Rebuilding Roots: Umbuntu Alvorada in Brazil | 045

How a community project reclaims African heritage and fights climate injustice This episode is for anyone who cares about grassroots social change, environmental justice, and real community-led transformation. It is especially relevant for social entrepreneurs, development workers, and educators. This episode is for anyone who believes that real change starts from the ground up, and who wants to hear what that actually looks and feels like in practice. Eduardo Fortes Santos, co-founder of Ubuntu Alvorada in Alvorada, the poorest city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, tells the story of a project born out of a pandemic crisis and rooted in centuries of suppressed history. What began with homemade masks and food packages has grown into a living, breathing community space of nearly 10,000 square metres, where children plant banana trees, learn Afro-Brazilian drumming, and for the first time in their lives, begin to dream. One of the most moving moments in this conversation is Eduardo's reflection that people cannot dream about what they do not know. Taking children to an airport, a theatre, or simply a playground for the first time changed everything. Some of those children are now national sports champions, working abroad, or training to become teachers. The episode does not shy away from the painful realities either: 400 years of slavery, ongoing structural racism, climate injustice, and the raw complexity of working within informal power structures in one of Brazil's most violent regions. Through it all, Eduardo speaks with a quiet conviction that transformation is possible, not because of money or outside expertise, but because of presence, patience, and the willingness to stay. 💡 HIGHLIGHTS of this Episode ✨ You cannot dream what you do not know: expand children's horizons first ✨ Reclaiming culture is as vital as food, housing and income ✨ Trust in marginalised communities takes time and consistent presence ✨ Organic, local resources like banana trees can anchor both food security and economic independence 🔗 CONNECT & follow Eduardo Fortes' work 👉 Sign the petition on change.org 👉 Umbuntu on Instagram 👉 Get a first impression of Umbuntu here 👉 Movie "City of Gods" **** 💌 CONNECT & engage with Pia Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to follow and support each other’s work. 🤗 If you consider yourself an #impactjobseeker or aspiring #impactpreneur at the beginning of your journey, jump on my Newsletter “Impact Insights” where I regularly share tools and best practices from my work as a sustainability consultant and system change facilitator. 🤓⚖ For daily insights “behind the scenes” and event updates, join the extended community on the @work.with.impact Instagram account. 🧐💓 P.S. You can also watch this Episode on our YouTube Channel to see our faces 👋 🙂 #SocialRegeneration #CommunityLed #AfroBrazilian #UmbuntuAlvorada #GrassrootsChange #ClimateJustice #SocialEntrepreneurship #BlackCulture #UrbanFarming #EnvironmentalJustice #Quilombo #SocialImpact