(ANS - Madrid) - "In life there are two paths. The first is to work with and for others; the second, drugs and violence." This is the testimony of Carlos, a young victim of the lack of opportunities for young people living in the favelas or shanty towns. He was caught impersonating and was arrested, but he was lucky enough to be brought to Casa Don Bosco, instead of prison. Today Carlos is an educator in the Salesian centre, where he helps other young people to leave the world of crime and violence.

There are over 50,000 children and young people like Carlos who are cared for each day by the Salesians who work in the Brazilian favelas. For them there are 50,000 new life-plans which offer an alternative to the streets, to violence and drugs. "If their families do not provide them with the care and attention they need, if the school excludes them or places them in classes that are overcrowded and poorly taught, if society discriminates against them and offers no opportunities because of where they live, if, in addition, nobody has taught them positive values ​​... for the boys and girls in the slums the only thing that remains are feelings of betrayal, of failure and low self-esteem. They are fodder for the gangs and criminals and likely to become delinquents," according to Fr Agnaldo Soares of the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, a Salesian who spent many years working in this environment.

In Brazil, about 12 million people live in slums, according to the Istituto Data Favela. "It is true that the favelas are not what they used to be. There are shops, ATMs, etc.  But to be born, grow up and live in a favela implies that everyone thinks that your destiny is the crime," says Lorenzo Herrero, Brazilian Projects Officer in the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid. To combat this stigma, the Salesians work to offer the young people a future far from the world of crime and drugs. To do that, they have projects for the smaller children with recreational activities that they can join only if they go to school. They also have vocational training courses for young people, food and health care initiatives, and even pre-university courses for those who aim higher.

"When we meet one of these boys or girls who have committed a crime, we have to remember that before their crime there was a violation of their rights," says Cristiane Gomes, a social worker with the Salesians in the favelas.

To ensure that thousands of boys and girls from the favelas may have options for the future, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid has launched the campaign "Vive Brasil". Brazil is not just beaches, samba and fun. "With this campaign we want people to know this other side, sometimes hidden, that no one likes."

Further information is available on the website Vive Brasil.

Published 9/04/2015