Bahia Street » News articles

Wealth Inequality

Bahia Street — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:22:16 +0000

Harvard professor Michael Norton recently discussed U.S. wealth inequality with Steve Inskeep on NPR. The gap between reality and perception is interesting and probably universal. Engaging citizens of any country in work that addresses inequality is difficult if they don’t perceive the issue to be as pressing as it is. Professor Norton gives culture and our belief in upward social mobility as one explanation for this gap between reality and perception, and certainly culture plays a role in every country’s response to poverty alleviation.

Bolsa Familia and its impact on poverty

Bahia Street — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:30:20 +0000

The Economist recently reported on the Bolsa Familia poverty alleviation program in Brazil. The story is interesting on many fronts. It discussed the intractable nature of urban poverty, and how “new poverty” in the form of drugs and violence is proving more difficult to impact than “old poverty,” defined in terms of lack of employment and access to opportunity. The story reminds me a summary of a World Bank report I read that concludes that the world has experienced a 7-percent drop in the population living below $1 a day but a 10.4-percent increase in the population living below $2 a day. We are helping to move people away from the edge of despair, but not to long term prosperity that will succeed in ending poverty in the long term. Programs like Bolsa Familia and Bahia Street working in tandem can address both the short and long term needs of children living in poverty.

NYTimes: “Educational Gaps Limit Brazil’s Reach”

Bahia Street — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:11:06 +0000

“Educational Gaps Limit Brazil’s Reach – Bahia Street board member Melanie Wyffels has this response to the Sunday, September 5, 2010 New York Times story about education in Brazil. “It is interesting and sad. It reminded of one of my last conversations with Rita when she told me that part of the group that is taking the pre-college prep course is illiterate, or almost. This factor slows down the whole program, as teachers have to give one-to-one classes starting from the very basics.

But education in Brazil would be worse if it weren’t for the thousands of invisible educators dedicated to changing the system, such as everybody at Bahia Street. Today I listened to a speech given by one of Chico Mendes’ daughter. (Chico Mendes was a national environmental hero, activist and union leader in the Northern state of Acre. He was brutally assassinated in 88 by the local ranch mafia). The clarity of her speech and message was amazing! She obviously received high quality education in the middle of the Amazon forest.”

Defining Beauty in Brazil

Bahia Street — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:43:33 +0000

The 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~

Bahia Street — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:36:39 +0000

An 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

Bahia Street — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:32:41 +0000

Bahia 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.

Global Violence: Connections between the US and Brazil

Bahia Street — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:18:52 +0000

Addressing 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.”

Deadly Floods Strike NE Brazil

Bahia Street — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:01:57 +0000

Floods are once again affecting Brazil’s northeast. Shantytowns are built precariously up steep hillsides, and these rains cause tremendous devastation to impoverished people living in these communities. CNN Link

Climate Change News

Bahia Street — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:32:27 +0000

Bahia Street was recently mentioned in an “International Educator” article about university programs that teach students about climate change. Bahia Street has partnered for two years with the University of Washington’s Department of Chemistry in a program that brings students to Brazil to learn about climate change in the context of local culture.

WBAI Radio Broadcast with Margaret

Bahia Street — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 19:04:14 +0000

On December 3, 2007, Margaret Willson was interviewed on WBAI, New York’s alternative radio station. Click here to listen. Go to the December 3, 2007 show and scroll ahead to the 30 minute mark.