IMPULSE TO CHANGE
This is the column Who Makes Redes, a compilation of the stories of people who build our organization and who work hard every day to do what we do best: actions and projects for residents of Maré. Learn about these stories, trajectories, experiences and the history of Redes da Maré itself - and how this work and the challenges faced since the pandemic have transformed them.
Eliana Sousa arrived at Nova Holanda at a time when there were only six of the 16 favelas in Maré. She came from Serra Branca, a city in the interior of Paraíba that was experiencing a severe drought in the early 70's, when her family travelled to Maré in search of more favorable living conditions. Upon arriving in Rio, Eliana felt the strangeness of the new reality, but noticed issues similar to those in Northeast, such as the lack of water, sanitation and electricity.
"A desire to contribute to changing certain scenarios that we encounter because of social inequality." That’s how Eliana classified the impulse that led her to get involved with activism and community struggles. About the campaign 'Maré says NO to Coronavirus', she says that “when the pandemic started and the needs for social distance were placed, I was concerned that many people did not have the minimum conditions to respond to this demand”.
During the pandemic, working in the campaign every day, Eliana closely monitored a portion of this population of more than 140,000 residents, unassisted by the state. Experiencing closely how much people were in need of help was very remarkable for her. Above all, meeting women who lost their jobs. "To see that people are really starving, to deal with these people, to have to make choices, and to see that governments have not acted vigorously is very cruel."
On the other hand, Eliana was with people who lived on the streets and found meaning in their lives; she saw the involvement of residents who were not previously involved with social issues; she appreciated the number of volunteers who supported the campaign. Thus, she believes that the work of Redes da Maré got even stronger in this period "due to the articulation that the campaign made possible with some organizations and this brought an important strength to the work."
For the future and a possible post-pandemic moment, Eliana hopes that we will be able to continue the mission of thinking about structuring projects with more experience, clarity and engagement. “I hope that we will be able to maintain our capacity to build jobs and possibilities together, collectively”.
