My online buddy Ellis Weiner, points me to this post by Rio resident Chris McGowan about the efforts of an American priest, Edmund Leising to make a difference in the lives of those in the favelas:
Father Leising is an 86-year-old dynamo with boundless energy and irrepressible good humor. He is an American who came to Brazil sixty years ago and has lived here ever since. Arriving in the 1940s, he started working for Catholic charity efforts. In 1963 "Father Ed" was named director of Brazil's Catholic Relief Services arm. He undertook large-scale philanthropic projects and guided many future NGO leaders. In 1976 he founded CEAR, the Ecumenical Center for Action and Reflection, in Rio de Janeiro.
CEAR's purpose is to bring together Christians and non-Christians, religious groups of various denominations, and NGOs to work on development projects in poor neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro state and across Brazil. A "community agency" is created, typically involving 15 different local churches and groups, and given technical, administrative and financial assistance by CEAR for three years. At the end of that period, CEAR leaves and the new agency runs itself autonomously.
The agencies have initiated day-care centers, literacy programs, health centers, agricultural training, handicraft workshops, cooking classes, theater workshops, computer training, and recreational programs. Cooperatives are formed to sell goods made. Needy children are assisted with their schoolwork, and given skills to succeed in life. "The Fraternal Union" is a success story in the notorious Cidade de Deus ("City of God") neighborhood in Rio, and involves 14 different churches and organizations. Another agency, "United Communities of CUPIEP," shows how CEAR has crossed religious lines; it includes a Catholic church, a Baptist church, a Pentecostal church, a spiritism center, and the local Lion's Club among its participating groups.
In a city of incredible beauty, incredible injustice and incredible danger, it's truly gratifying to see someone making a difference.
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