Olivier-Hugues Terreault is preparing Brazilian society to be able to care for their growing elderly population. Through an innovative clowning therapy, he is equipping caregivers and seniors themselves with tools for communication, meanwhile his work with decision makers and the general population...
Read moreHarley Henriques do Nascimento
Ashoka Fellow since Dec 1998
Harley Henriques do Nascimento is combatting the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus in the poverty-stricken Brazilian state of Bahia through a network of peer educators based in the region's disenfranchised communities.
Read moreYears before international media showed the world shocking images of Amazon Indians suffering and dying from contact with white invaders, Marcio Santilli, 35, has championed indigenous peoples' rights in Brazil. That is why as a federal deputy he was named to the congressional commission on Indian...
Read moreSonia Coutinho
Ashoka Fellow since Sep 1994
In the state of Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil, Sonia Coutinho has developed a center for arts and alternative education for adolescents with moderate learning disabilities that is remarkably effective in aiding their transition from school to productive employment and facilitating their...
Read moreJoao Claudio has long sought the most effective way to serve the poor: first as a Jesuit, then as a social activist, and now as a doctor developing novel ways of providing first-class health care to Brazil's slum dwellers.
Read moreBy teaching practical culinary and social skills, Simone Berti is preparing individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities to assimilate into society and be self-sufficient.
Read moreMarlene Morgado segundo dos santos
Ashoka Fellow since Aug 1987
Roberto Siqueira Carneiro is reintroducing rare monkeys into threatened ecosystems, starting with the remnants of Brazil's Atlantic rainforest. Since the monkey can not survive unless the forest is healthy, engaging popular support for the monkeys should be an effective means of protecting the...
Read moreAlthough Brazil struggled with issues of severe malnutrition in the past, since the 1990s obesity among children has become an increasingly alarming but unreported problem. Vera Perino is transforming the way Brazilian society perceives and addresses obesity by looking at both its causes and...
Read moreHaving secured the legal foundation for the human rights of the LGBT community through judicialization, Marinalva is now reinforcing mainstream support of the LGBT community in public life and at home.
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