A Journey up the Hill:
Teaching in Brazil
As I climb the never-ending stairway to get to the school, the unfolding view of the community living above never fails to shock. Endless rows of shabby brick and tin houses rise up before me, a sight that is too familiar in Rio de Janeiro, a vibrant city where the extreme poor perch on hills just above the wealthiest residents. This particular favela, or shanty-town, is made up of three different communities called Pavão Pavãozinho and Cantagalo, the names of the hills on which they were built, and like all Brazilian favelas they stretch high above one of the richest areas of the city. The contrast in standard of living between the apartments just below and the shoddy houses sprawling above is striking, and once I reach the top of the stairway I’m completely out of breath and sobered by the view above.
My mood instantly improves, however, when I set foot in Solar Meninos de Luz, a school and NGO started 18 years ago that is dedicated to educating and improving the social situation of the favela residents. Think of it as a pocket of hope in an otherwise despondent area, where poverty frequently leads to violence, drug-abuse and social stagnation. On my way to Solar, I frequently walked by children and teenagers lying on the streets, clearly high on some very potent drug, and only a five-minute walk away from the school is a place known as ‘Crack land,’ a reference to the amount of drugs consumed in broad daylight in the favela, mostly by men but some women as well. Solar was created with the goal of giving children, and their parents, opportunities to escape these dangers through education, and its success provides an example for similar projects across Brazil.
From my first few visits, I could tell that Solar was more than just a school. It takes in as many infants, children and teenagers as possible (at the moment 400) and sees them through to university or their first job. The students remain within its grounds all day, whereas most Brazilian schools operate on a half-day system. The morning is reserved for formal study and the afternoons are dedicated to learning crafts, such as music, theater, dance, English and art. Its main focus is on prevention and family support—the logic is that by educating children from a young age, it is possible to lure them away from the temptations of their surroundings, mainly drug use and gang activity, and by supporting their parents as well it becomes easier to create a stable family environment.
My specific role at the school was to teach English to a particularly unruly but nonetheless endearing group of teenagers. Speaking English is increasingly becoming a coveted skill in Brazil because it opens doors in education and in the working world. For some of my students, English class was a bit like having your gums cleaned at the dentist, but adding a bit of fun helped immensely.
At first, I was uncomfortable asking probing questions about their families and background. But as we grew closer, they began to provide unsolicited information. I discovered that many came from broken homes (torn apart, I can only imagine, but the realities of favela life) and thus had come to view Solar as a second home, their classmates as brothers and sisters. They are, of course, normal teenagers with the same complaints about useless homework and unfair teachers, but they have incredible dreams and aspirations as well. For one English project, we decided to focus on the future, specifically the question where do you want to be in 5 years? The answers ranged from football player to businesswoman to lawyer and eventually judge, as you can see in the video we filmed below. They feel as though attending Solar gives them the opportunity to achieve these goals.
It can be difficult in a world with so many problems to choose one upon which to focus our energies and financial resources, but believe me when I say that Solar is worthy of attention and uses its contributions in the most responsible of ways. The school relies entirely on contributions to function, and as such is in constant need of help. If you believe in its mission, consider getting involved. At the end of the day, it is impossible to address all of the problems in the students’ lives, but providing them with a solid education gives them a greater chance than anything else of creating a better future for themselves.