Segment 1

JOICE [Student]

It is a reality that the communities in Salvador don't offer equal opportunity for all. If I wasn't in college now, I think I'd be like a lot of my peers: involved in drug trafficking, prostitution, pregnant, doing illicit work that there is no dignity in, but that is the only opportunity available for girls in impoverished communities.

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Salvador, Brazil

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Brazilian favela communities, such as Alagados, are characterized by extreme violence, poverty, and lack of opportunity. In the city of Salvador, it is a state of unofficial apartheid. With a population that is 70 percent Afro-descendant, more than 80 percent of college graduates are white. The Alagados Project gives college scholarships that empower young people, especially girls, to find their own exit strategies from poverty.

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Joice

JOICE

I am the first person to go to college in my family. It was always a dream of my mom's. She is the only one out of five siblings who finished middle school. So, I carry the responsibility of my whole family because I am the one who is opening doors. When the opportunity arose to participate in the Alagados Project, wow, my life did a complete 180. Now I'm able to be who I am, just smiling and looking for opportunities because people respect me. The Alagados Project is making possible the success I've long been fighting for. Since I'm the first person to go to college, I don't have a lot of direct family support, because they don't have the necessary education. One of the hardest things is not having any role models.

JOSELITO CRISPIM [Community Leader]

I believe that education is really important in the Alagados community as it is anywhere in the world. However, here it carries a heavier weight. It can be the weight that tips the balance to a better quality of life than what we currently live. More education will result in less violence and more opportunity. It is the only democratic path for increasing socio-economic status.

JOICE

The experience of going to college is amazing, really magical, because people start to see you differently. You stop being insignificant, and the community starts to see you as a human being. They say, "Look at her, she's going to college." You stop being a nothing and become a college student. It is indescribable. My future lies in being able to influence as many people as I can, because without an education we are nothing. I want to be a role model for others.

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Joice and her fellow scholarship students are building a movement in their community to increase equality and decrease poverty through access to education for all.

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The Alagados Project