Forty million students—or roughly one-fifth of Brazil’s population—are currently enrolled in the nation’s public schools; yet teachers often lack the basic resources needed to deliver quality education. To help bridge this gap, Leonard co-founded A+ Educação in 2015. The social enterprise operates a crowdfunding platform where public school teachers publicize their needs—for microscopes, movie tickets, library resources, and more. Individuals and companies then contribute financially to those projects that inspire them. Once a project has reached its funding goal, A+ Educação delivers the materials to the school. The initiative also provides teacher training through an online and in-person “Teachers of the 21st Century” course and customized workshops. To date, 10,000+ students have benefited from A+ Educação, with 100+ teachers trained. Leonardo is a fellow of Premio Laureate Brasil: Jovem Empreendedor Social, our YouthActionNet program in Brazil. He was selected by the regional institute in Southeastern Brazil, run by Universidade Anhembi Morumbi.

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