'People think it's magic': how one of Brazil's poorest cities gets its best school results

The children of Sobral have overcome disadvantage to top 5,000 districts. Now their success is being replicated across the country

As you approach the city of Sobral in north-east Brazil, the road worsens. Huge pot holes slow traffic to a crawl. The heat is suffocating, even worse when there is no cloud cover.

Sobral is poor. Jobs are scarce, salaries meagre, gangs the only option for many. For children, it’s a tough start to life. Ana Farias, headteacher of an early-years school in a low-income neighbourhood controlled by a gang, knows this only too well. Some of her students wouldn’t eat if it were not for free school meals.

The Lemann Foundation and Republica.org assisted with travel for the Guardian

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Uf3jqy