A social event by a group of volunteers called "Pão nosso". This day, homeless people were able to bathe, get haircuts and hot dinner. The community "Pão nosso" gives out food for homeless people once a week every week, but especially this day people were also able to take showers and get haircuts since the biggest national holiday in Brazil called São João (or Festa Junina) is right around the corner.
I was lucky enough to talk with every person I took a portrait of and
of course got to know a little about their life stories.
Recife, Brazil.
June of 2023.
A portrait of Gizabelle - a homeless woman, waiting to take a shower in a "porta shower" on the street.
Gizabelle was a very interesting person to talk to. She noticed that I am a foreigner and started asking questions about "my homeland". She was saying that "there", in unknown countries and regions, we are getting bombed everyday. Or, at least, that's what she is always hearing from the news. And Gizabelle was proud that here in Brazil they just have thefts and pickpocketters.
She told me that she doesn't do drugs (I believed her, since people from the organization have known her for a long time and anyways - it doesn't take a lot for people living on the street to open up), but was real quick to tell me how crack ruins families, young peoples' lives and how "here, on the street" she has seen mothers killing their children for drugs.
A church where the event was being held at.
Interesting thing I noticed about poor families, or, in fact, moms with kids, was that they don't really show affection to their children. Mothers don't mind their tone, they curse and shout at the little ones in situations that in no way require that kind of speech. And it seems that it's not important to the children too, - it doesn't look like they care or think that they deserve better treatment. Most of them probably don't even imagine that there is another way.
Is that a question of no education? A poor mental state? Unacceptable environment and living conditions? One can only wonder.
Elyssandra - a homeless lesbian woman saving a typical food "Munguzá" of the national holiday São João (June Festival) for later.
I feel very disappointed that I can't remember this man's name.
He was very interesting to me so after he took his food I came up to him and asked if we could talk and if I can take a picture. After some time he found me again and we went to sit down and chat next to a nearby table.
Turns out that after he got his dinner, he went back to the "community" (a "favela") where he lives with his mom. Actually, as he said, his mother lives with him, because he's paying for the rent of the house. His father abandoned him a long time ago and his brother was killed.
The man is 33 years old and doesn't have a job. On that note, he has never had a job in his life. Other people said that to support his lifestyle and keep up with the rent, he is engaged in prostitution. I am not sure if it's true, but it's something that a lot of people are left to do as it's really hard to find a job (get someone to hire you), due to discrimination against poverty-stricken community and racism here in Brazil.
A boy getting a haircut by a volunteer hairdresser
