“I want to transform Rio de Janeiro into a city where everyone has access to what they need to live with dignity and opportunity.”

Henrique Silveira de Souza is co-founder and general coordinator of Casa Fluminense, an NGO that works to influence public policies for the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, with a focus on social justice, democracy and sustainable development.

Casa Fluminense has provided public policy training and education to more than 200 social leaders, supported 170 grassroots organizations through small grants, published studies and reports on public policies and created a policy proposal named Agenda Rio 2030, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro

A geographer by trade, Henrique also worked at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and at the Instituto Pereira Passos, coordinating projects on information mapping, urban development and social participation.

Vision: Social leaders need training in order to reduce inequality in cities. With well-equipped social leaders, we can implement a metropolitan development plan for Rio de Janeiro, promoting integrated public transport, basic sanitation, affordable housing, jobs and opportunities in the outskirts.