Community in Action

Community in Action is a grassroots non-profit non-governmental organization (NGO) located in one of Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela (slum) communities. Our mission is to offer vocational and cultural classes for students of all ages, as well as personal development opportunities for volunteers. The majority of NGOs in Rio provide outreach programs on a service model: slum inhabitants simply use the services others (who live outside the community) deem they need. We implemented a new approach, a new vision – one that fosters the possibility of long-term community change by including residents in the operation of the organization. Currently, slum residents staff the majority of human resource and administrative positions. These present and future community leaders are the volunteers, the teachers, and the administrative teams. As social entrepreneurs, Community in Action has created a model for excluded and deprived people to create sustainable livelihoods and promote societal inclusion.