Complexo do Alemão

Yesterday, Brenna and I went to Complexo. We went on three modes of transportation to get there—a ferry ride, the metro and a bus! We met with Donitra and she led us to Complexo. Complexo is very different from Rocinha. The part of Complexo that we were in is a quieter neighborhood. The NGO, Comunidade em Acção is located right next to a school. It is a small NGO, with only about 30 students. They have a wider variety of art classes, but fewer English courses. We watched this art class called “biscuit básico”, which I thought was a biscuit making class, but actually it was a cold porcelain molding class. They were making this cute little figurine—a little baby in a cupcake looking rug.

We met Rosangela, who is the administrator at the NGO and she is a reserved lady who knows everything and oversees the NGO in Brazil. Zak, the American we previously interviewed with works on the American side of the operations. Doni is an American volunteer from NYC who went to Howard University. There was also this Lithuanian guy (can’t remember his name!) who graduated from UPENN’s MBA program. And this British girl, Emma, who is taking a gap year before she starts college.

There is a lot of development work being done in Complexo. They were paving streets and constructing buildings. We saw a couple of UPP officers wearing camouflage with blue helmets, indicating that they were part of the UPP troop. The layout of Complexo seems a lot more sprawled out and spacious. We did not enter into any narrow streets (I also didn’t see any). And they have cable cars!!! This is a huge mark of development as it helps commuters who live farther away on the steeper hillsides travel easier. It has taken two years to construct them and get them running. This Friday they are finally inaugurating the teléferico (cable cars)! It looks really nice and hopefully it will serve the community well. I hope I get a chance to ride on them—the view must be incredible.

During our day at CiA, we printed flyers and chatted with some of the community members. There is a very homey feel to CiA that is different than i2i. CiA seems to serve mostly adults, while i2i seems to cater to children. But maybe it was the time of day that we went to visit. One older woman even offered to be our guide around Complexo so that we can take photos. We’ll have to take her up on that offer because I am dying to take pictures!!!!