What about Calabar

Calabar is one of Salvadors oldest Favelas (Chanty Towns), created by Quilombos – fugitive slaves more than hundred years ago. In the 1960 the neighborhood started to grow significantly due to the industrialization. Today Calabar is home to more than twenty thousand people. Half a year ago Calabar had the reputation of being one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Salvador, with high levels of homicide and a sophisticated drug mafia controlling the area. A teacher I talked to the other week told me that before the program Pacto pela Vida she entered and left the school where she work each day with fear of being shot by a stray bullet

They call it “occupation” – the installation of the new Community Police Base in the center of Calabar. The police went in, with loaded arms while the population had been told to stay inside. Not long after the installation of the base the coordination invited the civil society to a public hearing. Residents of Calabar had for long been without proper access to healthcare, public services, adequate education, basic infrastructure, sanitary solutions etc. All information about basic needs and wishes where gathered at the hearing and reported to the secretaries. During the half a year that has passed since the opening of the base many things has changed and many of the demands from the community have been met.

The homicide rate has gone down to zero and almost hundred percent of the houses now has basic sanitation, water and electricity. Security has been restored; people can feel safe on the streets. Still, drug trafficking has not been totally distinguished but operates instead much more incognito than before. Education has been reinforced, but there still exists problems in funding, infrastructure and materials. Many houses are built in slopes in Calabar and for each rain season the fear increases of having a massive slippage in the area, as have been experienced in so many other areas in Brazil during the last couple of years. Residents still awaits reinforcement of the slopes as well as a comprehensive solution to the question of what to do with the garbage. Garbage in large quantities by the road is a common view and a real problem in this city – I had actually planned to write something separately on that later on.

However, this is Calabar, a neighborhood that I am getting to know, little by little. Hopefully I can update on our activities there soon.