STRENGTH TO WORK FOR MARÉ!
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.
Elivanda Canuto (42), or Vanda, arrived in Maré at the age of 9, more precisely in Vila do Pinheiro, and built her life there. The woman from Ceará has two children and personal desires for the benefit of the collective. The work as a damage reducer at Normal Space is one of them. She always wanted to help people, and being able to do it at work, in the territory where she lives, makes all the difference.
Despite the long period living in Maré, Vanda began to circulate in other favelas of the territory only from the work on drug use scenes that she started in 2016, places that she was afraid to pass, like many people. It was through the Maré Drugs Forum that she learned about the work of Redes da Maré: “all spaces for people who abuse alcohol and other drugs are outside the favelas, that is, access is more difficult. When I heard about Normal Space, I fell in love with the idea from the beginning. I realized that it was where I wanted to be”, she commented. And that's where it started, in January 2019: “for me, it's important to be working in the territory where I live, that's what I need”.
The beginning of the campaign ‘Maré says NO to Coronavirus’, which already foresaw a front to continue following this population, even on the street, filled Vanda with fears and doubts about the risks of working on the street, and the exposure that this could represent for her family. But as the days went by, and the feeling that “I couldn't stay home knowing that there were other people in need” made her roll up her sleeves and go to the streets: “I had to be in the battle to help people who couldn't protect themselves.” Vanda continues to work directly on prevention with the homeless population and on scenes of alcohol and other drug use in Maré - and the beneficiaries of Normal Space, now that the place is closed due to the pandemic.
She told us about the visits she made to understand the conditions in which some of the regulars at the Space, were in. During these visits, she experienced some of the scenes that marked her at that time. "Inequality and vulnerability make the domicile prefer Normal Space or the street itself", she highlighted.
Before the pandemic, Vanda had already started a process to achieve another objective that will certainly be a fruitful channel for the population of Maré: she participated in the Pre-College Course at Redes da Maré, which was unable to continue during the crisis, but intends to turn back. Vanda wants to go to Social Work College. And for the residents of Maré, what awaits ahead: "that they have more determination, more desire to fight for what is rightfully ours". Let them be inspired by you, Vanda!
