Aretha Duarte Brings Climbing to Communities and Kilimanjaro
The mountaineer turns her post-Everest journey into a social legacy with a free climbing boulder in Campinas and a group expedition in Africa.
After making history on Everest, Aretha Duarte focused her efforts on democratizing mountaineering in Brazil. Speaking with XTREMMA Sports, she detailed her public school outreach, the creation of a free climbing wall in Campinas, and an expedition of Black mountaineers to Kilimanjaro.
Reaching the top of the world was never the ultimate goal for Aretha Duarte, but rather a way to drive collective transformation. As the first Black Latin American woman to summit Mount Everest, the mountaineer explained in an interview with Shubi on XTREMMA Sports that the true purpose of her journey has always been democratizing the sport and creating social impact in underserved communities.
Public education and a free climbing wall in Campinas
Right after taking her first steps into social projects, Aretha's priority was engaging directly with young people. To achieve this, she created a volunteer lecture series across municipal and state public schools, averaging around 12 talks a year alongside her corporate speaking schedule.
The second major milestone of the project was building a public climbing wall at Capivari Linear Park in Lagoa do Mingone, located in the southwest region of Campinas. The bouldering structure features over 10 routes and is open seven days a week with 100% free access, serving residents across approximately 20 surrounding neighborhoods.
Expedition of Black athletes to Kilimanjaro
Troubled by the lack of representation in high-altitude mountaineering, Aretha decided to lead a group of Black Brazilians to the summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. To cover the expedition costs, her own company funded 50% of the budget, while lubricant company Moove sponsored the remaining 50%.
The team was selected based on physical fitness and regional representation, bringing together Ágata (from a social project in Rio de Janeiro), Danilo (São Paulo), Eder (Bahia), and Jorge (São Paulo), alongside filmmaker Gabriel Tarso for audiovisual documentation. For Aretha, the African mountain fostered a deep ancestral and cultural reconnection with Brazilian identity, while proving that the scarcity of Black climbers in high-altitude mountaineering stems from economic barriers rather than a lack of interest.
Risk management, safety, and collective purpose
When asked about the ego often seen among high-altitude climbers, Aretha emphasized that her motivation differs from the impulse to reach the summit at all costs. Aware of the statistical risks on Everest, the mountaineer gathered her family before the expedition to align expectations, reiterating that her priority was always returning safely to carry out her social projects.
This responsible mindset had previously led her to turn back on other expeditions when conditions were unfavorable, such as on Ecuador's Cotopaxi volcano. On Everest, backed by strict safety protocols and grounded in the faith passed down from her grandmother, she felt physically and climatically ready to push forward, turning an individual achievement into a path to open doors for future generations.