As a volunteer for Núcleo de Apoio à População Ribeirinha da Amazônia (NAPRA), Helena works to empower the riverside Amazonian communities of Rondônia to conserve and sustainably use the rainforest. Helena is an expert in financial tools for conservation, sustainability standards for agriculture, and water resource management. She is skilled in social and environmental evaluation, facilitation and project management. During her fellowship in the United States, Helena hopes to learn strategies to empower communities to handle environmental issues, tools for personal and organizational leadership, and how communities in the United States relate to the environment. She also hopes to develop her leadership, project management, and conflict resolution skills. Upon returning to Brazil, Helena plans to help NAPRA develop more effective initiatives with wider impact that support the independence of the community members of Rondônia.