Sao Paulo’s street traders earn a difficult living in a city known for its stark inequalities. KATE LIPTROT reports on Christian Aid’s work to support the rights of some of its poorest residents.
VANIA Almeida never stops scanning the street for police. Standing in the shade of Sao Paulo’s grand Santa Cecilia church, the tiny, careworn woman goes largely unnoticed by the well-dressed office workers streaming from the metro station.
Vania depends on selling cheap clothes from a blanket on the floor to survive. But her livelihood – and that of some 138,000 workers in Sao Paulo – was made illegal when the mayor banned street vending ahead of the World Cup and revoked every existing licence.
Now at the first sight of police, the 58-year-old picks up her goods and blends into the crowd in seconds.
It is easy to become invisible in Sao Paulo. Home to more than 11 million residents, Sao Paulo is the most populous mega-city in the southern hemisphere, and feels overwhelming. An endless sea of skyscrapers and helipads are fringed by favelas, the ultra-rich are distanced from the ultra-poor by walls and security guards.
As the city’s taps run dry in Sao Paulo’s worst drought on record and water becomes a commodity, it is widely claimed the water has been switched off only in the poorest areas.
Poverty in Sao Paulo is all about power or the lack of it. There are few more vulnerable than its female street vendors who work outside the formal economy to earn a precarious wage to feed their families. Often working while looking after young children, they face police harassment, theft and violence.
As a proud woman who is acutely aware of prejudice against her, Vania feels her rights are violated by the authorities, who treat her unlicensed street trading as a crime.
“I have had many bad experiences with the police, she said, “Two weeks ago they took all my merchandise. They took everything as if I was a criminal. Working honestly does not make much money here. I begged them to return my things but they didn’t. If I want them back they have asked for three times more than it’s worth.”
Vania became a street vendor 15 years ago when her marriage failed. She has a son, but he has a family of his own and can’t help.
“People can say very offensive things to me, they say ‘you are so old, you shouldn’t be working’,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“There’s a lot of prejudice against me because of my job and I suffer harassment every day. I need money because otherwise I will be on the street doing nothing.”
While Vania has not experienced police violence, many others complain of it. Last year a street vendor was shot and killed in a busy shopping area by Sao Paulo police. In footage which went viral, police are seen fatally shooting a street vendor at point blank range after a dispute between street traders and police escalated.
It is against this backdrop that the human rights organisation Gaspar Garcia has stepped in to help the city’s vulnerable street traders take a stand.
With support from Christian Aid, the organisation has set up a project of advocacy to help traders challenge the mayor’s 2012 decision to revoke licenses and to provide legal representation in order to launch a public lawsuit. They aim to protect the licences of the 5,000 or so who have them, and fight for legality for those who don’t.
Gaspar Garcia’s small team has built relationships with female street vendors, giving them space to hold monthly meetings and give each other moral support.
In the vibrant area of Lapa – the scene of last year’s shooting – “F**k the police” is spray painted in huge black letters on a wall high above the street.
The slogan overlooks the stall of 42-year-old Kelly Makauskas.
The buoyantly cheerful mum-of-three has run the stall since she was a teenager and she refuses to be beaten.
She stands beside Gaspar Garcia’s young lawyer, Amanda Paulista, as she explains: “Gaspar Garcia helps with everything because before I didn’t know my rights. It opened my eyes, now I know what the police can and can’t do.
“We need to be looked after by the authorities as real people.
“I’m just a person who wants to work and have documents to prove it. This is the way I provide for my family and I’m afraid that when tomorrow comes I won’t be able to do that.”
With the support of Gaspar Garcia, a judge has allowed Kelly to keep working for the time being. Now she passes on advice to other street vendors.
“Most of the people I work with are older than me and they cannot find another job, she said, “If you’re too old to work you don’t have anything.”
The strain of a lifetime of working on the streets shows on the face of of 66-year-old Edineusa des Santos. With grey hair tied back from a deeply lined face, Edineusa should be able to retire after 30 exhausting years of running a stall in Lapa.
The mother-of-six had retired but was unable to afford to live, having not paid the tax to be eligible for a pension, and had to return to work.
Edineusa’s life is tough. She is regularly bullied by the authorities and when she was robbed she knew not to bother telling the police, whom she did not trust to help her.
As she speaks, a Government enforcement officer pulls up by the kerb and Edineusa stares on silently as he contemptuously remarks in passing that he has the power to take belongings away.
Heavy raindrops began to fall and while shoppers take cover in the street’s boutiques and high-street shops, Edineusa hastily begins to pack away the children’s clothes she sells.
She struggles to wrap a plastic covering around the Ben 10 T-shirts and pretty summer dresses, reaching to move clothes from racks.
Standing under the cover of the stall waiting for the rain to pass, she said: “It’s exhausting because I’m old and I have to put together and dismantle the stall every day.
“I get a lot of help from Gaspar Garcia. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be working today. They have made me feel more empowered.
“In Brazil, the law does not benefit the poor. They don’t respect the elderly.
“Before, no one helped us, there was nowhere to turn.”
Christian Aid works with some of the poorest people in almost 50 countries, through local partner organisations, to end poverty.
This Christian Aid Week (May 10 to 16) thousands of volunteers across the UK will take part in Britain’s longest-running door-to-door fundraising week to raise money for its vital work with communities like those in Brazil featured here.
You can help to change the lives of women in places sich as Brazil by donating online at caweek.org, phoning 08080 006 006, or texting ‘WEEK’ to 70040 to give £5.
“Christian Aid responds to those in need of all faiths and none”
STEPH Cooper has seen the difference Christian Aid’s fund raising can make.
As a volunteer and then regional coordinator for the charity in Yorkshire, she has seen projects run by partners in Guatemala, Sierra Leone and India and the life-changing support they give to people living in poverty.
“Any money raised goes to fund work with all of our partners,” she said. “It could be the work in Brazil or in any country we work in.”
On a day-to-day basis she helps to coordinate fundraising and campaigning across the region on behalf of the charity.
“Christian Aid works with people of all faiths,” she said. “It was set up by the churches as a response to poverty after the Second World War.
“Although it’s a Christian organisation it’s motivated by faith to respond to those in need of all faiths and none. We seek to challenge the structures and systems which keep people poor.
“We don’t work through governments, we work through partners and we have a strict audit trail.”
Steph is encouraging people to attend events and to get involved with Christian Aid’s fundraising and climate change campaigning. “If there’s not already something we are doing we would be keen to speak to people to set up other options,” she said.
If you would like to support Christian Aid in Yorkshire, please email SCooper@christian-aid.org.
Forthcoming Christian Aid events
Saturday, May 16
Christian Aid Week coffee morning and brunch. From 9.30am to 1.30pm, Trinity Methodist church, York. All welcome
Saturday, June 6
Amanda Crawley, Nick Nightingale and Kate Pearson will perform the songs of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann at 7.30pm at St Chad’s church, York. For more information email Nick Nightingale nicknightingale4@gmail.com
Friday, June 12
A night walk is starting from Aroma Coffee Shop, Haxby, York at 6pm. It will be a short, flat walk (two to three miles) by the river, with an opportunity to reflect upon the lives of other people around the world, followed by refreshments and activities back at Aroma. All welcome. For more information contact Steph Cooper scooper@christian-aid.org
Saturday, June 13
Add your voice to take action against climate change from noon to 2pm at All Saints’ Pavement, York
Monday, June 15
Curry and quiz evening at 7.30pm, The Parvin, York Road, Haxby, York. Three-course Indian meal (English and vegetarian options available) and quiz. £15 per person. For more details and to book, contact Rob Cooper robcooper46@btinternet.com 01904 761605
Friday, July 10
Christian Aid St Crux Day, York. Refreshments and bric a brac on sale at St Crux, York. All proceeds to Christian Aid.
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