Jahzara

Jahzara lives in the Pantanal neighborhood, on the outskirts of São Paulo, and since childhood, she has experienced the consequences of environmental racism, a concept she only learned about later in life but that she and the people in her community had already felt firsthand for a long time. One day, her neighborhood was severely affected by floods, and on her way to school, she saw that a newer area of the community with limited infrastructure, where there was no electricity or sanitation, had been even more affected by the rains. This made her think about ways to help. That same week, she was talking to members of the Fridays for Future movement about racism and how it intersects with various other issues such as menstrual poverty, lack of teachers, and food insecurity. She realized that supporting vulnerable people would require more than just collecting food donations. As a result, she founded SustentaVida, which distributes food baskets with food, books, eco-friendly sanitary pads, and seedlings, understanding that problems are intersectional. In addition, the initiative carries out environmental education activities in schools, such as lectures, community gardens, and distribution of sanitary pads.

The team was formed organically. Jahzara joined forces with friends to collect donations and soon secured a partnership with an eco-friendly sanitary pad brand. Currently, SustentaVida consists of three individuals: Jahzara, responsible for partnerships; Gabriela, responsible for communication; and Gabriel, responsible for grassroots work. The trio operates in a horizontal way, according to the activities each one identifies with the most, and they hold regular meetings to define actions and responsibilities. They are also seeking to expand their team.

The group has already carried out actions in Pantanal, indigenous villages, and schools in the capital. Currently, they are mapping all the schools in the Eastern Zone of the city because they aim to impact all the schools and communities in the region. Additionally, they plan to map "eco-points," squares, and other infrastructure facilities so that community members can be aware of and access them. Jahzara and her team also intend to expand their environmental education activities and promote their actions on social media. The Young Changemaker states that SustentaVida's work in schools and communities has inspired people in those areas to take action on the issues they identify.