Stories from the field
- From Richard Edwards
being there...
a director's take on our projects around the globe
What do you do when you’re completely surrounded by a lot of useless electric wire? One answer for these young residents of Rocinha, the largest favela, or shantytown, in the foothills of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is to start your own business. Some artful twisting and weaving and they have a fun, eye-catching product ready to sell to visitors and volunteers helping out with our Brazil Favela Project. These kids already understand how tourism can help their local economy, even if they might not explain it quite that way. The electrical wire comes from the thousands of unauthorized connections to local houses from the state power grid you see as make your way down through the very narrow, winding path through the favela that serves as the main thoroughfare. They have a steady stream of travelers through their neighborhood and they’re hoping to improve their lives by tapping into a source of income that relies on a fairly quick and superficial exchange. It’s a great model for getting income directly to the people who need it most without intermediaries. It’s the primary model Planeterra promotes and supports, as a matter of fact, since it has the most potential for income generation for local people and can reach the largest number of travelers, helping them to recognize the difficult situations other people around the world face every day.
There is no question these surroundings are different from anything I’m used to – completely distinct. An integral part of sustainable tourism is experiencing a place in its real form and understanding how other cultures function, stripping away layers of “gloss” that are added for tourists. I can’t help thinking, then, that the boys’ little enterprise is a symbol for barriers to real personal interaction and life-altering experiences. Instead of taking time to become a part of local culture, as our Voluntourists may have enough time to do in the two weeks they spend helping out at the daycare located right in the favela, most people pass through on a half-day tour to see the conditions here, stop and buy a souvenir, and move on to the next destination. It highlights the traveller vs. tourist concept. I’d love to hear more from Planeterra donors and travelers about some of the moments that made you feel more like a traveller than a tourist.
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