Denise de Souza

Brazilian educator transforming favela education through mobile learning labs

Roots in the Favelas

Denise de Souza (1982) was born in Rio's Complexo do Alemão favela. After becoming one of the first in her community to earn a university degree (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 2005), she returned to create Favela Educação in 2010. Her first 'mobile classroom' was a converted school bus with donated laptops.

Innovative Educational Models

De Souza's signature Mobile Learning Labs now operate in 40 Brazilian favelas. These solar-powered buses provide internet access and digital literacy training to 15,000+ youth annually. Her Khan Academy partnership offers localized Portuguese content tailored to Brazil's curriculum.

Impact Metrics

Graduates from her program have 3x higher university enrollment rates than peers. In 2020, her UNESCO-recognized 'Digital Bridge' initiative connected 500+ favelas to national education networks. Her students won Brazil's National Science Olympiad in 2022.

Global Expansion

De Souza's model inspired similar programs in Cape Town and Mumbai. She advises the World Education Forum and recently launched a crowdfunding platform to expand to 100 communities. Her TEDx talk "Education Without Borders" has 2.3 million views.