A sobering loss for P1T

It has been almost a year since People-First Tourism (P1T) was in Brazil working with the NGO Humana Povo Para Povo to recruit local entrepreneurs for the first P1T network outside of the United States – Humana Sisal, Bahia, Brazil. From that intense week we clearly remember the barrenness of the land, the incredible hardships of everyday life, and, most strikingly, the kindness of the people we met and their paradoxical “joie de vivre” in the face of it all.   The complexity of our experience is illustrated in a short video on P1T’s Youtube channel; particularly in the genuine communion we felt while we danced with a group of sisal harvesters one night after a long and hard day’s work (an extraordinary day for us, just another day for them).

Among the aspiring and inspiring entrepreneurs we worked with that week, Felipe dos Santos Almeida stood out due to his charisma, his authenticity and his desire to make more of his life.  Felipe was an engaged community member, a youth leader…  His mean of making a living, however, was filled with danger.  Felipe worked as a digging laborer in unregulated gold mines near his village. The yield of the precious metal in such mines is too irregular to warrant the attention of the government and industry, so individuals with no other option to earn a livelihood, flock to the area and hand-dig vertical shafts using artisanal wood structures and handmade sisal ropes, relying only on camaraderie, superstition and magic for protection.  As a result, these amateur miners are dying all too often when their makeshift shafts crumble and bury them alive.

P1T is taking us to communities like this, where desperate people scratch out a living with dignity in spite of the neglect of under-resourced governments or inefficient social systems.  We invest ourselves in this project because we believe that, considering the limits of our skills, this is the way we can make the most impact.  We know that our work may only make a small impact, and that our journey will be arduous and slow.

That’s all nice and well when discussing participatory development theory, but Felipe died two days ago (Aug 27^th, 2013); partly because we were too slow in providing him with a safer source of livelihood. We must try harder. 

Resourceful people all over the world have to pursue dangerous, unhealthy and often times illegal livelihoods when they have no dignified alternatives to support their families. If they have no alternatives, it doesn`t really matter if they are threatened with fines, have to face court, or even if they are “educated” about the harmful consequences of their activities to themselves and to the environment.   P1T can provide more desirable livelihood alternatives. We can help resourceful micro-entrepreneurs earn their way to a healthier and more dignified life by committing our time, our efforts, our desire, our knowledge, our hearts. 

Felipe was aware of the risks and sought a way out – he was working with P1T to become a tourism entrepreneur.  He offered a guided tour to the cluster of mines for an opportunity to chat with miners about their techniques and their life stories.  Now we won’t be able to book a tour from Felipe anymore, but perhaps there is a way for us to honor this tragedy by gaining a renewed commitment to living a meaningful life and making real impact in the world through our studies and careers.  That, at least, is how we are trying to cope with our sadness at losing Felipe and of the role we had (and failed to have) in his life.We hope P1T can be a stage for a growing number of us to act out on our stubborn and unreasonable resolve to change the world.  Let’s strengthen our determination to grow and improve this incredible resource so that people with vulnerable livelihoods can live healthier, safer and more dignifying lives.

Bruno Ferreira, Empowerment Agent Humana Sisal P1T Network

Duarte B. Morais, P1T Project Director