August 31, 2022

We have exciting expansion news: We are preparing to select a new cohort of visionary local leaders dedicated to advancing gender equity and justice in São Paulo, Brazil! This is the first time Rise Up will bring its Leadership & Advocacy Accelerator training to Brazil, and we are looking forward to working closely with in-country leaders and organizations who are already addressing the significant challenges facing women, girls, and gender-nonconforming people.

Joining the Rise Up team to lead on this important work is Brazil Country Representative Ana Gabriela Ferreira, a criminal and human rights lawyer and professor. We asked Ana Gabriela to share what she is looking forward to Rise Up accomplishing in Brazil:

“In the last six years, Brazil has experienced many steps back in gender, culture, education, health, and other areas, affecting especially girls, women, Black, indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ people. Women are the majority of our population and are also the most affected by poverty and a lack of access to education. We need programs to reinforce gender equity. That is what I expect from Rise Up’s program in Brazil –  to amplify the power of people who already do a great job and are committed to improving things in the long term.”

In preparation for our new program launch, Rise Up partnered with the Geledes Institute, a political organization of Black women in Brazil, to identify opportunities to strengthen gender equity in the country in the areas of health, education, and economic opportunity. Among the issues identified: combating the fifth highest rate of femicide (the killing of a woman or girl) in the world, closing a 15 percent wage gap between men and women, greater representation of women in the political sector and an increase in political funding for women’s programs, and the prevention of early pregnancy.  

Previously, Rise Up partnered with ADJ Diabetes Brasil and Empodera to launch our Girls Voices Initiative in São Paulo, training over 60 girls between 2020 and 2021. We are eager to launch a new leadership cohort in Brazil, with the support of our partner Cummins, Inc. Recruitment and outreach to prospective leaders will begin in the next month.

Stay tuned for more updates from Brazil!