Community Inclusion in Rural Minas Gerais

“If you pay attention, you will see the rhythm of the work,” spoke a man as he leaned on the handle of his shovel, grinning from behind his dreadlocks. A few feet to the right two other volunteers with hoes were working their way around a pile of dry concrete and sand, moving in unison to break down and reconstitute the mixture until it was all one smooth blend.  “We have a great community here, people work together.”

               

The man speaking was Alexandre, a capoeira teacher and chiropractor, as well as a volunteer. The here he spoke of is the town of Sao Goncalo, the venue being a community-based nonprofit called FUNIVALE. The organization focuses on agro-ecology and natural medicines, making and administering plant-based medicines at no cost to individuals in the area, as well as providing a venue for locals to learn about organic farming of natural plants. The operation itself has a satisfactory model, but the “community” aspect raises some questions.

               

Alexandre, the friendly Capoeira teacher, had plenty of good things to say about the community in Sao Goncalo, however he was not born there. Having moved to the former mining checkpoint 3 years prior he was part of an influx of outsiders that had become steady over the past 2 years or so. Labelled “hippies” by some, they shared the sentiment about a “simpler” life to be found in Sao Goncalo, such as the one Alexandre spoke fondly of.

The Hippies made up the majority of volunteers at FUNIVALE when EJB arrived to help. They were welcoming and friendly, but the question arose; who in the community is really benefitting from this project? There was a feeling of a good idea manifested as a project created by outsiders that largely benefitted outsiders. But then again, how does one define exactly who is part of the community and who isn’t? The complexities of service often render such questions.

A few days later, at his home over coffee Alexandre spoke about his admittance into the community. “The people here wait to see what you are bringing to the community. They want to see that you are adding to it, not taking away”. Hopefully the same holds true for outsider-funded community organizations. Through some more formal cooperation lies the potential for progress.