Number 351, May 20, 1999.
Visit our home page: http://www.oneworld.org/sejup/
In this week's issue:
>From FOLHA DE SAO PAULO:
- City in Rio Grande do Sul shooting for zero illiteracy
- Favela dwellers protest against police brutality
- Impeachment of FHC rejected by Congress
- City government and homeless reach accord in Belo Horizonte
**NEWS BRIEFS**
>From FOLHA DE SAO PAULO:
- City in Rio Grande do Sul shooting for zero illiteracy
One city in the southern part of Brazil is aggressively working to
eradicate illiteracy in its city. Ninety-nine people between the ages of
16-85 just completed a literacy course and can now read and write. Of the
16,993 habitants of the town of Horizontina, only 241 are left who cannot
read and write. The city is hoping that by the end of the year 2000, all
of its citizens will be literate. The city is using a program based on the
writings of Jean Piaget, Emilia Ferreiro, and Paulo Freire. The course
lasts for 90 days, and meets three times a week, with each class lasting
two and a half hours. In the course which just ended, only two of the 101
students could not read and write at a satisfactory level.
The megacities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have also begun this week
new literacy programs. The programs provide funding for ten thousand
people in each of the cities. The courses will involve the Ministry of
Education, universities and students training to be literacy teachers, and
businesses, who will help with the costs of the programs. Organizers are
also attempting an "adopt a student" fund-raiser wherein those "adopting"
will pay R$17 per month for a semester. The cost of each student is R$34.
Nineteen million people above the age of 15 are illiterate in Brazil.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
May 15, 1999
- Favela dwellers protest against police brutality
This past week in Rio de Janeiro, there were four protests against police
brutality in the favelas (shanty town). Two of the protests were centered
around a fifteen year-old boy who was shot by police as they entered the
favela. They boy was evidently collecting money for a soccer
tournament--the police assumed he was exchanging drugs. In another
incident in another favela, a fourteen year-old boy was shot by police,
again because the police believed he was involved in drug trafficking. The
fourth protest was centered around the shooting of a seventeen year-old boy
by the police. For the most part, the police operate with impunity in the
favelas. The protests were intended to draw attention to this problem.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
May 15 & 17, 1999
- Impeachment of FHC rejected by Congress
The Brazilian Congress rejected a request to open the process of
impeachment of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The request was made
by Congressman Milton Temer of the Workers' Party. The congressman accused
FHC of committing a crime for the censure of a search of the apartment of
the ex-president of the Central Bank, Francisco Lopes. Lopes has been
under scrutiny for fraudulent practices. The search was authorized by the
Department of Justice. The request for opening the process of impeachment
fell short: 342 were against, 100 were in favor.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
May 19, 1999
N.B. If you would like to read more about the recent banking scandal
involving Francisco Lopes and others, contact the following web site, and
go to the April 21-27 Previous Issues section:
http://www.estado.com.br/english/week.html
- City government and homeless reach accord in Belo Horizonte
A few weeks ago, Sejup translated a story about a conflict between
Military Police and homeless persons in Betim, a suburb of Belo Horizonte.
Two homeless persons were killed in the incident. The city government
finally reached an agreement with persons who had been occupying city land
and is going to make allotments for 200 houses for the families involved in
occupation.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
May 20, 1999
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