Defining Beauty in Brazil
June 8, 2010 | Nancy BaconThe New York Times just published an interesting article about changing concepts of beauty in Brazil. It reminds us of Rita’s tremendous effort to promote concepts of beauty for African-descent children. She has a bulletin board and pictures of black women all over the Bahia Street Center — models as well as “regular” women– to show Bahia Street girls and young women that they are just as beautiful as all of the southern Brazilian models that fill local magazines.
Stay Updated~
March 1, 2010 | Bahia StreetAn article was published about a recent yellow fever outbreak in a couple southern states in Brazil. According to the CDC, part of the state of Bahia is at risk for contracting yellow fever, but the area near the coast and Salvador is not included. Places with stagnant water and open sewage, like favelas and impoverished neighborhoods, are subject to increased risks with more areas for mosquitoes to breed. Many of Bahia Street’s students live in these kind of neighborhoods, but Bahia Street provides medical attention for each student. For more information about yellow fever and preventative methods read the Yellow Fever In Brazil article.
Bahia Street in Washington DC
January 5, 2010 | Bahia StreetBahia Street visits the Capitol
In December 2009, Rita won the Ivy Inter-American Humanitarian Award, bringing her to Washington DC for a week. Here she is joined by Seattle board member Melanie Wyffels, Program Director Nancy Bacon, International Director Margaret Willson, and our new friend Maria. We spent the week meeting with leaders working on issues related to Brazil, women, and poverty.
Bahia Street mentioned in The Nation!
January 5, 2010 | Bahia StreetNation columnist Katha Pollitt included Bahia Street in her December column about where to give money.
Global Violence: Connections between the US and Brazil
May 7, 2009 | Nancy BaconAddressing poverty in Brazil– or anywhere for that matter– involves holistic solutions that bring citizens from all of our countries together to work for equality and better quality of life for everyone. One example of how we are all interconnected lies in the relationship between drugs, guns, and violence here and the same issues in the shantytowns of Brazil. Seattle International Foundation president Bill Clapp recently wrote in the Seattle Times about the connection between the drug trade in the US and the drug trade in Central America. Interwoven with the drug trade is violence and the gun trade, and how U.S. legislation regarding guns affects our neighbors to the south. Gun violence is a huge challenge for impoverished shantytown residents. A recent article in the Global Politician discusses the connection between violence and a depressed economy. To quote that article: “To make the matter worse, countries in Central and Southern America top the league for gun homicides, with Colombia suffering from a mortality rate of 50 deaths for every 100,000 people, according to United Nations figures. The statistics for gun deaths in Honduras , El Salvador , Brazil , Venezuela , Guatemala, Jamaica and Ecuador are only marginally less. For many ordinary citizens of these nations, however, the quality of life is getting worse due to the constant fear of the firearms. In the increasingly desperate towns and villages, people are killing one another in record numbers and the social costs of gun violence are alarming.”
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