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都市の「シェルター」をリサーチするプロジェクト「Shelter Studies」。サンパウロ、カラカス、ボゴタ、ニューヨーク、ジュネーヴ、パリ、ロンドン、イスタンブール……世界の都市を巡り、そこに住まう人々への30のインタヴュー|Shelter Studies is project to research various 'Shelter' by Keisaku Fukuda+Robert Schmidt+Gonzalo Velez. They interview 30 key persons living in vulnerable urban space.|Powered by MT 2.65Syndicate this site

Name: Janet Calderon / Doris Barreto
Profession: Director of Fe and Alegria Cartuche / Coordinator of the family division of Fe and Alegria Cartuche
Nationality: Venezuela
Date of Interview: Oct. 22th, 2006.


We interviewed them at a community church during the evening while sun light flooded through the space. 'Do what they can do for their community', Janet Calderon and Doris Barreto, revealed it through their actions, not their words. Through these two ladies narrative, who raised their children in the barrio we were able to hear and understand that community does not exist innately, but it has to be supported, discussed, grown up and constructed.

Name and Profession?
JC: Janet Calderon, I am the Director of Fe and Alegria Cartuche (Faith and Happiness) and Manager of the Social Works of the consortium.

DB:Doris Barreto, I am the coordinator of the family division, Manager of this Center and the Health Center.

Why did you start your profession here?
JC: Just inspiration.

DB: I started from the Christian community and I ended up in this activity. I don't now how it went really.

JC: The neighborhood has always had problems and there is a group of people who worry about them. I think that they have to give rather than staying home waiting for others to do the job for them. The will of daring to leave their house and participating comes in many ways. Due to the participation of people that have been around before us, we saw the possibility to help and got the will to do it.

DB: When you see a light in a dark space you feel motivation to move in search of the light.

What are the positive and negative aspects of the community?
JC: The same as every popular community, lots of solidarity. Today I live in a condominium and I don't know the people living around me. While I was living in the neighborhood, if my son was sick I would bother my neighbor in the middle of the night to take me to the hospital. Some one would come to my door for help. Nowadays if my son gets sick I have to call my brother who lives 10 minutes away by car. The neighborhood has solidarity, unity and humbleness.
The negative aspects... well maybe conformity because you get used to living at a low level. That is why you just throw the garbage out the window and don't care about bothering other people. Other negative aspects could be the lack of resources, high levels of kids quitting school. Public schools have a very low level. They don't use computers or study English so when these kids want to enter into university they can't even get in to the low level ones.
Every day the possibilities are less and the stereotypes get stronger. Every kid from the neighborhood is supposed to become a plumber or a bricklayer, but they don't want to have these jobs, they have high expectations but no preparation.

DB: I think a negative aspect is the way in which parents raise their children. Also that people get used to their life style and don't try to improve and don't take advantage of the opportunities available. People in this neighborhood have no life projects or expectations or goals. The kids are afraid of the challenges so they find the easiest way out. They prefer selling drugs than having a proper job.
Some families are very good though. They have values and criteria and they push their kids to pursue life goals. Unity and solidarity is what keeps us going and thinking positively that we can do good things.

What are your dreams and hopes in Cartuche?
Improve the life quality, to create a neighborhood that has public services. To see people grow. We have seen many kids stay behind because of violence and drugs and we dream to find solutions, growing as a family. Also we would like to clean the river as a symbol of our efforts and as our contributions to the city. A river where you can swim, drink and cook from its water. As well as, create a big eco-touristic park to show new things to people.
Our dream is to see Cartuche as a real city and our kids as professionals pursuing life-term goals.