Brazil. When people in the U.S. think of Brazil… if you’re a dude, you think of Gisele, the supermodel. And if you’re a female, you’re probably thinking of beaches, sun, lots of time to sunbathe and hang out in Rio de Janiero or São Paulo. Okay, I’m generalizing, but I was lucky enough to go to Rio de Janiero, Bahia, and São Paulo during a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars trip during my undergrad years. Gorgeous…gorgeous country.

FAST FORWARD SEVERAL YEARS…

I ended up meeting Mark de Barros at a party and found out that he is the Assistant Director of a Non-profit called Community in Action, a non-Governmental Organization, that is located in one of the largest favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro. Their mission is to offer vocational and cultural classes for students of all ages by offering employment opportunities for actual residents to enact a long-term change for the entire community.
Once we started talking about his work with this NGO, I definitely needed to get him on the blog.


Mark, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
I am both a Brazilian and an American citizen, and have been raised in both cultures. I grew up mainly in four places: Washington, DC area, Brussels, Belgium, Phoenix, Arizona (where I spent most of my time) and of course, Brazil.

I love São Paulo way more than Rio. Tell us about Brazil and growing up there.
Well, actually, I’ve probably only spent a good three years of my life in Brazil. My family is from Vitória, Brazil, which is just north of Rio. But I have spent my most recent “Brazil” days in Rio and love it. Brazilian culture is something that you can’t truly understand if you haven’t visited the country. It has a wonderful ability to make people feel at home. But, Rio is better than São Paulo. You really can’t beat the beaches of Ipanema and the weather year-round. There is just so much to do in and around Rio.

I need to visit Brazil again. On a different note, considering the recent downturn in the U.S. Economy, it’s interesting to see that the Brazilian economy is actually doing quite well. Yet, there
is an income disparity as shown in movies like “City of God.” Can you elaborate?
You’re absolutely right. Just recently, two massive oil reserves were discovered in the southern part of the state of Rio that should make Brazil a prospective OPEC member and increase overall foreign investment. But, unfortunately, there is social disparity unlike any other country in the world. Brazil is a country that is so rich in natural resources yet does not show for it socially, well at least as much as it should. In Rio, sometimes only 100 meters separate high-rises with million dollar condominiums and slums, where families live in one-room shacks with dirt floors. Why does this happen? There are various factors. One of them is obviously, corruption. I have witnessed elected community representatives for these slums exploit resources and compromise community programs to benefit themselves and/or their respective groups. Not to say everyone is like this, but there is a lot of rhetorical discourse and no fulfillment of promises. But another reason is that it is simply a part of its history. It has been like this for a while and nothing has really come about to change the situation. One would think that people who have been through what poor Brazilians have gone through their whole lives would start coalitions and attempt some massive social movement. It’s a system that is slowly changing for the better but that also has maintained many of its legacies and therefore an extended period of status quo.

What made you get involved in Community in Action? What do you do for this non-profit?
I became involved with Community in Action while I was working in Rio as an intern during May of 2007. I met the founder, Zak Paster, and became acquainted with the volunteers at the NGO. I was immediately captivated by the people of the community and the sense of solidarity they had, especially given its prevalent violence. So after I graduated I went back down. I actually just finished helping coordinate a DC fundraiser we had on September 17th. Before that I was working on site in Rio developing different programs for the organization, teaching, and helping coordinate different activities/projects for incoming volunteers. I will be going overseas for several months and won’t be as active as I would like to, but I still plan on working on fundraising projects. I hope to be able return to Rio to work as Director of the organization, considering how much I have learned from the directors I have worked with and the great experience that comes with running a non-profit.

That’s a pretty noble aspiration. You’re basically fresh out of school, and making your next moves, right? What’s your dream job and why?
I sure am. However, I keep on telling people I just graduated. I guess it’s true, but each time I say it seems like I’ve been out of school for longer and longer. So, I’m not sure how much longer I can bask in the time period of being a “recent college graduate”. I have several dream jobs. One would be to work as a lawyer for a human rights organization, such as the UN or Justiça Global (based in Rio) representing marginalized groups and individuals in regional and international courts. My second dream job would be to establish an NGO that works like Community in Action (tackling community problems by incorporating residents of the actual community) but on a more international level.

There is a definite need for that on an International level. So, what are the biggest issues facing non-profits like Community in Action? Funding? Getting the word out? Press?
FUNDING. It’s all about how much funding is available. A non-profit’s goals cannot be set without a clear expectation of how much money will be coming in. It’s a sad fact that a lot of other non-profits spend time on fundraising rather than actually focusing time and energy to their purpose of existing. Not to take away from other aspects. So, without a constant influx of money, long-term sustainability is not all that viable. Media, solid community relations and a good reputation are all vital. The relationship with the community is particularly important to us. We work in the Complexo do Alemão, the most dangerous slum in Rio. So, making sure that we do not interfere with the drug trafficking factions is a must, although we have never been given any problems. Also, Community in Action has become a trusted place for the residents of the community. They love coming to our site and taking advantage of all our services. We have created a positive vibe in a tough community and this is what brings more and more students every month. We have gotten to the point where we have to turn away some people because our space is limited (and because of lack of funding for new classes). But it is always very inspiring to see people want to learn the skills necessary to get jobs, become more educated and improve their lives. This is what we are there to do, create opportunity.

How is technology and the Internet helping the mission statement of Community in Action?
Technology and the Internet have helped us dramatically. For example, just a couple of years ago, we didn’t have Internet and some time before that we didn’t have computers. With the arrival of new PCs for our computer lab, our classes have increased greatly by size, therefore allowing for greater skill sets on the part of our students who, in turn, use those skills to find jobs, etc. Now we have Internet on half of our computers and have people regularly come in to check their email and research different topics that interest them. This has created an avenue for the poorer population to become Internet-savvy and integrate themselves into larger networks. It also allows them to search for jobs and other opportunities. All of this would not have been affordable for someone who earns minimum wage. We have also created a very good-looking website that attracts donations and updates those interested on what is occurring in the community and what new programs are being developed. This has increased our international networks and added to our legitimacy as a social service organization.

Yes! I saw the new, updated website. It looks great. And, because I work for a docstoc, a site that is all about professional documents, which documents are useful for non-profits? Is it LLC Agreements? Legal documentation?
Anything is useful for non-profits. Documents such as templates are very useful in drafting new legal documents or modifying existing ones. Bureaucracies in the 3rd world countries are impossible, so anything to help with the drafting of official documents helps. The LLC agreements don’t particularly apply to us as we do not have partners with a stake in our organization but what I can tell is that we are looking to change our legal status in Brazil and have been using various previously used documents by other non-profits who applied for the same status. So, having documents (that were successfully used) to refer to is always a huge time-saver and makes our life that much easier.

Very cool, Mark. Muito obrigado pelo seu tempo! (That’s Portugese for “thanks for your time.” I’d love to take credit for knowing Portugese, but this translation was courtesy of igoogle.com)
igoogle translation…I love you.

And needed to ask Mr. de Barros a couple of random questions…
Is everyone in Brazil a ridiculously good soccer player?
Yes.

Any stereotypes about Brazilian people that you’d like to debunk?
It is not as dangerous as is shown on TV shows and in the movies. A lot of the different accounts that are told are instances in which oblivious tourists are unaware of their surroundings. If you’re smart and aware when you need to be, you will be just fine, and be able to enjoy all of the great things Brazil has to offer. Watch out for Brazil. We have a young population with a lot of potential. Not to mention our innate ability to “dar um jeitinho” or always find a way to get something we want.

Uh. I think I count as one of those “oblivious tourists.” LOL. Obrigado, Mark!

And to find out more about Community in Action, click HERE