Read about Vivian Alessandra Ferreira Da Silva

What brought you to a career in technology at the United Nations?

I have decided on a career at the UN to apply my academic knowledge and professional experience towards the advancement of a more sustainable society.

What has been your favorite technology project or initiative at the United Nations and why? What was your contribution?

My favorite project has been Territórios Sociais, which is conducted in partnership between UN-Habitat Brazil and the city hall of Rio de Janeiro. This initiative maps the areas with the lowest social indicators in the city, interviews the residents living there, and directs families in social vulnerability to government social programs in areas such as health, education, poverty eradication, and others.

I consider it a very important project due to its detailed examination of families that are frequently overlooked by conventional approaches. While part of the information team, I helped to monitor the families benefiting from the program and developed a methodology to identify duplicate records in the database using string similarity algorithms. This methodology helps to prevent redundant referrals of families to government services, making the process of providing assistance to families more efficient.

What advice would you give women interested in pursuing a field in technology?

I encourage all women who are interested to pursue careers in the field of technology. Working with technology is challenging but highly rewarding. It requires continuously enhancing your knowledge and staying updated with the latest advancements in the field. However, it is immensely satisfying to transform a blank page into a solution that contributes to building a future based on sustainable development.