Brazilian Celso Athayde won the Impact and Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. Born in Baixada Fluminense, Celso had already lived in three favelas, shelters and on the street before he turned 16.
Today he is the author of seven books, the founder of CUFA (Central Única das Favelas), and in 2015 he created a group of companies focused on favelas and their inhabitants: Favela Holding, with 20 companies, all actions in the neighborhood.
After receiving the award, Celso made a call at the event that brought together the world’s biggest businessmen and political leaders. “Entrepreneurship progress is urgent, not just in Brazil, but in favelas. The world has to make a choice. We will either share the wealth the favelas produce or continue to share the consequences of the social exclusion that the world elite continues to produce,” he said.
Although he did not go to university, he gave speeches at some of the most important institutions in the world such as Celso, London School of Economics, Harvard, MIT, Columbia University.
To alleviate the difficulties faced by slum dwellers due to isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic, Celso created and is the general coordinator of the CUFA Contra o Vírus project, which collects groceries donations and distributes them to more than 5,000 residents. Mães da Favela, which includes favelas across Brazil and the millions of women who live and manage their homes in these areas, with a grant of R$240.
After receiving the award, he made it clear the extent of the challenge before him. “I come from a place in Brazil that symbolizes social exclusion. I come from a slum called Sapo. My family was alcoholic and my mother and I lived on the street for six years,” he said.
“This personal tragedy showed me the imperative to survive, and since then I’ve dedicated my life to entrepreneurship at the base of the pyramid,” he said.
According to him, there are 17 million people living in favelas in Brazil, which is twice that of Switzerland. “This is the number of people in Brazil who do not have access to basic services,” he said.
But he rejects fatalism. “Favelas are places of resilience and joy. The favela is not a space of need, it’s a place of strength and confidence,” he said.
source: Noticias
