opportunity to be heard and seen. And at the Fellowship, we’re not afraid to speak up”, says Ester. She has become a very important person in her community and many of the improvements behind her work descend from the learning and exchange of ideas she’s found alongside 5 other NGO leaders at Avenues. With a BA and an MA in Architecture, she first set out hoping to improve living conditions in her neighborhood, but her reach today goes far beyond. Now, for instance, she centers all donations made by partners who provide food, masks, and toys for her community in times of social isolation. “Chances are that the kids from Avenues that are growing up seeing these social differences up close will, in the future, incorporate caring for others in their line of work. This is priceless”.