carnaval!

this was one of the best times there with the kids.. they all got dressed up and had makeup done and their hair done.  another NGO down the hill also joined us and had crazy costumes.  there are also some pictures of the kids in class during activities..  this was the last week i was really with the kids everyday and it was a great way to end the program. 

                         the kids from the NGO down the street

                              evelyn in her hair and make up

                            our kids with the group down the street

                   getting ready and playing some music

                        my girls - our last group picture together

more pictures from the project at the Morro da Formiga in Rio.. from Jan-March 2010

the following pictures are from the project supported by the church and private donors.  they had many more kids (around 30) there for the after school program and i decided to work on restoring / repainting the mural there with the kids..

                           davidson and his little brother..

                                       view from the NGO of the community

                                        water play once a week

                            i was never able to get pictures of mural completely done,
                           which is a shame cause it looked so much better finished, but
                                    you get the idea here.

                                               me and one of the girls

                                             my trusty ride down the hill!

Novo Horizonte pictures.. finally (hard to believe these are already a year old!)

These pictures are late to say the least, but since i was in the process of updating the blog, i felt it necessary to include the remaining photos from when i was in Rio at the Morro da Formiga ("ant hill slum") in Tijuca last year from January to March.  we finished a mural at the NGO at the top of the hill and there some pictures of that as well as some from the after school center where i also spent time at the bottom of the hill.  there was a group of five kids -- Lucia's children, that i grew especially close to.  it's hard to recount experiences at this point, but at least i can show pictures of them and know i can always go back and visit.

                                     the main area where we would do activities.

                                   the main teacher in the after school program.

                                                       the classroom.

                             outside on the patio where the kids would play.

                                                           gabriella

                                                the front of the building

                                         looking up from the bottom of the hill

                                         the younger two of Lucia's kids

                                            the littlest boy - 4yrs - doing a handstand

                                            the oldest - 14yrs - Alessandra

                                 messing around like we always did after class..

                                          the kids going up to their homes

                                   the youngest girl of the group - 6 yrs

                                               at the park with the group

 

at the park

                                        Davidson, 13yrs old                                            

Heading South...

I arrived in Rio de Janeiro on December 17th and I probably miss Bahia now more than I did then. I finished the semester in Capim Grosso and headed South to take on my other volunteer project in Rio. I started working this week (since they were closed for the holidays) at two NGOs that my cousin volunteers with part-time. They are both with children from ages 4-15 who live in the Morro de Formiga ("Aunt Hill") Community, one of the many slums of Rio which is part of Tijuca, a part of town. The kids usually attend these organizations for academic reenforcement, but since they are on Summer break, it´s all recreational until after carnaval. So Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I walk to the bottom of the hill where you get a motorbike or car (usually the guys standing around beat up cars with holes in them) for R$2. They climb the favela (which is extrememly steep so in this summer heat, most don´t attempt to walk it) and drop others off on the way, the favela taxi so to speak. Up there on those mornings, the kids are hyper and already running around at 9am. There are only around 20 kids right now, however, apparently during the school year, that number doubles. There are only 4 teachers to handle all these kids. We jump rope, the older guys play soccer, we play games, etc.. Then I go back down and the kids go up to their homes for lunch. Everyday of the week in the afternoons, I go to the other NGO at the bottom of the slum adjacent to one of the access stairways on up to the hill. The kids come down and we go up. There, I work with one other teacher and there are only 10 kids. Half of this group is also part of the other morning project that I mentioned previously. We do arts and crafts, play games, etc.. It never seems like they grow tired especially in the heat that it´s been lately. I have plans to reform a mural and do other art projects with both NGOs before I leave in late February. I will have pictures and more information soon! Just wanted to give a quick update...

The Student Exhibition!

I realize this post is overdue, but I finally remembered / found the time to update my blog and show the amazing fruits of our labor - the end of semester student exhibit in the city square in Capim Grosso. The photos are of the opening day of the exhibit which we decided to showcase in the square and had over 500 visitors! The students were glowing all day with pride and excitement. The work they displayed was from their semester-long project entitled, Family and I. Some of the photos chosen for the exhibit are shown in an earlier post where I show the students´ work. The frames were all hand built with the help of the volunteers from AEC-TEA. The students photos were accompanied by texts they wrote, speaking personally about family. I am so proud of these students and will miss them sooooo much!!!!

Some pictures from the start of the day...