A Life-Changing Opportunity
What I knew about Brazil was totally different from what I saw and experienced during my study abroad program. I am glad that I was given the opportunity which has changed my perception and will change the lives of many. The visit to the Billings reservoir was very educative, entertaining, and phenomenal. The right to city at Curitiba City is breathtaking. The city leadership have worked and managed to put the needs of its dwellers first. Clean water, a sustainable environment, and sustainable beautiful public parks are evident and all that matter in the city. The goals of the city planners was based on human rights and sustainability.
Although from the look of things, moving the families and settling them somewhere else appeared to be a little slow, the city planners based the whole project on human rights and the needs of the people by using sustainable techniques. In Sao Paulo, there are over 20 million city dwellers. I liked the way they made sure that those who settle around the reservoir had access to nice roads, sidewalks, playgrounds, parks, and a community center all by the side of the reservoir. It was incredible to see adults and children enjoying what belongs in their environment while maintaining and keeping it clean, showing the pride of the city and the joy of the dwellers. I believe the moment the project will be over and all the residents settled, the water will be much cleaner and the environment greener.
I have taken everything I’ve seen seriously. What I heard and saw is a turning point in my life and will affect me wherever I go. The lifestyle and the contentment of the Anna community, and the riverside communities, their dignified lives, their values, and the love of their environment. I just visited Africa in August and managed to share some of my experiences with leaders who said they were ready to adapt anything which help the environment back into sustaining itself and its people. Also, the right to the city is going to be their next agenda. I promised to work with them even if it means causing the city mayor to visit the city of Curitiba for better knowledge and understanding. I will make the connection for them.
I also took away the lifestyle of the Riverside communities. These communities do not have much to offer but they give what they have from their hearts. Their love for the environment and contentment is their way of life. They have love and support for each other as a community. They embrace their diversity, claiming that God gave them this for a reason, and their duty is to preserve and maintain it. I will spread this idea everywhere I go because I know it is workable. If the poor people of the Amazon can do it, anyone on the face of the planet can do it. It takes the authorities and community working together in order to bring it to reality.