RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – For the Rio local (“Carioca”), it is virtually impossible to miss a sunny Saturday on the beach. All they need is a nice day with pleasant temperatures, and they make the most of their favorite program, a common habit that denotes the essence of the Carioca.
But not everyone feels this way. In a neighborhood of around 20,000 inhabitants, approximately 20 volunteers have given up their Saturday morning leisure time to do what they pay for everyday with their jobs through taxes–what should be done by the city and the state governments.
This group was organized by Heitor Wegmann Jr, president of AMAJB — Association of Residents and Friends of the Botanical Garden — to renovate the neighborhood. In all, over eight walls of the canal dividing Lineu de Paula Machado street were painted gray, preserving the existing graffiti. In addition, the bridge connecting the two lanes of was painted white, and its walkway gray, allowing citizens to see it better at night, not to mention filling in potholes with asphalt purchased by AMAJB.
All help was and will be welcomed by these residents and friends of the neighborhood who chose to make a difference in favor of their neighborhood as well as those who stopped, grabbed a rake and helped for brief moments, instead of waiting for the mayor to fulfill his promise.