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Often the smallest voices are the least heard. But that by no means diminishes the importance of those behind the voices. So that Rio de Janeiro's smallest voices, of its children and youth, have a chance to be heard, Associacao Projeto Roda Viva is lending its voice in the call for greater social justic for this often forgotten but indispensibly important group of human beings.
fishing town. Formed in 1988, Roda Viva seeks to provide cimmunity-level technical assistance and training to aid Rio's youngest and most socially marginalized citizens, most of which live the increasingly violent shantytowns (or favelas) that continue to grow in and around the city. To reinforce the viability and sustainability of the community-level projects it undertakes. Roda Viva also makes concerted efforts to advocate the creation of legislation at the local and national level specifically designed to protect the rights of the Brazil's children and youth.
Cooperation lies at the center of Roda Viva's strategy to provide for a better life for Rio's youngest citizens. The organization firmly believes that satifactory solutions to the challenges facing Rio's young can only be found through the active participation of all relevant actors involved in youth -related issues. The imput and participation of public and private entities, other not-for-profit organizations and, most importantly, the communities of the children and youth are therefore viewed by Roda Viva as indispensible in creating safer and healthier environments in which to live and grow. To make the goal of greater cooperation between goverment and the not-for-profit agencies one step closer to reality, Roda Viva recently initiated its "Inter-Action" Program, and effort intended to incorporate local and national goverment agencies with the efforts of Roda Viva and other not-for-profit organizations working with urban child and youth development programs.
Moreover, to ensure that Rio's children and youth have every opportunity possible to develop their skills and talents, Roda Viva has undertaken a number of innovative projects designed and implemented jointly with the communities and youth they seek to help. Two of the largest projects currently under way are"Community Constructing the Future" and "Ecology Goes to School". In "Community", 800 children and adolescents living in the favelas of Borel and Indiana are participating in programs ranging from sports and recreation to continuing eduction to developing artistic skills through art education classes. The "Ecology" program trains teachers and students in public schools the methodology of environmental planning and education, creating greater awareness of the importance of urban ecology and what can be done to both project was initiated with the dual goals of restoring the rapidly dwindling forests around Rio and preventing landslides in the favelas climbing up the often unstable slopes of Rio's montainsides.
While the living conditions that many of Rio's poorest children and youth will undoubtedly and unfortuntely remain unchanged in the near future, the situation is by no means hopeless. Through its hard work and unique initiatives, Roda Viva has demonstrated that community mobilization and the cooperation of public and private entities offer the possibility that Rio's smallest voices will be heard and big changes for the better will be made.
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