170
1984
0
US$ 2.62 million (FY2025)
Non-profit
Brazil
Solar Meninos de Luz was born on Christmas Eve 1983, after a landslide devastated the Pavão-Pavãozinho community in Rio de Janeiro. Educator Yolanda Maltaroli went up the hill to help the families who had lost everything, starting with the children. Registered in 1984, the organization is still led by its co-founders; Isabella Maltaroli is its president.
Today it offers holistic education — from early childhood through school age — to children and adolescents from the Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo communities, combining education with preventive and assistance work that reaches their families. It is funded by philanthropic donations, institutional partnerships and companies, with a salaried team supported by volunteers.
Two points deserve credit. It commissioned an independent impact evaluation from IDIS using the Social Return on Investment method,...
Solar Meninos de Luz was born on Christmas Eve 1983, after a landslide devastated the Pavão-Pavãozinho community in Rio de Janeiro. Educator Yolanda Maltaroli went up the hill to help the families who had lost everything, starting with the children. Registered in 1984, the organization is still led by its co-founders; Isabella Maltaroli is its president.
Today it offers holistic education — from early childhood through school age — to children and adolescents from the Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo communities, combining education with preventive and assistance work that reaches their families. It is funded by philanthropic donations, institutional partnerships and companies, with a salaried team supported by volunteers.
Two points deserve credit. It commissioned an independent impact evaluation from IDIS using the Social Return on Investment method, which puts a value on long-term outcomes rather than activities. And more than 40 years on, it remains rooted in the same two communities, which is where trust in such work is earned.
It is No. 51 in thedotgood’s Brazil Top 100 Social Good Organizations.
To transform the lives of children and adolescents in the Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo communities through preventative and assistance-based actions, using holistic and humanistic education that fosters good people and promotes peace and harmony in families and society.
To transform the lives of children and adolescents in the Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo communities through preventative and assistance-based actions, using holistic and humanistic education that fosters good people and promotes peace and harmony in families and society.
Audisa Auditores Associados (FY2025, unqualified opinion)
Figures are shown in US$ or EUR. When an organization reports in another currency, DOT converts it using European Central Bank reference rates: the fiscal-year average for income and surplus or deficit, and the fiscal year-end rate (usually Dec. 31) for net assets.
From tragedy to a comprehensive education project
Solar Meninos de Luz was born from a moment of deep tragedy on Christmas Eve 1983 in the Pavão-Pavãozinho community, Rio de Janeiro. Faced with the devastation caused by a landslide and the suffering of families who had lost everything, educator Yolanda Maltarolli decided to act. She went up to the community to offer immediate support and care, especially for children, while families struggled to rebuild their homes and lives.
What began as an emergency response soon revealed a deeper and more structural need: a safe space where children could be protected, cared for, and educated. This led to the founding of the Solar Meninos de Luz Daycare Center on August 18, 1991. As the community faced growing social challenges and urban violence, Solar expanded its mission, understanding that long-term transformation would only...
From tragedy to a comprehensive education project
Solar Meninos de Luz was born from a moment of deep tragedy on Christmas Eve 1983 in the Pavão-Pavãozinho community, Rio de Janeiro. Faced with the devastation caused by a landslide and the suffering of families who had lost everything, educator Yolanda Maltarolli decided to act. She went up to the community to offer immediate support and care, especially for children, while families struggled to rebuild their homes and lives.
What began as an emergency response soon revealed a deeper and more structural need: a safe space where children could be protected, cared for, and educated. This led to the founding of the Solar Meninos de Luz Daycare Center on August 18, 1991. As the community faced growing social challenges and urban violence, Solar expanded its mission, understanding that long-term transformation would only be possible through comprehensive, high-quality education.
Over the years, Solar evolved into a holistic education and human development project. Today, it offers formal education alongside sports and cultural activities, daily meals, health, psychosocial and dental care, an art gallery, and social programs that support families and strengthen the community. With more than four decades of continuous operation, Solar Meninos de Luz has supported hundreds of children and young people in building dignified, autonomous, and hopeful life paths, grounded in local realities and universal values.