|
 |
Among its other benefits,
|
|
|
DONATE NOW 
|
|
|||
|
|
American, Volunteer, 2005
"I got to Dreams Can Be Foundation around late February of this year. It did not take me long to get used to the place: the colorful office is both happy and inviting. It was my first time being somewhere that I totally felt at home. I immediately felt like I was part of the team. I did not have a set role in the office but instead, I got my hands into everything that I could. I wanted this experience to be one of learning as much as possible. I wanted to experience first hand how a Non-Governmental Organization works. I was delighted to pick up the phones, work on the website, translate documents for the office and observe how programs are run and how Dreams creates partnerships with the community.
I got up every morning wanting to go to Dreams, enjoying every minute of it. I loved the bus ride from Copacabana to Leblon every day, even with the never ending traffic jams in
Spending time at Dreams Can Be was an incredible experience for me. It was the icing on the cake of my experience in Brasil. It was rewarding because I felt like we were really making a difference through the programs that Dreams sponsors. I learned a lot from everyone at the office and today I have a better insight on how I can start my own NGO some day."
|
||
Spanish, Volunteers, 2005
"The experience of two Europeans in a slum of
The first time that we entered a slum, we surprisingly experienced very contradictory sensations. Although we were familiar with the social problems in these neighborhoods, normally, when one arrives to a new place she tends to see the good side of the reality, more so if the sun is shinning and she is surrounded by happy and curious children. In this context, the small self fabricated houses made out of exposed bricks, the streets without cars and the beautiful landscape from the top mountain seemed like symbols of freedom in relation to the rich and stressed neighborhoods, where people live in fear, in the ‘Zona Sul’ (South Zone) of the city. What other impression could we have when observing the sky with many kites flying over our slum and the nearby slums? Life seems so simple when children are playing with kites and soccer without shoes….
We Europeans are used to buying every kind of gadget in the market, which most of the time complicates what it is simple. In that respect, the lives of the inhabitants of the slums impacted us so much. We immediately felt attracted to these happy people, who always had a story to share and who seemed to spend the whole day on the streets. Most of them were very young and the lack of material belongings influenced their strong value on interpersonal relationships. A simplicity that is very surprising for a person who grew up influenced by the rationality and consumerism typical of the more developed countries.
The slums are neighborhoods that, in many aspects, are outside of the global market that sometimes asphyxiates us, and also out of reach from the influence of the government. Streets are not asphalted and, when it rains, they become dangerous streams. There is no outdoor advertising, besides some murals hand painted by the interested party. Water and electricity are illegally smuggled from the public network and nobody is surprised about it. Chickens run free around the streets with their chicks eating whatever they can find. People work to merely survive, and for that reason they consume few non-basic goods, with the exception of the ever-present satellite television.
Furthermore, the police exert no control over the population of slums. Police agents are not welcomed because their presence normally implies problems, and many times they step outside of their limits, asking for money and acting violently. The law in the slums is imposed by the drug factions, which are normally involved in the traffic of marijuana and cocaine. The faction leaders protect the slum, guaranteeing order and protecting the life of its citizens. In fact, the traffickers have power, women and money, and because of that, they are admired by the youth, while they police is seen as the enemy.
In the slum, the alleged villain is the hero, and the supposed hero is the alleged villain.
One of the most rewarding parts of our experience was learning that the citizens of the slums were people just like us. It’s sad to acknowledge, but before we first got to
As time passed by and we played soccer, flu kites or danced capoeira with the children in the project, we started to learn more things about theirs lives. By talking to the people we found out that not everything as beautiful as it seemed, and we started learning about the negative side of life in the slums. We realized the lack of opportunities for the youth and the high level of discrimination that residents suffer when searching for employment, which drives many residents to delinquency in order to escape the situation. We started feeling the tense atmosphere generated by the presence of drug trafficking in the area and we also realized the existence of incidents and words that everyone knows but no body talks about; a harsh and violent environment that is not evident to a foreigner at first sight.
We found out of family dramas, drug problems, personal vendettas, abused women, husbands with gambling addictions, alcoholic children, etc… Although we are aware that all of that happens in European cities, it reaches a bigger dimension in the slums. The residents also explained to us that children in the slums explore with sex very early on and the majority do not use protection because they do not know about it - nor do they know about STDs. Therefore, childhood in the slum is very short, and is not rare to see 15 years old mothers without the money or the experience to take care of the babies.
It is also common to see fathers of the same age that are not concerned about their babies, grandmothers taking care of their grandchildren, and sick small children without the proper care.
In this context, the social project that we participated in, Final Feliz, intends to offer new opportunities for the children. It’s primarily a space where the children learn circus arts, dance and capoeira, but it’s also a place to meet with friends far from the streets and the violence, offering the children something that is very valuable in their situation: Hope. These people became our Brazilian family. We played with them, and laughed and cried with them. We helped them to the extent that we could, but more importantly we are very grateful to them for all the invaluable lessons that we learned by their side."
American, Volunteer, 2005
"Over the summer of 2005, I was lucky enough to volunteer at the Pequeno Tigre Escola de Circo in Rio de Janeiro through DreamsBrasil Foundation.
For about 10 years, I have been performing comedy, magic, and juggling shows for children in the US . I brought some of that talent to the circus school and gave classes to the kids in balloon animals, devil sticks, and magic.
Coming into the circus I was unsure about how I would be accepted as a foreigner, but the kids and the staff were so welcoming and truly included me into their community. Not only was I allowed to teach classes to the kids, I was actively involved in the debates and meetings on how to improve the program.
I may have offered classes at the school, but the gift that the kids and staff at the circus have given to me is much greater in comparison. I was completely blown away by the kids´ living situations - many of them are constantly surrounded by drugs, crime, and violence beyond anything that I had seen. But the kids and instructors participating in the program give hope to improving this situation. Their maturity and involvement in the program transforms the circus school into a center for social change, a beginning of a better future for their community.
These kids have inspired me to always strive for social improvement and they have given me the hope to see that dream through."
Japanese-American, Photojournalist who spent 5 weeks documenting the life of 8-year old Rafaela from our Pensando Junto Child Sponsorship Program, 2005
“A Girl From
When I heard about the hardships and living conditions of the children of the favelas (shantytowns) in
Rafaela is eight years old and living in Rocinha, the biggest favela, not only in
Rocinha is at the base of a mountain, on the outskirts of the city. It is typical for favelas to be built on steep slopes or other land that is quite unsuitable for construction. The higher up I climbed, the greater the poverty I found. Rafaela’s concrete house is half way up the slope. To get there, I had to climb the steep steps through the narrow alleys. These alleys serve as Rocinha’s sewage system and the choking stench is part of Rafaela’s life. The entrance to Rafaela’s home is downhill from the alleys and in heavy rains it is flooded with the sewage and trash of the thousands of neighbors above her. Rafaela lives with her parents and five of her brothers. Like thousands of other children in cities of
The roof top is Rafaela’s favorite escape. It serves as a place for drying clothes for Rafaela’s mother, as well as a playground for the kids. The roof-top is a relatively safe oasis from the violence that erupts from time to time in the favela. Up on the roof, Rafaela is free to be a kid. She loves to play there with her two little brothers. They can be seen singing and dancing together, pretending to play instruments made from discarded junk. The children chase each other around and let their imaginations run wild. Their laughter seems endless. The view from Rafaela’s roof is quite breathtaking. Like a giant beehive, the thousands of concrete homes of Rocinha sprawl down across and up an adjacent slope. A high peak looms above this colony of over 150,000 inhabitants. On Rafaela’s roof, it is easy to forget the lack of basic services, education and the pervasive influence of drug trafficking impacting their lives. It is far more pleasant on the roof, where one can get lost taking in the natural beauty of the scenery that
Scenes like this are repeated in numerous favelas throughout the city and throughout the country. Although they are located adjacent to wealthy areas, the inhabitants of favelas are ignored and discriminated against by the rest of society. Well-qualified job applicants from Rocinha are regularly turned down because of the bad reputation of being a favela resident. Part of the dilemma of the favela is that it is a center for major drug-trafficking and, to a degree, it is this industry that sustains the favela. Where the Brazilian government fails to provide basic services and education in the favelas, the drug traffickers provide more for the needs of the community. This may involve sponsoring an all-out salsa party with famous artists in the street on a Saturday night. It may also include policing and settling of disputes in brutal and ruthless ways. There is always the danger of being caught in a sudden shoot-out. Violent executions have been reported in some favelas. Not only is the Brazilian government to be faulted for failing to provide for the residents, it is commonly believed that there are corrupt elements throughout the government who have formal dealings with drug traffickers who run the favelas.
Carving a good life for one’s self and one’s family on the slope of Rocinha takes perseverance, a positive attitude, as well as physical stamina. To wash dishes and clean the whole family’s laundry, Rafaela’s mom, Andrea, has to carry it all down to a community well at the base of the slope. There Andrea does the dishes and all the laundry by hand then she lugs it back up the hill. In addition she works a twelve-hour shift every other day, cleaning bathrooms at a shopping mall across the street from Rocinha. Andrea is fortunate to have a job. Her husband is around, but provides little for the family. He picks up a bit of cash by selling junk. Meanwhile, Andrea attempts to hold the family together, working, cooking, cleaning and keeping a reliable home. As much as possible, Andrea will spend quality time with each of her children. When holding each of the younger ones on her lap, Andrea talks, laughs and gives them kisses, while checking their hair for lice. But, Andrea told me that she is so tired from all the work she has to do that she goes to bed exhausted and wakes up the same as though she’s had no sleep. She is exactly the same age as I, but looks so much older. The hard life she’s been living is indelibly etched on her face. She hopes that soon Rafaela can begin to help her with the housework and chores she is so burdened with. At the same time, she hopes that she and Rafaela will remain as great friends as they are now.
Rafaela is a very expressive girl. She is full of energy; one minute playing with her brothers, the next she is mumbling and writing something down. She has an imaginative mind and is sometimes lost in her own world. Her face is smiling one moment, studious and serious, the next. She sometimes shows a pensive face. It might be telling of the hard life she’s had and of the dim prospects for anything better. The first time I saw Rafaela’s girl side was when she became upset after a fight with her brothers. She went into the back room, crying and pulled out her treasure box. Inside was a doll with long blond hair. Rafaela began to dress the doll and brush her hair then brought her out to play. It seemed to bring her comfort. A few days later, Andrea gave Rafaela fake hair extensions. Rafaela loved it! She played with her new long hair and kept swinging it around. The long hair transformed the tomboy into a delicate girl, which suited her beautiful face and personality. Watching her, one can’t help but wonder what the dreams are of this one little girl, living in such a hard life.
The problems of the favela and poverty throughout
