• The Rio Experience

  Oi! So our two weeks in Rio have come to an end, I have found a computer and now it is time to report back. I won’t give a blow by blow account of the stay, but instead pick out some highlights, mainly focusing on physical activity and health.
  
  My first experience of Rio, I have since found out was not unusual. Driving from the airport to the hotel, on our right, alongside the motorway, was a favela. For about half a mile in front of this community, we saw football pitch after football pitch. At least 10 games of football were being played; children of all ages were taking part. Some games were structured with goals and kits whilst others were using plastic bottles for balls. During my short time here it would have been hard to miss that football is a major part of Brazilian culture. Everybody supports a team; informal games are played in every open space and we found out that when the World Cup is on you can take a break from work!
  
  The favela that we saw when we first arrived turned out to be just one of many. Driving around the city you would see one sprawled across a hillside and, looking down from the feet of Christ the Redeemer you could pick out these communities mixed in with the high rise tower blocks. During our stay we visited two favelas being helped by non-governmental organisations.
  The first in Niteroi was receiving aid from the NGO, Gente Brazil. Crime rates were low, there was a mobile taxi service to bring people up the steep hillside and dance classes were available for the children.
  The second favela visited, Tavares Bastos, we were told, used to be one of the most violent in Rio but now crime rates are minimal. This transformation was due to the organisation BOPE locating their headquarters there in 2000. Before walking round the favela we were to be given a talk by BOPE. Driving up the hillside in Catete I thought we were in the wrong place. Two armed men in uniform stopped our coach next to a gigantic image of a skull and two guns, was this a joke? After a few minutes we were allowed to proceed. As we continued up the hill a towering, hostile, concrete building emerged and in its shadow were lined black armoured vehicles sporting the same ominous emblem and more of the armed men in black. In need of answers to an ever growing list of questions, we were relieved to be given a talk by someone from the organisation. It turns out BOPE were a police special operations battalion that were part of the military police for Rio (http://www.boperj.org/). Despite my first reaction to this news, as the talk continued I began to warm to these guys. Eight years ago BOPE had arrived at this favela and first began removing all drug lords leaving it much safer. A football area had also been created and many small businesses such as hairdressers were thriving. In partnership with Gente Brazil they also ran two projects supporting the community. The first worked with the elderly population helping to keep them physically active. The second was a rhythmic gymnastics class for children from the community. As the rhythmic gymnastics group performed for us it was great to see the opportunity that these young people had been given. However the juxtaposition of children dancing and smiling underneath a menacing skull on the wall behind was slightly too weird for me!
  
  Witnessing the impact of the work these organisations can have on so many people was an amazing experience. However traveling around the city revealed how many other communities were still in need of help. Seeing the pictures on the news and studying the favelas in lessons meant that the experiences I had, matched the scenes I expected: “makeshift dwellings” are certainly what they were. But even now after 2 weeks in Rio; seeing the favelas tucked in amongst the tower blocks and walking down the alleys of several; I still can not process that people actually live in those conditions. It has been a very humbling experience.
  
  An interesting talk

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