Education in Paraisópolis that combines excellence, inclusion, and professional training shows how it is possible to create real opportunities for the future rooted in the community.
On September 5th, the Bem Maior Movement team visited Paraisópolis, the second largest favela in São Paulo (SP), with approximately 59,000 inhabitants according to the 2022 Census. In each narrow and vibrant street, it's possible to feel the pulse of the territory: children on their way to school, young people seeking opportunities, entrepreneurs who make a living from creativity, and elderly people who carry memories of resistance and belonging.
Even in the face of structural inequalities, precarious public services, and the constant presence of violence, individual and collective projects flourish. Dreams of decent housing, access to culture, belonging, and, above all, quality education in Paraisópolis.
With approximately 59,000 inhabitants spread across 10 km², Paraisópolis is the second largest favela in the city of São Paulo (SP).
A meeting with Crescer Sempre
Our visit was to the Crescer Sempre Association , which has been active in the region for over 27 years. We were received by Ana Garfinkel, executive director, and Suellen Braga, responsible for institutional relations.
The organization develops a structuring work in Paraisópolis, combining excellent basic education, productive inclusion, inclusive pedagogical practices and a cross-cutting approach to racial and gender equity.
During the visit, we toured spacious, welcoming, and vibrant facilities. From Early Childhood Education to Full-Time High School, children and teenagers learn in an environment that integrates academic knowledge, psychosocial support, and respectful and empathetic coexistence with differences. The library, which that day hosted a high school class, is also open to the community, offering book loans and free access to computers and the internet for research.
Results that create new possibilities
With an excellent curriculum, extracurricular activities, and life projects, Crescer Sempre has achieved significant results. In 2024, 94% of graduates registered for the ENEM (Brazilian National High School Exam), and in 2025, students in the final years of elementary and high school had already won more than 1,000 medals in academic olympiads.
More than just numbers, these achievements broaden horizons, inspire career paths, and create new possibilities for access to higher education and programs like the PIC – Scientific Initiation Program, from the Federal Government. According to Flávia Riger, coordinator of Elementary School – Final Years at Crescer Sempre:
“Participation in tests and competitions strengthens students' self-esteem, broadens their academic and cultural horizons, and brings families closer to the school. These experiences can open doors to higher education and encourage the continuation of studies, promoting true social transformation through education in Paraisópolis.”
Paraisópolis as a space of belonging
The visit also took us to the exhibition “A Look at My Neighborhood – Paraisópolis”, held in partnership with the Stickel Foundation. The exhibition features 121 photographs produced by students of the photography course offered in the community.
The images reveal sensitive and creative perspectives on the territory. Photography here becomes a tool for expression and strengthening ties with the neighborhood. The project, carried out between 2023 and 2024, demonstrates the potential of art as a language of transformation.
Part of the exhibition “A Look at My Neighborhood – Paraisópolis”, composed of photographs taken by students from Crescer Sempre.
Vocational training rooted in the territory
In addition to basic education, Crescer Sempre expands its reach by offering free vocational courses that serve more than 600 people per year.
To date, 450 students have been trained in areas such as electrical work, plumbing, and digital marketing, directly addressing the local reality, marked by high rates of informality. The organization's goal is for at least 30% of graduates to be employed within six months of their training.
Partnerships with institutions such as Porto Seguro, Senac, and Grupo Boticário strengthen the quality of courses and expand opportunities for professional placement. These strategic alliances can be concrete bridges to transforming the career paths of those who dream of starting a business or securing their first formal job. Regarding this aspect, Suellen comments:
“Professional qualification is one of the pillars of productive inclusion, as it offers technical knowledge and promotes autonomy and new perspectives. Therefore, we adjust the course curriculum to local realities: mothers of children in early childhood education can study while their children are at school, and evening classes for professional development and languages expand the chances for those seeking career opportunities.”
All this work is done intentionally to combat inequalities. Crescer Sempre applies a lens of racial and gender equity to its curricula and pedagogical practices, promoting listening environments, anti-racist actions, and the valuing of diversity.
The organization's actions are also in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 5, 8 and 10, which focus on inclusive education, gender equality, decent work and reducing inequalities.
Crescer Sempre's operating model.
What we learned from Paraisópolis
Field visits make visible what is alive in the territory and reaffirm the commitment of the Bem Maior Movement to concrete life and to the learning that arises from encounter. Being together is, in itself, a transformative gesture: it brings those who support closer to those who act, creates bonds, and activates the humanity of philanthropic practice.
When we come closer, we become part of it. Social investment also becomes about relationship, presence, and a shared commitment to strengthening the networks that make life possible.
By combining education in Paraisópolis with professional training, valuing the territory, and committing to equity, Crescer Sempre shows that transforming realities is possible when the community is viewed in a broad and integrated way, with listening and intentionality.
This experience in Paraisópolis added new layers of meaning for the MBM team. We saw firsthand the daily life of a school that not only resists, but builds its own path every day.
MBM and Crescer Sempre on the school's sports court in Paraisópolis — connection and learning on the field.
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