Thursday, June 22, 2006

The down and out

Every day, hundreds of people move to Sao Paulo in search of a better life. They often come with little or nothing to their names and therefore have to find or create whatever shelter they can. These favelas are usually found located near the heart of the city where the people look to find work. Even though the government does little to stop these people from stealing electricity, (if they can get it) the homes are often so pathetic that life in them is about as bad as it gets anywhere. There is no social welfare system here in Brazil, so these people have to work at whatever they can get for a job, or else turn to begging or crime. As you can see, they often are found in the shadows of some of the nice apartment buildings (where the rich live--apartments are more secure than individual houses and offer more amenities so they are the homes of choice in Sao Paulo). But occasionally, when city plans call for it, a whole favela will be bulldozed to make way for a new construction project or highway. Life for these people is extremely difficult and very dangerous.