Brazilian digital inclusion project leads up to new and uncanny smart phone apps

In 1996, the Committee for Democracy in Information (CDI), a leading NGO working towards digital inclusion in Brazil, opened a new computer school in the Rio favela Morro dos Macacos (“Monkey Hill”). The NGO, which at that time had only been operating for a year, could never have imagined just how successful it would be and how it would transform the life of one of its new pupils, Alexandre Carlos, aka Leco. Continue Reading

The project that started out like child’s play and changed the life of a community

“In 1997, when I was 14, there were two paths I could’ve taken in life, but the wealth and respect promised by the world of crime appeared much more immediate. I created an alternative for myself”, recalls Cilan Oliveira, one of the founders of the social project ‘Morrinho’, in Rio de Janeiro. It was child’s play that made the dream of a new life tangible for Cilan, and for the community of the Pereira da Silva favela, more commonly known as ‘Pereirão’. “During that period my brother, Maycon Oliveira, and I began building a model of Pereirão with my father’s leftover construction materials. It wasn’t anything more than a bit of fun, to keep ourselves occupied and forget about the problems of our day-to-day lives”. Continue Reading

Jungle Drums meets the charity with a thrifty twist putting the spring into sport for África

The team at Bounce practically take the ‘d’ out of fundraising. Founded by school friends Ali Little and Mark Shield in January 2008, who realised young people too often turned off by the prospect of giving to charity, they sought a fresh solution. “We wanted people to do fun and rewarding things in which, almost as a by-product, they ended up giving money to charity. So the ethos behind Bounce is to have fun whilst you give. We call it The Bounce Effect”, explains Little. Continue Reading

Colombian circus schools showcase the talent of their artists to the world

Come May, a swathe of the world’s finest circus acts will have descended upon London for the Roundhouse CircusFest. Circolombia are one such act, with the premier of their latest show, Urban, incorporating breakdance and parkour (free-running) with dramatics, choreography, South American hip-hop and swagger, a spectacular show of athleticism and poise coupled with power and grace. Continue Reading