The Engineers Visit Alagados

Our great new friends from the Howard University chapter of Engineers Without Borders returned to Washington on Sunday, after their intense week in Salvador.  Aaron Johnson was kind enough to send these terrific pictures and this touching description of their visit to the Alagados.

I’d like to share with you a few pics and thoughts about our walk and art activity in the palafitas near ICBIE on the morning of March 18th 2009. It was one of the most gripping experiences I’ve ever had. Internet research about this location prior to our trip provided my eyes with only a minuscule amount of preparation for what my heart was left to confront in reality.

After a brief ride in the bed of Paranagua’s pick-up truck through a near by favela, Julio, Marcos, Bigod, Paranagua, and Richard vigilantly escorted us through a labyrinth of cramped dry-land homes and crudely constructed stilt habitations elevated over a significantly polluted estuary. Dozens of people milled about, taking little notice of our group until we began dispensing our meager supply of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and sanitary napkins donated to us for this purpose. The gracious gratitude each person expressed for these tokens, and the overall benevolence of every resident passer-by and those who gazed at us while we assisted the grafiteiros in decorating the exterior walls of several homes with spray paint, soothed any trepidation of calamity, and allowed us to become fully engrossed in the moment. The spray paint supply was at a minimum, consequently, several requests made by resident children for the grafiteiros to adorn their families homes with art pieces alas, had to be relinquished.

The trip was resounding success by all accounts, and much more activity packed than any of us could have ever anticipated. We’ve all gained a greater compassion for humanity because of you and Pietro, and I know the experience will never be forgotten by anyone in our group. Thank you!