What Bathrooms Sell Condoms

SEM Teto "poor ... lucky ones! Challenge to

This story has been transcribed in full by both hands and gariele82 shm / stuarthwyman. also pictures and video are produced entirely by us

Gariele82, active as a designer in international cooperation in the Italian NGO APA (Academy Applied Psychology), involved in projects of human development Social and various countries around the world shm / stuarthwyman as interested in simple facts, gathered to make an independent investigation that had as order to disclose the reality of some situation that prevailed only in part in the media.

Introduction

Our first meeting took place about ten days ago, around 10 February 2009 when, coincidentally, we found the beach of Barra in Salvador da Bahia. From the first moment, helped by 'interest in news that are too often silenced by governments or by the official media in general, we found ourselves in line and we decided to take a job that would allow to show the living conditions of some soteropolitana particularly disadvantaged population: the homeless.

In At first we thought to make a report within a favela "conventional" that, in the collective imagination, it is usually known as a shanty town built makeshift materials such as wood, plastic, cardboard, and asbestos. The difficulties inherent in finding, for example, someone who would introduce us into one of these and the shortage of time available to complete the report with the availability of persons responsible for this effect, we have moved to one of the many other cultures sellers in Brazil impede the consolidation of a fair social order.

As a first step we decided to call a manager of a local NGO: Delbar Souza dos Santos Silva 's ABEAC (Associação Educação Charities Arts & Cidadania), an Italian NGO with which the APA has an international cooperation project in progress ...

Delbar immediately made himself available. We pointed out that we could verify with our own eyes how the homeless survive in Salvador. The warning that should have replied to a questionnaire prepared specially for the occasion and also that we especially liked to take pictures and record video in some of the structures to which we had access.

Thanks also to President dell'ABEAC, Fernanda Nunes dos Santos, we were accompanied in two of the six structures that house the homeless temporarily supported by the NGO. A useful expedient to introduce into the structure without arousing curiosity, especially by the residents was to bring them a large bag containing beans and canned food.

Interview

1) How many people you are dealing with?

can not provide a precise number of people. Our current area of \u200b\u200boperations is limited to the peninsula Itapagipe. The reference buildings, where we run our programs in support of the local population, fall territorially in the districts of Ribeira and Calçada in Salvador da Bahia. The buildings in which we are six: Building Toste, about 700 people for 160 families; Building Barreto, about 1000 people for 170 families; Leste Building 1 and Building 2 Leste (next to the former railway station Calçada), about 1000 people to 200 families; Alfred Building, about 1000 people for 190 families (not only supported by ABEAC) Penha and the building (behind the famous "Sorveteria da Ribeira"), about 100 people for 30 families (supported in part by ABEAC).

2) What are the objectives of the Movement of Homeless Salvador (MSTS: Movimento Sem Teto de Salvador)?

's goal is to structure public policy and employment for the homeless, disadvantaged and deprived of any substantial support in society. Their philosophy, as a result of new knowledge gained, has become, and can be summarized with the motto: "occupy and resist." The movement began in Sao Paulo in the early '90s with the occupation of public buildings, ex-abandoned factories and areas below the viaducts of the main arteries of communication highway of the big cities (to hide poverty from city center ). This strategy is fundamentally due to the policies Carlist. Mainly the sites found near or within the old industrial areas have sprung up in the 80s. Toste was the case in the case of an old abandoned factory and then burned.

3) What is the number of children who are part of this population?

It is very difficult to determine the exact number of children belonging to this reality. Many of them are not counted, others are not enrolled in schools. It is also impossible to determine the same number of families because it is very common starting in the 9 / 10 years, girls become mothers and, if not supervised social and educational level, are easily taken by their parents into prostitution. Tourism pedofiliaco is one of the most serious wounds that still afflict Brazil. They are made specially and exclusively dall'ABEAC campaigns to sensitize families to the registration of the unborn. The Government has not shown any interest in this kind of problem.

4) Is there a medical cover for these people?

No medical coverage is aimed at this population and this also applies in the case of serious diseases such as tuberculosis. There has been a very difficult time relating to a grave risk of infection derived from sexually transmitted diseases. The only option in an emergency is the use of existing public buildings already overcrowded and inadequate.

5) There is a school building?

There is a very precarious teaching structure does not correspond to the standard Brazilian current which is not remotely comparable to the European level. In addition, teachers earn very little for which the quality suffers. An example of the teaching structure observed in the buildings is immediately Leste1 Toste and the level of fundamental backwardness reserved for children under 10 years: the area used as a school is limited, at best, brick and asbestos roofing, while in worse, paperboard and plywood walls to become which are posted on their designs. Are regularly created spaces for children and adults about the existence of schools in order to provoke reactions in their interest. A useful lever to remove children from the street is the use of programs that adopt the sport as a means of involvement and social redemption.

6) For the adults there are programs of social and professional reintegration?

Yes, there are. The ABEAC is trying to develop skills to enable them to maintain and improve their quality of life. A major problem we encountered is the lack of self-esteem. In the case of mothers, it tries to ease to find self-esteem so that later they have the tools necessary to the education of their children. A useful tool for this purpose was found in the course of art therapy, music therapy, and Biodanza. Another example that has shown positive outcomes, both socially and professionally, has proved to be the recovery of local order included the car support staff (eg processing of materials such as oyster shells and shells for the construction of necklaces and bracelets).

7) What progress has been recorded?

A significant number of children returned to school. Many teenagers have managed to penetrate the market of work. Decreased the percentage rate of premature prostitution. Also with regard to social inclusion of adults have obtained the results. Were created such associations that safeguard the rights of women. The main results have been achieved by the population that still lives in the building Toste.

8) What efforts has the government done?

In relation to the spaces taken by force by the homeless, no. The buildings, mostly owned by the Government of the State of Bahia, were occupied, and thereafter, the population refused to abandon even in the presence of police who ordered them the immediate evacuation of the structures. An effort of the Government was to have won in 2008, 40 prefabricated size 5 x 2 meters. Current forecasts of government programs for public housing are dark. One obstacle that prevents the government to fulfill its duties as a representative institution in respect of its social commitment is the contrast between two entities, the State and the City, which are members of opposing political parties and always in conflict.

9) How many people contribute to the support of the homeless?

Several people, in turn, share the tasks in the various buildings is located in the population. Support is continuing to grow. The people involved include other professionals such as engineers, lawyers, psychologists, both supporters of the movement that dell'ABEAC MSTS.

10) What 's the return of people who support this activity?

None. The only useful contribution is the voluntary sector.

11) What, if any, the wounds that afflict the social evolution of these people?

There are wounds that should only be placed within these structures, but they both help to a number of equally serious problems that are found outside. In this If it is appropriate to speak of a negative influence on two levels: within and outside of structures.

Inside
- The dilapidated buildings of the same
- Groceries and drug use: glue, crack, marijuana
- Outbreaks of disease generic
- Prostitution preteen
- Tuberculosis

Outside:
- social incompatibility
-
low level of education - a failure in the finalization of desires / goals within easy reach
- social alienation than the actual state of things

Toste The building is the most organized, families are more structured and children attend school more regularly. This depends on the management structure and the fact that for example some of these differ in some cases be a plan, and therefore more vulnerable to "attacks" from outside.

Building Toste

... and its courtyard

Leste Building a

12 ) How many people usually come from the structures to work?

95% of the population out the structure to do informal work. Most try to support him self with the activity of walking. Children are included in these numbers and pushed by the parents themselves to make the street too. The priority is to find food for children through the marketing of products sold: soft drinks, peanuts, candy, chewing gum, cigarettes, ice cream. In doing so, however, it encourages the black market.

13) On what basis can rely on the ABEAC?

There is no fund to support the work dell'ABEAC. The only resource is the voluntary sector.

14) What are the needs more compelling?

Food and medical coverage.

15) What 's the impact of these people to the people building the structure?

facilities are located in heavily populated areas of the city so the people suffer marked discrimination and, in most cases, be avoided, and especially away from the population immediately adjacent.

Additional elements

currently in Salvador are officially registered and 56 camps throughout the Bahia 115. It is not known with certainty how much is the total population of the homeless. According to Delbar, only in Salvador, a conservative estimate of the number of these persons should be around 500,000 units.

Living conditions are extremely harsh. When we were inside the building Toste, we realized that these people are essentially buildings for shelter against the weather. Individual cubicles housing residents are defined together by cardboard, plywood, sheet metal, wood and plastic partition did not reach the ceiling, the wooden poles serve as pillars of support of makeshift materials used and each floor has two bathrooms provision.

The plans that we visited do not have a sufficient lighting system and corridors, as well as stairs and landings are completely devoid of light. The only sources of light that we saw in the building in question are illegal connection to external power ramming. The hydraulic system does not exist: the ground floor of an externally derived water to a local port that serves as a sink with three huge tanks on the first floor there was a tap recently shown connected to the existing pipeline of luck building one of the two bathrooms on the crudely constructed concrete base.

Dona Maria, an elderly, friendly lady who resided at 'Toste inside the building, told us that when she lived in the building his cubicle was right next to the bathroom in one of its walls and this, a corridor two feet wide was the separation from the constant stench became unbearable every time the pipe is clogged sewage and rotten part of the invading Its floor. On the first floor, before leaving, Dona Maria has allowed us to enter into another cubicle much smaller than his. It lives inside a young woman with four children. The size of the cubicle are 3x5 meters and a nauseating stench that invaded the hut so we wondered what it was and which way it came. Dona Maria explained that due to the presence of rats are used to defend the residents of the building of the scattering poison. Subsequently, it was discovered that one of these rats had died and found himself only a few days later, in a state of putrefaction, between layers of plywood and cardboard surround a cubicle on the other.

Dona Maria

In summary, in the lively story of the video, it appears more particular, to devise a better understanding of the actions taken by the Movement of the Sem Teto Salvador:
- When people were coming near the building, the police arrived with the 'intent to disperse the crowd dissident
- There was a resistance by protesters, the police did not give up, and a compromise was reached for which the inventory, until the crowd '
interior of the building - once taken possession of Building Toste garbage, waste and abandoned the old stuff invaded the plans so that the people are organized to clean and Dona Maria was appointed as coordinator for this task. Initially, people adapt to sleep on the floor
- then leader of Jhones Bastos' MSTS ran the division of space by assigning a specific area for each family or group of persons.
- Today continues a compromise unofficial, unwritten, under which conveniently for the Government to the people allowed to reside in the property itself.

Conclusion

Today, not only extreme poverty, prostitution and drugs, are the social ills that plague this part of the greater world, but pedophilia is one of the attractions inside a certain type of tourism, so that when I was walking in the tourist district of Barra in Salvador, you could hear uninhibited and explicit tales of romance and sexual performance with pre-adolescents and adolescents of both sexes. It is known that many Western tourists, mostly of Italian nationality, take advantage of this state of the local population need to meet certain "flaws" in their respective countries of origin shall be pursued with greater rigidity of the law.

All that has been described up to this point is probably very enjoyable to read and accept without trying, even for a moment at least, a feeling of anger about the total lack of justice for this population continues to be voluntarily held in these conditions by local governments.
Throughout the description of the facts we have left, at the end, the representation of the one, true and real hope for these people: children.
So, better than a thousand words, we decided to publish videos that show the playfulness and spontaneity of children who have known and their exceptional ability to improvise, with the desire that one day receive a house, an 'education, and treatment according to their needs that meets the their right to childhood.

Children