Aretha Duarte: From the Periphery to Mount Everest
The first Black Latin American woman to summit Everest shares her journey, resilience, and social impact projects.
Aretha Duarte reflects on her journey from the outskirts of Campinas to the summit of Mount Everest and the founding of social impact initiatives. Discover the story of resilience, faith, and grassroots outdoor access guiding the Brazilian mountaineer.
As the first Black Latin American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, Aretha Duarte transformed high-altitude mountaineering into a powerful tool for social and environmental change. In a conversation on XTREMMA Sports with Shubi Guimarães, the mountaineer and physical educator shared the milestones of her life, from playing in the streets on the outskirts of Campinas to leading inclusive expeditions and building social impact projects.
Childhood on the periphery and first steps in sports
Raised in Jardim Capivari, in Campinas, Aretha Duarte grew up in an environment lacking basic infrastructure, but filled with freedom and movement. Alongside her siblings, she spent her days on dirt roads playing marbles, flying kites, and joining amateur soccer matches. This active upbringing sparked her interest in the transformative power of physical activity, inspiring her to pursue a degree in Physical Education with the initial goal of teaching in public schools.
Discovering mountaineering and getting started at Grade 6
Her first contact with mountaineering came during her sophomore year of college at a lecture hosted by the Grade 6 expedition agency. Fascinated by images of nature, Aretha decided to enter the sport. Facing a lack of opportunities in her neighborhood, she sought a job at the agency itself to make mountaineering accessible. After years of persistence, rock climbing courses, and work facilitating corporate training, she was hired in 2011, joining expeditions and building extensive high-altitude experience.
High-altitude background and the decision to climb Everest
Before setting her sights on the highest point on Earth, Aretha accumulated nearly a decade of technical experience across mountains in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, including four summits of Aconcagua. The decision to take on Everest came in March 2020: aware of the high costs and altitude risks, she recognized that the visibility of such an expedition could provide the leverage needed to fund the social projects she had always dreamed of creating.
The 'From Scrap to Everest' project and fundraising
To cover the roughly 400,000 Brazilian reais required for the expedition, Aretha revived the practice of collecting recyclable scrap materials, mobilizing family, friends, and volunteers under the project "From Scrap to Everest" (Da Sucata ao Everest). The campaign gained momentum through sales of sustainable goods, bazaars, auctions of donated gear, and crowdfunding. With subsequent backing from seven corporate sponsors, she hit the financial target in just over twelve months, securing her spot for the spring 2021 climbing season.
Summiting Everest and emotions at the top of the world
The final summit push began at 11:30 p.m. from Camp 4 amid intense cold and total darkness. Aretha reached the 8,848-meter summit around 10:30 a.m. accompanied by Sherpa Pasang, greeted by a completely clear horizon above the clouds. Overcome with emotion, she spent about fifteen minutes at the top praying, reflecting on her support network, and recording videos, celebrating both the physical and symbolic magnitude of the achievement.
Post-Everest impact, health challenges, and the role of faith
The Himalayan expedition demanded extreme resilience: during acclimatization, Aretha suffered high-altitude pulmonary edema that dropped her oxygen saturation to 70%, as well as severe corneal sunburn that left her blindfolded for two days. Sustained by her faith and strict adherence to medical protocols, she recovered and completed the climb. Returning to Brazil amid a media whirlwind, she kept her primary focus clear: channeling that visibility into structural social initiatives in underserved communities.
Social projects in underserved communities and the Kilimanjaro expedition
Among her post-Everest initiatives, Aretha arranged lectures at public schools and spearheaded the installation of a free, public climbing wall at Capivari Linear Park (Lagoa do Mingone) in Campinas. In another milestone for representation, she organized and led an expedition bringing Black Brazilian mountaineers to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, fostering inclusive access to high-altitude climbing and reconnecting with ancestral roots.
Corporate speaking and upcoming mountaineering goals
Today, Aretha works as a keynote speaker, having reached over 100,000 people with talks centered on resilience, planning, and determination. In mountaineering, she aims to complete the Andean Seven Summits—having already climbed Aconcagua, Sajama, and Chimborazo—while also planning an ascent of Denali in North America and occasionally guiding international expeditions.
Partnership with Outward Bound Brazil and outdoor education
As an ambassador for the Azimute program at Outward Bound Brazil (OBB), Aretha helps facilitate outreach and fundraising to provide outdoor educational experiences for vulnerable youth. The educator emphasizes the transformative power of wilderness expeditions in cultivating autonomy, self-confidence, and community leadership, highlighting the credibility and depth of the organization's methodology.
The role of mountains in everyday life and democratizing the sport
Mountaineering remains the anchor of Aretha's emotional and mental balance. The athlete advocates for the sustainable and mindful use of Brazil's national parks and conservation units, combining environmental protection with public education. Her overarching goal continues to be expanding grassroots mountaineering, actively pursuing plans to build public climbing walls in underserved neighborhoods across Brazil.