Favelas

This week we conducted the project’s pilot interviews in the favelas (shantytowns). Due to the high incidence if crime in these areas, the only things we could bring with us were pens and interview sheets. Until now, we thought we lived in a so-so neighborhood but now we know our current home is in a rather upscale area. The favelas are full of contrasts. Some of the houses look normal, while others do not have so much as a floor. Some households have TVs, DVD players, even computers but they don’t spend the few extra Reals on sodium hypochlorite to sanitize their drinking water. Joana and Robson (pronounced Hob-son) interviewed a young mother who was Galina’s age exactly (born 2/86) and had three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5. Although starting to have kids at 18 is not necessarily early by favela standards, it is still mind-blowing to see how different these women’s lives are from our own.

Joana and Manuela are clearly serious about their work
Obviously, Galina and Robson also take the project seriously

CEDEFAM, a satellite of UFC medical system in our favela, does some pre-natal and preventative care. One remarkable thing about it is the jardim medicinal (medicinal garden). Yes, they grow some of their own meds. medicinal garden at a university satellite location

Ironically, even without proper sanitation, the residents in Fortaleza’s favelas may actually get better preventative care than some of the communities in the US. The whole city is divided into areas, all of which have nursing posts where the residents can get immunizations and some health care for free. There are other community-based prevention programs, such as exercise classes for the elderly, which our grandma cannot stop raving about. And of course, there are social events, like dancing for the elderly (mental health?). So while the favelas have many problems, the kids’ immunizations are up-to-date. Meanwhile C’ville still has annual Pertussis outbreaks. Must be the price we pay for being the individualist-driven society… Why can’t we just put a little money (and enforcement) into preventative, community-based health care? Our system of health-department-employees-going-door-to-door-in-poor- neighborhoods-for-free-on-their-own-time is getting old.

On a side note, the favela kids get really excited about seeing foreign, white people in their neighborhood. Yay us!