Eliana Sousa e Silva 
Maré Testimonies 

Eliana gave us a beautiful book, valuable beyond the biographical itinerary of its author, and with a quality that shouldn’t be attributed only to its origins. But beyond a notable book, valuable in and of itself, Eliana gave us an extraordinary example of transgressing patterns, prejudices and probabilities. An admirable example of citizen self-invention.

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ELIANA SOUSA E SILVA holds a Doctorate degree in Social Services from PUC-Rio, directs the University-Community Integration Department at UFRJ and runs Redes de Desenvolvimento da Maré. A mother of three, she arrived from the state of Paraíba to Nova Holanda, one of the favela’s in Rio de Janeiro’s Maré, at age 7, and she lived there for 28 years. Involved in community work since the age of 13, she was president of the Neighborhood Association and, since then, she has worked towards increasing life quality indicators in every dimension of the favela.