{"id":47697,"date":"2018-11-06T09:19:57","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T12:19:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=47697"},"modified":"2018-12-20T04:06:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-20T07:06:37","slug":"2nd-sustainable-favela-network-exchange-visits-prazeres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=47697","title":{"rendered":"Recycling to Stop Landslides: 2nd Sustainable Favela Network Exchange Visits Morro dos Prazeres"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Por<\/strong>tugu\u00eas<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Sustainable Favela Network<\/a>\u00a0(SFN) is a project of\u00a0Catalytic Communities<\/a>\u00a0(CatComm)* designed to build solidarity networks, bring visibility, and develop joint actions to support the expansion of community-based initiatives that strengthen environmental sustainability and social resilience in favelas across the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. The project began with the 2012 film\u00a0Favela as a Sustainable Model<\/a>, followed in 2017 by the\u00a0mapping of 111 sustainability initiatives<\/a>\u00a0and the publication of a\u00a0final\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0analyzing the results.<\/em><\/p>\n

In 2018, the project organized\u00a0on-site exchanges among eight of the oldest and most established organizations<\/a>\u00a0that were mapped in the Sustainable Favela Network (one of which is the subject of this article), followed by a full-day exchange with the entire network that took place on November 10. The eight participants in the on-site exchanges featured in this series<\/a>\u00a0include six community-based organizations: the\u00a0Vale Encantado Cooperative<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Alto da Boa Vista<\/a>,\u00a0EccoVida<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Hon\u00f3rio Gurgel<\/a>,\u00a0Verdejar<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Engenho da Rainha<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a>,\u00a0Quilombo do Camorim<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Jacarepagu\u00e1<\/a>,\u00a0ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Morro dos Prazeres<\/a>, and\u00a0Alfazendo\u2019s Eco Network<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0City of God<\/a>. In addition, the exchanges visited two broader initiatives focusing beyond favelas with extensive experience in sustainability:\u00a0Onda Verde<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Nova Igua\u00e7u<\/a> and the\u00a0Sepetiba Ecomuseum<\/a>. The program is supported by the\u00a0Heinrich B\u00f6ll Foundation Brazil<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Watch the video that accompanies the exchanges featured in this series<\/a>\u00a0by clicking\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The Afternoon of the Second Exchange: ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o, Morro dos Prazeres<\/h3>\n

\"ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>On September 8, the afternoon of the second Sustainable Favela Network (SFN) exchange took place in Morro dos Prazeres<\/a>\u2014a community located at the top of Santa Teresa<\/a> in Central Rio<\/a>. While geographically and demographically distinct from Vale Encantado<\/a>, which hosted the morning visit<\/a>, both communities have unique relationships to the natural environment entangled with histories of eviction threats and creative resistance. Both Vale Encantado and Prazeres are home to community activists who work to combat the stigmatization of favelas as unsustainable<\/a>, showing that many favela residents are agents of environmental protection and awareness and that favelas can indeed serve as models of sustainability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Upon arriving in Prazeres, the SFN group visited an eco-point managed by community-based organization ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a> (“RecyclAction”). The eco-points, distributed throughout the community, collect between 1-1.5 tons of recyclable material per month and are an integral aspect of ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s work to protect the natural environment in Prazeres. In addition to collecting recyclable materials, ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o facilitates environmental education in schools and nature walks in the community. In its five years of existence, the organization has collected 84 tons of recyclable materials (via eco-points alone) and hosted 180 community breakfasts, 45 community clean-ups, and 250 workshops on the reuse of waste materials. ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s work has also expanded to collecting over 2,600 liters of used cooking oil to prevent it from solidifying and entering the sewage system.<\/p>\n

Building Resilience from Tragedy<\/h3>\n

ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s creation was inspired by a tragedy: in 2010, heavy rains affecting favelas across Rio<\/a>\u00a0caused a landslide on a slope that had been covered in trash for decades in Prazeres. Over thirty people were killed and 355 families were left homeless. The disaster forced residents to reevaluate their relationship with waste management. In the words of ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o founder and community organizer\u00a0Cris dos Prazeres<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cIt was a tragic moment. And [it made me] think and rethink, as a local activist…about how to connect our network\u2026 It was a moment in which we saw that human beings manage to show solidarity, especially in times of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o grew out of an existing community-based organization, Preven\u00e7\u00e3o Realizada com Organiza\u00e7\u00e3o e Amor\u2014PROA<\/a>\u00a0(Prevention Realized Through Organization and Love), which has worked to address public health issues in the community since 1998. While PROA already hosted community clean-ups and worked to spread information about mosquito-borne diseases, the organization had not worked extensively on environmental issues until after the 2010 landslide with the development of a community mapping project in partnership with the Center for the Promotion of Health<\/a> (CEDAPS), a local NGO that works in the city’s favelas; the\u00a0United Nations Children’s Fund<\/a>\u00a0(UNICEF); and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology<\/a> (MIT). Led by a group of local youth, the mapping exercise confirmed the need for environmental education and training surrounding natural disaster response and prevention strategies in Prazeres.<\/p>\n

\"Homes<\/a><\/p>\n

ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o was formed in response to this need in 2013 as a project that not only works to protect the environment but also dialogues between health, education, social assistance, and environmental issues in Prazeres. Describing the organization’s early development, Cris explained that her team began asking companies for donations \u201cafter the mapping, after problematizing everything\u2014after taking a breath.” One company agreed to a pilot project, which they called ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o. Cris described ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s current work as encompassing \u201ca giant platform: education and health to promote the environment.”<\/p>\n

The Strength of Local Networks in Resisting Eviction Threats<\/h3>\n

The natural disaster was not the only threat that residents of Prazeres faced in 2010. As Cris recalled, \u201cAt six in the morning the next day [after the landslide], our mayor said<\/a>, \u2018We are removing Morro dos Prazeres.’\u201d Realizing that they needed tools and professional support to mobilize their network and advocate against the eviction threat, Cris explained: \u201cIn one week, the whole favela came together like never before because we [already] had our network. We had a group of local volunteers\u2014we always must involve residents\u2026 At that moment, we saw that all of PROA\u2019s work made a lot of sense. We already had community engagement; we [already] had solidarity among residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cris<\/a><\/p>\n

To fight against the eviction threat, community activists connected with institutions that provide legal support to guarantee communities’ right to remain on their land, including the State Public Defender\u2019s Office’s House and Lands Nucleus (NUTH)<\/a> and the Catholic Church’s\u00a0Pastoral das Favelas<\/a>. As Cris recounted, the entire community came together: \u201cWhen we truly need to come together, we unite.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to public defender Maria L\u00facia de Pontes, who attended the SFN exchange, the language used by Rio\u2019s government in the eviction effort was a \u201cdiscourse of pain and fear.” Pontes explained that government officials cited the deaths of favela residents resulting from the disaster as a motive for eviction. Pontes called the government\u2019s logic “cruel,” as residents who did not agree to resettlement were blamed for their neighbors’ deaths.<\/p>\n

\"Sustainable<\/a><\/p>\n

Pontes explained to the group that the combination of residents’ mobilization efforts and their collaboration with academic researchers and outside professionals worked to disprove the government’s claim that eviction was the only means of guarding against environmental risk. \u201cMost fundamental of all was that mobilization,\u201d said Pontes. \u201cWe held large assemblies, we carried out many projects and internal discussions, and in the end, we didn’t [need to] initiate any legal process [to defend the community].\u201d Residents’ activism, bolstered by Prazeres\u2019 large network of supporters, successfully worked to combat the government’s narrative surrounding evictions in Prazeres: \u201cIt was all of that work that created the resistance,\u201d said Pontes.<\/p>\n

Defying Expectations with Local Technologies<\/h3>\n

On retelling the early stages of ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o’s development, Cris described how many people did not believe that the group would succeed: \u201cThey said, \u2018You all are crazy. This is not going to work. Favela residents, stopping to look at trash? Separating trash? Doing trash collection? You all are dreaming.\u2019\u201d However, Cris explained, those who do not live in favelas and are unfamiliar with the reality of favelas do not understand what residents\u00a0are capable of achieving. While \u201cthe favela is synonymous with a lack of control, a lack of rules\u201d in the popular imagination, Cris explained, \u201cwhen we<\/em>\u00a0look at the favela, we find a place that is truly one of resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about her academic qualifications, Cris tells people that she has a doctoral degree in street knowledge: \u201cMy knowledge, you’re never going to learn in a university. Never\u2026 We are all imprisoned by society\u2019s model [of knowledge]. We need to detach ourselves, value our own knowledge, and seek out the knowledge of others.\u201d\u00a0Over the past five years, ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o has developed local social technologies, beginning with participatory meetings such as breakfasts and opening up space for community members to discuss environmental issues. For Cris, education is \u201cthe key that creates a model of consciousness.” As such, volunteers visit schools to talk to students and churches to speak with religious leaders.<\/p>\n

\"Community<\/a><\/p>\n

Without personally knowing everyone in Prazeres, Cris wants everyone to know and feel like they are a part of ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s work. When residents take ownership of a project, they become less concerned with what they can get out of it and more concerned with community improvement. Cris especially sees this transformation process during mutir\u00f5es<\/em><\/a>\u2014<\/em>collective action projects such as community clean-ups. Describing one clean-up event\u2014in which one hundred residents collected forty tons of trash in just one day\u2014Cris said: \u201cWe started to realize that the\u00a0mutir\u00e3o <\/em>is one project that\u00a0really provides a different perspective. Doing a clean-up in which [participants] don\u2019t make money is incredible\u2026 Our motto has always been, \u2018[You won\u2019t make money from this, but] you\u2019re going to gain a great community.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s \u201clocal technologies\u201d have gained recognition outside of Prazeres: in 2014, the team worked with a network in the United States to develop a manual based on their methodology, and in 2015, the organization was certified by the\u00a0Banco do Brasil Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and included in the institution’s Social Technology Bank<\/a> (BTS).<\/p>\n

\"ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a><\/p>\n

Throughout the creation and development of ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o, Cris has emphasized the importance of fostering a community-based network that is capable of mobilizing outside support when necessary. Cris believes that the Sustainable Favela Network plays a crucial role in this system. In her words, \u201cnetworks have force.\u201d\u00a0ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o is currently in a moment of transition as it restructures into an NGO: Cris described it as a time to \u201clook at ourselves, to reorganize, to work to structure ourselves better, to professionalize.\u201d Describing how the SFN can best support ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o\u2019s work, Cris said: \u201cThe best support that the group can provide is sharing information. I think that I am seeing ideas\u2014new ideas\u2026 I have already learned a lot from these two visits. They were visits that really already taught me a lot\u2026 It is an enriching experience.\u201d Describing the variety of projects and locations of the communities within the SFN, Cris explained that the important part is learning about the processes and methodologies that bring these projects together: \u201cIt is an exchange of experiences, of perceptions, of realities\u2026 And the network is fundamental for this exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following an afternoon spent learning about RecilA\u00e7\u00e3o’s work to unite the community of Prazeres in the name of sustainability, Sustainable Favela Network members closed the day in reflection. Linking arms in a tightly-knit circle, each participant shared a word that captures what they will take away from the exchange: “Experience. Gathering. Love. Action. Hope. Smile. Inspiration. Energy. Affection. Transformation. Wonderful, marvelous, beautiful. Exchange. Recycling. Learning.”<\/p>\n

Read up on all of the 2018 Sustainable Favela Network exchanges here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*RioOnWatch<\/em>\u00a0is a project of the NGO Catalytic Communities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas The\u00a0Sustainable Favela Network\u00a0(SFN) is a project of\u00a0Catalytic Communities\u00a0(CatComm)* designed to build solidarity networks, bring visibility, and develop joint actions to support the expansion of community-based initiatives that strengthen environmental sustainability and […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":48651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1288,1271,329,452,2200,1329],"tags":[1027,882,2556,258,397,474,385,223,151,218,2598,664,69,2413,388,2400,172,2634,2840,1403,471,692,1140],"writer":[2695],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-47697","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-highlight","8":"category-favelaqualities","9":"category-solutions","10":"category-rio20","11":"category-toolkit","12":"category-by-international-observers","13":"tag-area-of-risk-designation","14":"tag-academia-x-civil-society","15":"tag-community-knowledge","16":"tag-community-solution","17":"tag-education","18":"tag-environment","19":"tag-environmental-education","20":"tag-favela-as-a-model","21":"tag-landslide-risk","22":"tag-mutirao","23":"tag-networks","24":"tag-prazeres","25":"tag-public-defenders","26":"tag-public-defenders-housing-nucleus-nuth","27":"tag-recycling","28":"tag-resilience","29":"tag-santa-teresa","30":"tag-series","31":"tag-series-sfn-exchanges","32":"tag-solution","33":"tag-sustainability","34":"tag-trash-collection","35":"tag-waste-management","36":"writer-jessica-depies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=47697"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=47697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}