by Xinhua Writer Lu Junyu
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- An "offline AI box" for classrooms without internet access and a smart platform optimizing waste-cooking-oil collection routes to tackle river pollution were among practical solutions presented by young innovators at the Brazilian finals of the 2026 China-Latin America Challenge to Alleviate Poverty.
Launched in 2024 by Tsinghua University alongside leading Latin American institutions, this year's competition brought together 666 participants across 88 universities and organizations from China, Brazil, Chile and Peru. Of 119 cross-border teams, 12 gathered in Brazil and Chile, bringing fresh perspectives to local poverty reduction.
Joining the initiative reshaped the perspective of Leonardo Vaz, a computer engineering student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). When Tsinghua team leader Zhang Henan got in touch, Vaz saw a hands-on way to tackle educational challenges in underserved regions of his own country.
As part of Team "Lighthouse," they collaborated to engineer an "offline AI box" designed for remote rural schools lacking electricity and internet connectivity. Educators load digitized course materials onto the portable device in connected areas, and students in isolated communities can then access resources and interact via a local hotspot on their mobile phones.
"This week, we did a field visit to an educational program in a favela, interviewed a math teacher to present our project, and tried to gather information and ideas to improve," Vaz recalled.
Navigating an 11-hour time difference between Brazil and China was no easy feat. "Our calls had to be scheduled at dawn in Brazil or late at night in China, but we overcame it. Collaborating with my Chinese teammates to tackle real-world challenges has been an absolute honor," he said.
Deploying technology across borders demands not just technical capability, but deep empathy and local knowledge.
"Poverty is complex, and solutions can not simply be copy-pasted from one nation to another," said Chen Taotao, director of Tsinghua University Latin America Center. "The core of China-LatAm cooperation lies in mutual learning. Chinese technology faces realistic localization challenges when adapted to Latin America's unique infrastructure and social landscape. Only through field testing and joint on-the-ground teamwork can these barriers be bridged," Chen said.
Ana Celia Castro, director of the UFRJ Institute for Advanced Studies, emphasized the need to move from concepts to action. "Innovative ideas only gain transformative power when they truly land on the ground," Castro said, highlighting the importance of building long-term mechanisms that engage businesses and civil society.
Addressing real-world issues was central to this year's items, which featured 26 practical prompts submitted by the participating organizations.
To tackle river pollution in Rio's Pavuna-Meriti basin, one team developed an AI-powered app connecting waste pickers with local businesses to collect used cooking oil -- drawing inspiration from China's mature supply chain for converting waste fats into biofuel.
"We realized that existing recycling programs in Brazil rarely reach informal waste pickers or low-income neighborhoods," said Wu Zongqin, a master's student at Tsinghua University. "We wanted our project to tackle deep-seated challenges like fatbergs, rather than just scratch the surface."
As global challenges grow increasingly interconnected, international collaboration among the next generation offers a beacon of hope.
"Young people from China and the Latin American region are learning how to listen to each other, understand different realities, and work together to solve real problems, from education and healthcare to agriculture and sustainable energy. This is what makes this challenge truly special," said Lv Xingcan from Envision Group, a key corporate supporter of the project.
Reflecting on the evolution of the program, Chen sees a promising road ahead.
Looking ahead, Chen envisions a collaborative ecosystem uniting academics, enterprises, and governments. But for students like Vaz and Zhang, the impact is already real -- measured by call by call across an 11-hour time zone. ■
