Athlete of Rocinha : Leandro Souza de Lima

Most children in Brazil of every social class love to play the countries' past time of Football. Favelas are no different as football rules here with almost every kid wanting to be the next Neymar Jr. But not everybody.

But there has been a change. In the last 7-8 years I have seen children involved in other sports like Surfing, Volleyball, Futevolley or MMA (Mixed Martial Arts?UFC). If you look at Brazilian Olympic Teams, other sports dominate too like Swimming (Cesar Cielo), Gymnastics (Arthur Zanetti, Diaine Dos Santos) and Judo (Flavio Canto, Rafaela Silva).

But recently I have noticed an interest in Basketball. My friend organizes pick up basketball games in Cachopa and the quadra every Saturday morning. Many volunteers who stay in Rocinha have played with the group. I also met a guy who owns a Ice Cream shop near the bottom of Rocinha who has a social project called New Basquet Rocinha. His NGO combines the values of having a good education with playing basketball.

I remember hearing a few weeks ago about the NBA having some sort of development program here for youth and I thought, wow, the NBA coming to Rocinha and offering a program, Awesome! This is when I heard about one of our local players competing in the USA. Not exactly the NBA but let me explain.

Leandro Lima de Souza was born in Rocinha. Right off he grew up in tough times, losing his father when he was only 3 years old. His mother after seeing her son turn 10 years old decided it would be best if they move. She decided on this wanting to prevent her son from getting involved in drug trafficking. So she sold her house in Rocinha and moved to Niteroi to a smaller community. At 14 his mother enrolled him in the Botafogo Basketball club. She worked two jobs to provide his monthly fees but after 3 weeks he quit and returned to Sao Goncalo and joined a project in Salgueiro favela called CSU Acobbasa run by professor Jhen. A young Leandro developed his skills and saw he enjoyed playing basketball.

After age 16 he returned to Rocinha and joined up with Umuarama a club on the Gavea side of Rocinha, that sits just outside the favela. The coordinator is Paulo Amendoim a famous community leader, tour guide and friend who has been involved with youth projects for years. Leandro developed his skills more until he joined with the Flamengo club from ages 19 until age 21. He also had time to play with other teams such as Vasco and Fluminense.

He started getting more involved in street ball. He would play his regular team games then go off and play street ball or 1 on 1 games. As time went on he preferred more the street ball, but still continued playing team basketball and had the chance to travel and play in the Bronx, New York, France and Spain. Also developing along the way as a member of a team playing against the Harlem Globe Trotters. He is 2 time Brazilian Champion in Street ball competition called King of the Rock. Here is one of his King of the Rock videos vs Tikin. It was soon after that he got invited to New York to represent Brazil in Fightball. A very aggressive version of 1 on 1 Basketball.

Check out a quick video here about Leandro.

Leandro is now 32 years old and married. He resides in Spain with his wife but Rocinha he holds close. He has a daughter from his previous marriage and likes to visit her and his mother who still resides in Niteroi. He works as a life guard part time and the rest of the time he is playing in these sponsored 1 on 1 type tournaments where he can earn some money.

A day in the life and Basketball training of Leandro

He just returned to Rocinha after playing in a fightball tournament in New York City last month. The tournament starts with 8 players playing in a single elimination tourney. Games are 8 minutes long. The game is played on a half sized court to promote a fast, physical and exciting game. In the finals, it came down to Leandro competing against Andrew "Spongebob" Washington. In the end Spongebob won the grand prize of 100,000 dollars by only 1 point! But Leandro is invited to the Fightball tournament taking place in Los Angeles in July.

Leandro enters a new world in FIGHTBALL.

Leandro plans to play as long as he can so he can provide for his family. His dream is to in the future create a social project to help kids. "Social projects saved me and gave me this, I want to give back", say Leandro.

Leandro second from the left standing. "17 years of friendship..Thank you Basketball...Its more than a sport, it's a lifestyle!" - Leandro Souza de Lima

This is great to see Leandro getting media attention for the sport of Basketball in Brazil and for Rocinha!

Overcoming Challenges: Jorge Luis Linhares

Living in the favela can be a challenge as in Brazil there is a stigma for people like us. The media doesn't help with it portrayal of favela residents as being drug dealers, thieves or criminals of some kind. Youth in the favela have very few opportunities for success. Education is poor and many sacrifices needed to be made just to earn a decent living. Very few who are born and raised in Rocinha leave. If you stay you try to make the best of it.

Jorge Luis Linhares is no different. Born and raised in Rocinha, he experienced much prejudice as he was a man who in his early years as a teen made mistakes and ended up in prison. upon leaving he experienced much prejudice against him because of his former life. Today he has his own business working in advertisement. Very unique in the favela is the way merchants advertise their goods or services. Jorge owns a car with a speaker box secured to the roof that yells out each companies ad for all to hear as he drives up and down the main drag in Rocinha. He also has a motobike that advertises the same way and works with ads on radio stations in Rocinha.

His clients include an Ice cream shop, Rocinha Pet Shop, A Vet clinic, A Japanese Restaurant and a Plaster company. He is now a part owner in a franchise company called "Green Elephant". His company works with digital marketing which includes website design, email marketing, discount coupons, inserts in local papers and offer space for reviews of online users.  This is new for him as he used to just have the car and motobike out during the days driving through the community with the ads blaring through his speaker system on the top of his car.

"My idea was to create an alternative ad agency with various services for an affordable price. So, I earn the Tuition or monthly payments rather than immediate sales, but I have contracts with businesses set up for 12 months" explained Jorge.

"The super combo costs 160 reais a month and is more advantageous" he explains. The news was released in March, he has closed some contracts already but things are still in the experimental phase", according to Linhares. About 90% of Rocinha is connected to the internet in some way and this is a great opportunity for business. Jorge has a team of 7 people working with him bringing together merchants in the area to pass on his experience. "People still have strength to understand that advertising is not an expenditure, it is an investment." he says.

His set up is quite advanced. The car is equipped with LED TV on both sides which also show ads. He included calls on a gospel radio hot spot which earned him no profit. He contacted a friend about working a deal to create ads for the motobike. So they work together. He also works with another radio station for ads as well.

Linhares youth was quite different than it is today. Jorge was addicted to cocaine and was involved in theft, armed robbery and drug trafficking. He was arrested 6 times and spent six years in jail. In 1999 after the birth of his child he decided to change his ways, but was fired from a bar where he worked after discovering his past crimes.

He lived off the help of donations from friends and began to sell for shows in the favela, like the samba school. The jump to his entrepreneurial life began about 8 years ago when he left selling events to follow his vocation as an advertising salesman. The turning point came when he was able to close an ad deal with a furniture and appliance store in Ipanema. He partnered with a friend who had a car and was able to buy the speakers and this his future began in 2002.

"I preferred to meet businesses that didn't have a lot of capital for investment," he explains. Thus arose the idea of creating monthly packages. The first feature he created was the sound car. Then came opportunities in two Radio Stations in Rocinha. Then he trained to develop his voice (so he could record customers ads). "From the moment I got out of my comfort zone, horizons began to open up for me." says Linhares.

"Elephante Verde" or in English, "Green Elephant" as the company is called has more than 50 franchises and is interesting to be present in the favelas because they are places with many entrepreneurs and where digital marketing can make a big difference for small businesses." according to Fabio Melo Duran, one of the founders of Green Elephant. "The use of smart phones is everywhere in the favelas. People are connected online and the business owners know it." Fabio ads.

Out of this idea for development of an ad agency, Linhares bought a franchise of Green Elephant.  The online plans of the franchise out of the combination (of services) offered by Linhares, start from 69.90 up to 299.90 and vary according to each contracted service. They plan to open another franchise in May 2016 in the favela Complexo de Mare.

The Green Elephant franchise has an initial investment from 16,500 reais, including installation costs, franchise fees and working capital. The average monthly income is from 6,000 to 10,000 reais. The return on investment takes about 6 months. This is data given by the company. This kind of business can grow and be replicated. Jorge has made the connection between supply and local demand and favors the growth of a self sustaining economy. This is very positive.

"After everything that has been in my life, I am an entrepreneur! I tried working for others, but it didn't work out. The time we live today is one of instability. As an entrepreneur, I don't run the risk of being fired or unemployed. I have some contracts of 12 months now with businesses and have a fixed income much higher than I ever expected." he says.

I see Jorge almost everyday driving his car up and down the Estrada da Gavea (our main street in Rocinha) smiling and often greeting people. I often chat with him. He if proof of bring able to turn ones life around. He is someone we are very proud of!

Jorge driving his sound car through the lower part of Rocinha, called, the "Valao"

Preparation for University Exams

To add to existing projects, here is one more. I had some school supplies that were better for people preparing for university so we gave to Marcos' group.

In favela communities the public education is so poor that its very rare that young people go on to university. When you grow up in a favela, normally most youth continue on in the path of their parents. They get access only to low skilled low paying jobs mostly in the service industry. The children follow this path because work or being able to bring in more money to the household has more value than studying which costs money.

In my life I have only met about 15 people that I know that have gone to University. This is sad because I know that many children aspire or have dreams to be in a profession, but its one that requires advanced education. Its very difficult when the public school system has children in school only 4 hours a day. How can a child learn anything in 4 hours? Private school for the middle and upper classes prepare their children and the majority go onto university.

But there are groups of people in the favela that are trying to change this. I met Marcos Barros years ago. He had the opportunity, through receiving a scholarship, to go to university at PUC, a private university in Gavea. He studied Journalism and graduated. But now he also gives back as a teacher in this project called Prevestibular Communitario da Rocinha.

This program prepares residents of the favela to take the vestibular or entrance exams into university. The best universities in Rio are the public ones but you must take very difficult exams to get in. The public school system is not enough so these volunteers like Marcos have these pre exams classes to prepare the students to pass these exams.

 Marcos speaking to potential students about PVCR and its functions.

The Pre or PVCR as it is known was formed by a group of volunteers who use education as a weapon to make a difference in Rocinha. Participants are graduates, undergraduates or alumni of universities and are mostly from Rocinha. This is the only such project in a favela that helps those who want to attend college. This program is helping to change the profile of residents from the favela.

Unlike private pre-university, the PVCR has the task of forming critical subjects to create a collective consciousness to be reflected in the favela as a whole. This functions as a collective where everyone involved and empowered to prose ideas and decisions are made democratically. Social networks are used for communication between the group and the focus of the students are on the ENEM (a university entrance exam) and contact with the public universities.

The PVCR has no funding or external support. A space is donated by Communication Community Movement or TV Tagarela, which is owned and operated by favela residents. Students pay a monthly fee of 25 reais a month which covers the costs of photo copies used in class and maintenance of the space.

The PVCR is in much need of a computer (even if its used) that functions just to use internet as a teaching tool. The students only use notebooks and pens in class.

To see their website check here: http://pvcr.org.br/novo/

Homeless Animals in Rocinha

I have always had a soft heart for critters especially cats and dogs. In Rocinha there is a problem with many people who refuse to castrate or fix their animals. You can see many homeless animals here. It makes me sad because I wish I could save them all, but this is impossible as long as people don't fix their pets.

Last year I met Cristiano who lives on Rua 2 (Street 2) and read his facebook page about how he is trying to help dogs and cats in Rocinha. We have helped when we could by helping with the purchases of transport carriers that he uses to bring dogs and cats to the vet.

Its nice to receive help from other sources as well. Rachel from the Vancouver, Canada came on a tour but also was interested in the welfare of the animals in Rocinha. I set up a meeting between her and Cristiano so that she can see his project in action. So Rachel, Cristiano and Carlos went off to see the place where Cristiano lives.

 Cristiano lives in this house. He, his mother and father live on the first floor.

 This is the entrance to their home. Around the corner from the front door is an entryway to access the second floor where the animals reside.

 This is the entry way to access where the animals live.

 This is the first floor hallway that Cristiano uses to store supplies for animals.

Animal transport carriers.

 This area is fenced off. Its where he keeps the cats. He said that the fence broke. And some of the cats escaped, but as you see below, one kitty decided to stay.

This photo below is the door that enters the second floor where aproximately 35 dogs are kept in 4 rooms that are about 9X9 feet squared. Cristiano does what he can with the resources he has access to but he still want to improve the living conditions for these animals.

As you can see the conditions are not very good for these animals. Cristiano has access to donations of food for the animals, free castration provided by a local vet and a connection outside to a lady that can help to find people to adopt these animals. What Cristiano needs is money to reconstruct and upgrade the space. He wants to put tiling down on the floor and a drainage system so he can easily keep his spaces clean and this will improve the over all health of the dogs and cats.

Rachel was kind enough to donate 300 reais to Cristiano's project. He is also part of a political group organizing on behalf of rights for animals. Cristiano has no job but this is his life calling as he says. His parents support his work.

If you are interested in contributing in some way, we are going to set up a PayPal account for Cristiano's Project.

If you need other information please contact us at: visitrocinha@gmail.com

ASPA Creche in Rocinha

In the last three weeks I have been organizing, separating and distributing donations to various school and daycares in Rocinha. During the months of December until the end of February we were very busy with tours so I had very little time to distribute the donations. Now things have calmed down and we are entering into a slow period. For the last 2 years we have been donating materials to the Castelinho Creche in Atalho, a sub-neighborhood higher up the hill in Rocinha. Ms. Leidy Martins is our contact at Castelinho and she mentioned that Creche ASPA in Boiadeiro could use some help.

I wanted to check out ASPA as its less than 5 minutes walk from my house. Ms. Martins gave me the contact person. The director is Carla Mariana and she works from 7am until 11:30am Monday-Friday as a volunteer and then after goes off to a regular paying job. She is a busy woman but I was able to meet with her.

We had a couple come on a tour with us a couple of weeks ago and they gave me 200 reais to be spent on supplies for a creche that needed help. After what Ms. Martins had told me, I decided to spend the money on supplies for ASPA. I want to thank the Kelly Family from Chicago, USA for their kind donation. The creche will put these materials to good use.

When I arrived at the Creche I was received by Carla the director and her Coordinator Suely. They gave me a tour of the creche. The first thing I noticed is it was very well taken care of. The building looked in good condition and it was clean. There were about 12-15 different rooms with different ages of children all being supervised by an adult. I had arrived when most of the children were napping.  Each of these rooms had their own bathroom facilities.

***Before taking any photos of ASPA facilities, I asked permission. Many of the workers did not want to be in photos and I explained to Carla and Suely beforehand that the story I wanted to write was to promote the creche and the importance of families having access to places like ASPA to care for their children.

Nap time for the children. I arrived about 11:15am and these two different rooms had children resting. The photo above this one is the room for the 2 year olds and this one directly above is the room for the 4 year olds.

Some of the children were eating their lunches all provided by a team of three ladies who cook for about 180 children. The kids get two meals a day and two snacks.

This is the kitchen are where the meals are prepared. Again, the kitchen was very clean. To the right of the kitchen was a pantry with foodstuffs for everyday meals.

This pantry is stocked by the donations of kind people. The creche itself has minimum support. Some families if the can pay, contribute 85 reais a month for the caring of the children. The city government gives a little but not much.

This is a small play area for the children. All the toys in the photo are donations.

When I went to the creche it was about 35 degrees outside. Its hot. There are fans in the daycare but most children are wearing just underwear, which you wouldn't see in a North American type daycare. It was explained to me that in tropical climate, it is humid and can be uncomfortable for the children. The children appeared to be happy and they were all clean. The photo above it a outdoor shower/bathing area surrounded by tall walls to ensure privacy. Upon entering the building, there is a big green gate and other security precautions in place to ensure safety of the children.

The creche has a staff of 30 workers and 5 volunteers who are there Monday-Friday from 7:30am until 4:30pm.

History of ASPA Creche

ASPA (Action Social Father Anchieta) was founded in 1963 by father Jesuit Paulo Machado Barbosa, a professor at PUC, a Catholic University in Gavea together with some other professors and residents of Gavea. Its one of the oldest community run institutions in Rocinha and its mission is to promote human consciousness and citizenship to better the quality of life through global education.

It was ASPA that was instrumental in setting up groups of workers from the favela to build the sewer systems and water distribution to the homes at the bottom of the favela. In the original shack that was first constructed, existed the church called Nossa Senhora Aparecida, was also the first school in Rocinha. There, the women would feed the workers who were building this water distribution project.

The creche ASPA evolved into project to promote social, cultural and educational benefits to the residents of Rocinha. The beginning started off as mothers creating outlets where others could take care of their children so they could go off to work. They did this because they had no other option to get care for their children. With time, the "creche" grew and they started to get things organized.

In order to create a better life for their families, its normal that both parents work. The children pass the full day in the creche and follow a routine of activities that are planned in meetings by qualified professionals.

Some of the activities work in partnership with teachers of music, dance, storytellers, occupational therapy that attend to children with special needs, and a psychologist who can give support to the educators. All of the educators are volunteers.

The daycare attends to 179 children from the ages to 6 months until 4 years old. They have been passing through some difficulty and need help to keep their doors open. The government wants to cut funding to over 100 community daycares in Rio.

This report just came out on March 31st. The report states that due to lack of city funds that theres a possibility that about 100 daycares run the risk of closing or eliminating spaces in these facilities. Currently, ASPA receives a little money from the city government to help pay salaries and the food pantry is supported by donations.

In talking with Carla and Suely, they both very open to the idea of receiving volunteers to help with the children. If while you are visiting on a tour would like to see the daycare, please let me know in advance so I can contact Carla. Please contact me if you are interested in helping out in any way! Thank you! contact: visitrocinha@gmail.com

Businesses in Rocinha: Diego Rossi Tattoo Studio

Yesterday I first met Diego Rossi when Andrew had his tattoo work being done. I was really impressed by Diego. As someone who is a tattoo addict, I am very critical of people who call themselves tattoo artists. So, I went back today to get more information from Diego at his studio called "Diego Rossi Tattoo Studio"

As from the photo above, many would be shocked as they would think from the outside that this tattoo shop would be a dump. Life in favelas can be deceiving. Many houses and businesses from the outside look in very poor conditions, but when you enter, its a different world.

When I enter any tattoo studio, the first thing I do is look around at the environment. What is the set up, where are the materials the artist uses. Are the needles in sterilized packaging? Is the place organized? And most important, Is the place clean? Are hygeine standards being followed?

As soon as I walked in I was impressed. I told Andrew yesterday that while he was getting his work done that, the place is very clean. The floor, no dirt, the desk immaculate. The white foldable table was covered in plastic and clean disposable towels were being used. There is a small sink and toilet area off behind a wall. The front sliding door entrance has tinted windows to help block out the sun and reduce heat. The studio has a fully functioning quiet air conditioning system and WiFi for those who need to surf the internet. I mentioned these things because the place is not very big but Diego has enough space to move around his clients to do his work.  Some photos of his studio.

Diego Rossi in his new Tattoo studio with his certifications above on the wall.

I decided to get more information from Diego a 29 year old transplant from Espirito Santo and resident of Rocinha for only 4 years.

How did you find out about Rocinha?
- When I first came to Rio I lived in a favela that was run by militias, then moved to Bonsucesso. I had a friend who lived in Arpoador who worked as a moto taxi driver in Rocinha. He took me through Rocinha showing me the place. When I got to the top of Rocinha in Laboriaux, I was amazed at the view and how beautiful it was. So I came to move here.

Why did you move to Rocinha?
- This place, we have everything. I never seen a favela have so much. We have 3 banks here, any type of restaurant, good transportation with buses that go through here. So many things that other favelas don't have.

How did you get into Tattooing?
- I started off doing tattoos as a hobby in my house about 5 years ago. Many people liked my work and my reputation grew. I then got the opportunity to work in a tattoo studio called Pipoca Tattoo on Rua 4.

How did you come to be in this new location?
- It was time for me to start something on my own. I have only been here at this place since January.

What do you see for your future?
- I enjoy living in Rocinha. I want to develop my business and buy a house here. I have no plans to leave Rocinha.

What are your prices?
- Tattoos start at 50 reais and increase in price determined by time, details and size of the piece. I can do custom work as well. People are free to walk in for a consultation.

What are your hours?
- Monday through Friday 11:00am until 10:00pm
Saturday from 11:00am until 6:00pm

How can people contact you?
- They can send me a message through my facebook page, come to my studio for a consultation or they can call me.

If you are coming from the Gavea side of the hill, his studio is directly across the street from where some artists sell their works to tourists.

Photo by Diego Rossi with Andrew Ritchie of Birmingham, England.

The Favela Leaves Impressions

Its awesome when we meet visitors that are somehow impressed by our community. Its great when the visitor sees the favela but then wants to return to check out other things in Rocinha. We have had guests get hair cuts, have dental work done and get tattoos. Businesses in Rocinha rely on word of mouth and having a good reputation. People here talk and word travels fast.

Andrew Ritchie and his girl friend Tracey came on a tour and enjoyed the favela so much that they came back today. Tracey decided to stay at the bottom of the hill and do some shopping. Andrew decided to get a tattoo to mark his memory of the favela Rocinha.

Obi met him at the top of Rocinha at 2pm, and took him to Diego Rossi Tattoo Studio at Escadao near 99 an area high up the hill. Diego pre-designed a drawing of a favela that wraps around the forearm.

I wanted to learn more from Andrew about his impressions of Rocinha. He is from Birmingham England, born and raised. He is 55 years young and works as a Locomotive Engineer or a train operator. I always was fascinated and loved trains as a kid, and still do.

He said that he wanted to visit the favela to see all aspects of life in Rio, not just the rich neighborhoods. He said "You go up to the christ, you look all around the city and favelas are part of it." He felt very comfortable and was welcomed by the people in Rocinha in a good way. He didn't feel like an outsider. "People here are interested in me, as I am in them."

Andrew said he plans to return to get the rest of the favela colored in.

I asked him why a tattoo of a favela? He said that many of his tattoos represent different periods of his life and the favela impressed him so much. He feels that there is a misconception about the favelas. The outside media tends to talk only about the drug dealers. He says, the favela is a worthy place to visit, shop and even get a tattoo. Andrew says that he will return!

Diego Rossi tattoo artist and Andrew before saying good byes!

Andrew on a moto taxi going back to where he is staying, after getting his tattoo!