Favela tour in Santa Marta

[Note: As soon as we got on the bus from Niterói to Rio we realized we had forgotten our camera. Please know that all of the photos included here were taken by Peter Mountain and were previously posted on a similar account of a favela tour of Santa Marta over on the very enjoyable Sem Destino blog.  Do go check them out.]

My first experience with a walking tour of a favela community was with Zezinho in Rocinha.  Nobody does it better. But now with Luiz in the tour guide biz, his class was taking a tour of Santa Marta, a favelinha climbing the hills behind Botofogo, in Rio. I tagged along to see how they do it.

Santa Marta was the first favela community to be so-called “pacified” by the police chasing out the criminal syndicates that often control favelas. Now the Rio police occupy the “top of the hill” office space.  Residents report being grateful for the calmer quality of life these days.

This community is nearly vertical.  It is amazing how houses have been built on such a dramatic slope. But there are thousands of houses.  I was nervous about having to climb hundreds of stairs to take the walking tour, but to my relief they have an electric tram (free) that takes residents up the hillside.

We started out by taking the tram to the top and then walking a bit further up to get spectacular views of Rio. The tour guide focused on the pacification process, pointing out bullet holes in cement walls. She kept it light, but also seemed to want to dazzle us with the danger of past years.

There is an unlikely football court on the top of the community.

We stopped by the tour guide’s home, where she introduced us to her (very cute) husband and darling little daughter. The house, while small, was quite comfortable.

From there we slipped further down the hillside and went to the now-famous little plaza where Michael Jackson filmed the “They Don't Care About Us” music video (much of which was also clearly filmed in Pelorinho, Salvador). It has since become a fountain of money for local entrepreneurs. There is a little bar, a cocktail vendor and a hot dog stand.  While we were there a group of men showed up with instruments and started some terrific pagode.

Finally, long after the sun went down, we wormed our way through the maze of walking paths and stairways to a tram stop and rode it back down to sea level.

While I did not find the tour as informative or inspiring as that which Zezinho provides in Rocinha, it was nice to see the flow of cash from tourists (in this case tourism students) into the community.

Check out this video made by the folks at Sem Destino.

Favela Santa Marta - Rio de Janeiro (English subtitles) from Pedro Serra on Vimeo.

Zezinho featured in Forbes

Hey Zezinho - who's your promotions manager?  Good work landing the article in Forbes online. Nice!

That ought to drive some clients your way. Congratulations.

Favela Tourism Provides Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Rio
Posted by Felicity Clarke

Rio de Janeiro has long been the “face” of Brazil and is the most visited city in South America. Tourism represents a significant area of the city’s economy, and one which is only set to grow with the forthcoming World Cup 2014 and 2016 Olympics. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in visitors to the city, adding a favela tour to the traditional must-sees such as Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.

While the vast majority of the tours are operated by companies outside the communities, the growth in favela tourism is an area of entrepreneurial opportunity for favela residents.

One of the most visited favelas in the city is Rocinha. Located close to tourist hot spots Ipanema and Leblon, it is the largest favela in the city with an estimated 250,000 residents living in the vertiginous, tight wall of brick and concrete housing that covers the entire hillside.

Zezinho da Silva, 48, is a Rocinha resident whose enthusiasm and pride in the “city within a city” is evident on sight, from his 100% Favela T-shirt to his extensive favela tattoos.

Born in Rocinha to a father from the northeast of Brazil and American mother, Zezinho grew up in the favela before living in the U.S. on and off until 2008, when he decided to return to Rocinha for good. He says: “I wanted to live somewhere with a sense of community, which is something I didn’t feel in the U.S.”

Read the entire article here.

Favela Puzzle sales support art program in Rocinha

Back in May our friend Zezinho hosted a visiting PhD researcher from the States.  While Ryan stayed with Zezinho and went about his research he and Zezinho brainstormed through a number of ideas for how to raise money to support Tio Lino’s art program for the children of Rocinha. 

Eventually they settled on a fantastically creative idea: Puzzles!

Everybody loves putting together a puzzle (well, maybe not everybody, but lots).  And the visual landscape of favela houses makes for the tough, repetitive image that makes a great puzzle.  At 336 pieces each they are challenging enough for adults, but still achievable for kids.

The best part, of course, is that 20% from each purchase goes to Tio Lino’s art program.

There is one little snag, however.  The puzzles seem to only be available in the United States.  If you live here in Brazil, buy one and have it shipped to your mother back home.  She can then ship it to you.

Zezinho has a way of making friends for life when they meet him and walk around his community.  His pride in Rocinha is contagious and brings out the best in others.  

Congratulations Ryan.  Another great partnership Zezinho.  Good luck!

Check out the Favela Puzzles here.  Go buy a puzzle.

Rocinha Art & School Supplies Project – wrap up report

Tio Lino and Zezinho

Thanks to 21 donors from three continents we were able to raise an impressive R$800 to buy art and school supplies for some of the children living in Rocinha and for Tio Lino’s after school drop-in arts program.

You will recall that Luiz and I partnered with Zezinho and Tio Lino to develop a simple, yet direct-assistance idea to provide needed supplies to both children and Tio.  Then we asked our blog readers and friends to consider making a donation.  Several other expat bloggers cross posted our request on their blogs and included a link to PayPal where supporters could make a donation.  Many shared the idea with their Facebook communities.

Looking for the right picture to color.

Here’s how it all turned out: 

For the children we were able to buy 40 simple string backpacks - good ones with a zippered outer pocket – in several colors.  Then we equipped each backpack with a spiral notebook, three pencils, a pen, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, three balloons, and a six-color box of finger paints.  These school supplies cost R$550.  (Things are not cheap in Brazil, even when buying from a discount store!)

The cramped room is lit with a single bulb.

For Tio’s art program we bought as many of the supplies he requested that we could: three dozen paint brushes in three different sizes, 5 bottles of liquid paper glue, 24 glue sticks, an exact-o craft knife, a sturdy cello tape dispenser, five rolls of cello tape, 2 boxes of 48 colored pencils, 2 adult pair of scissors, five children’s scissors and a large format calculator.  These art supplies cost R$250.  Plus Tio was given all of the random extra items of school supplies after we separated out 40 each for the backpacks (buying in bulk sometimes meant having to buy 48 of something or 50 of something).

Yesturday, during the warm early evening, we carried 4 large bags of supplies and backpacks through the narrow streets/footpaths of Rocinha from Zezinho’s house to Tio’s temporary art studio (his other place is being repaired/rebuilt).

When we arrived we were met by about 10 children who were coloring pictures and generally hanging out with Tio and a few adult women volunteers.  The cramped space was cluttered with both small tables and chairs, and the tiny artists that occupied them.

Some of the art supplies.

The air was warm and damp in the one-room studio lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.  Next time we make a donation I think I’m going to include a fan!  (But no one but me seemed to notice.)

Tio is a big Obama supporter.

We presented Tio with his art supplies while the children, wide eyed, circled around.  “These are for all of us to use,” Tio told them.

The boys staking our their area.

Then Tio and Zezinho started pulling backpacks out of the bags and handing them to the unsuspecting kids.  It took a little convincing for some to understand that they were a gift and they could take them home. 

This little girl just kept holding her backpack.

It was a surprise to me that few of the children were familiar with finger paints. We had to explain the concept and remind them not to paint on the walls at home.

Unpacking and checking out the goods.

To his credit Tio Lino pulled two boys aside and broke the news that they were not going to get backpacks because he understood they had stopped going to school.  He sent them out of the studio with the encouragement to return to their studies.  It was always Tio Lino’s intention to reward the children he knows are staying out of trouble and are focused on their schooling.

So on this first night Tio was able to distribute about 8 backpacks.  The rest were stored safely away.  He’s sure the word will get out and there will be a bumper crop of kids coming to the studio tomorrow to see if they are lucky enough to get a new backpack full of school supplies.

Getting a little help understanding how to put it on.

Everybody say "Thank you!"

While we were apologetic that we were able to supply backpacks for just 40 children, Tio grinned, hugged us and assured us that the blessings of all things good would come to everyone who helped and that he was immensely grateful and a bit overwhelmed.

Happy crowd, and a sweaty Jim!

After taking a few more photos we were ready to vacate the space so the children could go back to their activities.  Before leaving we were approached by several little ones who offered us an appreciation gift.  We were each given a beautiful wall plaque made by a student in the signature Tio Lino style of recycled material creating an urban landscape.  It was a touching moment.

It reads: "Office of Tio Lino, Rocinha the world of art! Made by Viviene"

So there you have it.  When we all work together we can make an impact, if only on a modest scale.  Modest perhaps, but the impact is quite real to each child and to Tio Lino’s efforts.  Thanks again, everyone, for participating.  I’m sure we will do this type of thing again sometime.

The kindness of strangers in Rocinha

Yesterday I was visiting my friend Zezinho in Rocinha.  We are putting the final touches on our Art & School supplies project for many child residents and especially for Tio Lino and his after school art studio/school.

It was a blisteringly hot day and I was drenched to the skin by the time I had lugged the bags of school supplies up to Zezinho’s new (very nice!) apartment.  We spent about an hour sorting through the supplies and then collating them into sets placed within the new string backpacks Zezinho found for an incredible R$7 each.

Each colorful, new backpack contains a spiral notebook, three pencils, a pen, a pencil sharpener, and eraser, several balloons and a set of finger paints (just for fun!)  We were able to supply items to fill 40 backpacks.

Anyway, I will come back to all this in a later post when we actually deliver the stuffed backpacks, as well as the art supplies, to Tio.  Say tuned, it should be in the first week of January.

The reason for this post is to relate an act of kindness I witnessed while folded into a van making my way down the hill to my bus back to Niterói in Gávea.

While waiting in traffic to get around a tight turn (Rocinha has just one winding main road and it is heavily used by vans, trucks, busses and a gazillion motorcycles) the driver of our van noticed that a man making his way up a wide pathway, carrying a small cabinet on his shoulders, had dropped something.  The driver called out to the resident.

The guy did not hear at first so the van driver beeped his horn and continued to yell: “Hey, guy, you dropped your wallet, or your cell phone, or something!”  When the guy did hear he did not understand what was being said so he turned and walked back down to get within earshot, passing his dropped item on the ground.

At this point several of the people in the van were trying to help him understand what had happened.  In the mean time a boy of about 8 years saw the wallet and picked it up.  He walked it over to the man still carrying the cabinet.  Situation resolved.

For the next couple of blocks everyone in the van broke into tales of when they had had their dropped wallets returned to them complete with documents and cash intact, and how great it is that people would know how important a moment like that can be.

The feeling of community right then, in that little corner of the Rocinha favela, was palpable.

Art and school supplies for Rocinha kids – update

OK, so we have a little over R$800, which is fantastic. We’re ready to kick this project in gear and get it done.  Our goal is to buy 40 string backpacks (or so) and stock them with school supplies, and then to also buy loads of art supplies for Tio Lino's after school arts studio.  That's the plan.

But then the Special Police began their favela invasion operation (which is a good thing, on balance). For now they are in a community very distant from Rocinha, but word on the street and in the news is that Rocinha is next on their list.

I’m in contact with Zezinho. He has some personal business that must be his priority for the next week or two. And he agrees that if the BOPE forces start to move into Rocinha we must wait for all of that to calm down before we do anything.

But there is still a good chance this will happen before Xmas.

Stay tuned.

And if you are one of several folks I have heard from who waited too long, until I took down the sidebar link to PayPal, fear not – the PayPal account is still active (just not being publicized). You can go back to my original appeal post, use the link there, and go make your donation. I’ll let you know when we get it.

Thanks again everybody.

Last call for donations for the Rocinha art and school supplies project

At the end of the day I am pulling down the PayPal link for our Art & School supplies project for Tio Lino and his young charges.

If you have been putting off making your donation - now is the time to act. 

We have raised more than R$750 to date (including R$80 Zezinho has for the kitty).

Every little bit helps!

Remember - it's over tonight.  Click on the link in the right column.

And thanks to everyone who has helped make the campaign a success.

Supporting the children of Rocinha - update

Last call for donations to support the after school homework and art activities of Tio Lino in the Rocinha favela in Rio.

On November 19th I’m going to take down the donation link and move on to the buying and delivery stage of the effort. You can read the original post about this effort here.

THANK YOU to everyone who has helped spread the word and who have donated. Five bloggers have posted our donation link and or made a post personally endorsing the campaign. We have been trying to harness the power of the blogosphere to alert as many people as possible to this opportunity to support the kids of Rocinha.

As of this post we have raised R$374.00 to help us buy art supplies. (Plus I heard from Zezinho that he has raised R$80.)

Truth be told I am a bit underwhelmed. Not that every cent isn’t a beautiful gift that will help immensely. But let me disclose to you that with the exception of the R$50 given by fellow blogger Peggy while we enjoyed lunch on the beach in Itaipú, we have received just 6 donations and each one came from a long time personal friend of mine.

According to Blogger stats, to date the post has been viewed 127 times. Referrals have come from all over – every blogger who posted the link has contributed to the campaign's visibility. (Again – thank you!) But it did not translate into contributions.

Let’s not forget how good it is to get the word out about the needs of the Rocinha community. That in itself is a big positive. We have all contributed to that positive effort.

But I am curious – why so few contributors? Why no online contributions beyond my personal friends? Is it a lack of trust? Enthusiasm? Endorsement? Encouragement?

As a 20+ year fundraising professional I have my theories, but I also have my questions. Asking for financial support for worthy causes via blogs may be a whole new universe with its own dynamics. I would be interested in any feedback people have about our results.

In the mean time – we have 10 more days to encourage our friends, family and readers to consider making a contribution. It takes less than 5 minutes via the PayPal link. If you are so moved – make another shout out from your email list, Facebook, Orkut, blog, whatever.  And make a contribution yourself.

Also – if PayPal puts you off, go shopping for art supplies and mail them to me. Or if you prefer the Brazilian approach of making a bank-to-bank transfer, let me know. We can work that out as well. Whatever you decide – let’s do it!

At the end of November 19th I will remove the PayPal link and cash out the account. (I will replenish the small fees taken by PayPal so all contributions are 100% spent on supplies.) Then Luiz and I will go shopping for the children who frequent Tio Lino’s drop-in art center.  We'll keep you posted.

Feel the love. Remind your friends and family. Encourage a donation.

On behalf of Tio Lino and the children he supports and encourages, thanks again for however you may contribute to our success.

Gay Pride parade in Rocinha

 Wow.  But why am I surprised? 

On Sunday, October 24^th, we attended the first-ever Gay Pride Parade in the Rocinha favela in Rio.  What a hoot!  We arrived early, met up with our friend Zezinho, enjoyed a few beers/sodas, and then made our way to the PERFECT location to watch it all.

Zezinho (with a mural of Rocinha tatooed on his legs) with two friends.

Hats off to Zezinho for scoping out the PERFECT SPOT!

OK, so the official time mentioned for when the parade was to begin was 2:00 p.m. – but remember, we are in Brazil, after all.  Things really got going around 3:30 p.m.

No matter.  We had our spot.  It included benches.  It was across the street from a barzinho (with a toilet).  We could see everything coming and going.  We definitely felt the crescendo of enthusiasm and excitement throughout the day.

Very happy baby gay guy all dolled up for the event.

It was wonderful.  Queer folk, neighborhood folk, young folk, flamboyant folk – they were all there.  An ear-splitting trio electrico anchored the parade with pop and funk favorites, plus microphone-hogging drag queens.  The crowd bounced up and down endlessly.

So cool.  So fun.

A famous gay radio personality was swamped with folks wanting a picture.

Life is exceptionally hard for the residents of Rocinha, make no mistake about it.  Living conditions for many residents are shocking to most outsiders.  Any opportunity for upward mobility is less than scarce.  But the joy expressed during this parade; the pride in one’s community:  THIS IS THE REASON I love Brazilians so much.

There is a commitment to joyfulness, no matter the circumstance.  You gotta love that!

A switchback in the road really shows off the croud.

Shout out to Zezinho and his two friends, plus my bud Amanda for making the day so amazing.

It’s not over – the Rio Gay Pride Parade is set for Sunday, November 14^th on Copacabana Beach.  Be there or be square!

Also – don’t forget our campaign to raise funds to support Tio Lino’s after-school program and art school.  We are buying art and school supplies for Tio Lino’s efforts directly supporting Rocinha’s kids.  Check it out.

My friend Amanda has written code for a dynamic button that provides links to both the origianl post about the fundraising campaign as well as a link to make a donation.  If you want to help us out, check out the button in the sidebar and post it on your blog.  Thanks!

Supporting the children in Rocinha – a donation request

In a community like Rocinha, a favela in Rio with more than 300,000 poor residents, it is impossible for a couple of folks like Luiz and I to be tremendously helpful. We are just two. The most common advice given to us is: “Get over yourself.” But we are determined to support the kids in Rocinha who are choosing art and education over hopelessness.

I learned long ago that it is not about the individual. We have to team up. In our desire to help out the kids in Rocinha, Luiz and I are teaming with our friend Zezinho and his long time friend and artist/activist Tio Lino. And we are asking you, the reader, to team up with us as well. Several new friends in Brazil have expressed interest in getting involved –I would also like to make a particular appeal to my dear friends and others in the United States. Won’t you join us?

First some background. Favelas are ridiculously dense, poor communities in Brazil, usually found along the perimeter of larger towns and cities. The infrastructure is make-shift, houses are often constructed by the residents themselves, clean water and electricity hook-ups are typically improvised, if present. In most cases these communities exist without municipal support (no sewers, no bus service, little to no police patrols, etc.).

Rocinha is the oldest and largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. With more than 300,000 residents, 6,000 businesses as well as many nonprofit organizations, this community has grown beyond its early days of haphazard housing into an organized, self-governing community thriving on the hillsides between Zona Sul and Barra de Tijuca.

Everyday life is electric in Rocinha, but running on scarce resources. For those of us looking to help support people/families who are disadvantaged and disenfranchised in Rio/Brazil, Rocinha is in many ways ground zero.

After some concerted, advance legwork, Luiz and I have partnered with Zezinho, a resident of Rocinha, and will be focusing our efforts on supporting the drop-in education and art space run by Tio Lino. I’ve posted about some of this in the past, so please follow the links for more background information.

Let me introduce you to Tio Lino (Uncle Lino). Tio is a life-long resident and activist in Rocinha who draws you in within the first few seconds of meeting him. His easy smile and gentle, steady gaze undermine any startling impressions otherwise communicated by his large, imposing frame. He is gentleness personified – and the children who always surround him reflect this fact. While not a father himself, Tio Lino has mastered the language of children – and they can’t get enough of him. It is magical to watch.

Tio is an accomplished contemporary artist. He works in various media: paint, ceramics, cardboard, bottle caps, discarded CDs, whatever is available, most of which has been recycled. At age 64 he has been sharing his love of art and his commitment to children’s lives for more than 30 years. For most of that time he has opened his home in Rocinha, hosting an after school homework club followed by art classes into the night. Painted on the front of his studio is the invitation: “Trade your weapon for a paint brush.”

Tio’s efforts have attracted other adults who volunteer to help supervise and educate the children. (Tio Lino now lives in a nearby apartment bought for him by a foreign tourist whose life was saved by Tio after a surfing accident.) Tio does not earn a salary for his efforts. He survives on his pension.

In any given week hundreds of neighborhood children will visit Tio Lino’s studio, practice their math and reading and work on a painting of their family, their neighborhood, or of surfing at the beach. Tio tries to provide beverages for the kids, and occasionally a snack. Activities mirror the festivals throughout the year.

Tio Lino’s art studio is a licensed Non-Governmental Organization (nonprofit).

Very recently the relentless weather got the better of Tio’s house and part of the roof collapsed, closing one of the art rooms he used for the children’s activities. The building has since been condemned and is now slated to be rebuilt. Today he is renting a tiny, one room storefront a few blocks up the narrow pathway from his earlier location. The children have followed him to his new location as sure as day follows night.

Here’s where we come in. Tio and his colleagues will do the work each night in his studio. They will continue to provide an alternative to drug trafficking, violence and hopelessness for the local children. Tio will continue to inspire and encourage his young charges.

What we can do is make sure they have paper, paint, brushes, pencils, rulers, magic markers, tape, glue, glitter, string, color pipe cleaners, wire, water colors, etc. Better yet, let’s support the children with school supplies like simple backpacks, spiral notebooks, pens and pencils, erasers, pencil cases, pencil sharpeners, etc.

We can do that. It’s not the flashiest act of support, but it is what Tio Lino says he needs most. He specifically requests we not send him money. He would like to receive materials that keep his education and art space functioning. We can do that.

Here’s how you can join our Rocinha Art and School Supplies Project. I’ve opened a Pay Pal account. There is a donation link to that account in the right column of this blog. Donating is simple, fast and takes just a few minutes. Please think about how you would like to help. Go to the link and donate $20, $50, $100 or more.

Luiz and I will gather the funds raised and shop at a discount art and office supplies store (Caçula, for you locals) for the things Tio Lino has requested. Then we will deliver them to him personally. Depending on the volume of responses to this appeal we will also stuff string backpacks with school supplies which Tio will then distribute as Christmas gifts to the children.

You have my word that every cent donated will go to support Tio Lino’s efforts. I will make blog posts that document what we have received and how it has been spent, including pictures.

I’m happy to report that already one fellow blogger has donated R$50. (Thanks Peggy.) Won’t you please consider joining our effort? Here is a chance to stretch a modest contribution halfway around the world. A little will go a long way!

A note to my good friends in the United States: You didn’t really think my previous 20 years of fundraising activity was going to come to a close just because I moved to Brazil? I’m still hitting you up for a contribution in support of the activities I’m involved in. Forgive me, but then, this is a really good cause. I can’t get you a tax deduction on this one, but with the exchange rate (1 US$ = 1.7 R$) you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck!

Please – give it some thought. If you are inclined, please post a link to this request on your Face Book page or otherwise forward an email to your friends. This is an exciting opportunity to help some particularly needy children – and to keep them out of trouble.

Now go click on the donate button in the right column.

For Tio Lino, Zezinho, Luiz and I – and all of the children who rely on Tio every week – THANK YOU VERY MUCH.