Marina Silva was born in a rubber-tapping settlement in Acre, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.
She was one of 11 siblings; three of them died from diseases that are easily treatable today. From a young age, she tapped trees alongside her sisters to extract latex. At 15, she lost her mother. A year later, she traveled to Rio Branco for hepatitis treatment, and there, while recovering, she learned to read and write for the first time in an adult literacy program.
She worked as a domestic worker while studying History. She joined Chico Mendes in defending the Amazon rainforest, and by the age of 36 she was Brazil’s youngest senator. She served as Minister of the Environment for three different terms, promoted satellite monitoring to combat deforestation, and managed to reduce it by 59%.
This year, she left office to run for Congress. You can also start late and arrive exactly when you are needed most.