Amy's Perspective: So Much Left To Say

Downtown Curitiba, near our hotel

The entirety of the last two weeks have finally begun to settle into my mind, and heart. I approached this experience as I do most in life: one part optimism and excitement, two parts flexibility, 1/2 part gulp for the inevitable. Life unfolds as it wishes, taking you with it as it goes. This experience taught me an incredible amount in a very short time (2 weeks!): You must roll with the punches, but never forget how to punch back.

The wonderful women from Humsol

Our last group dinner in Brazil, missing Julia and Rosangela

The women that I have met have shown me that while certain life changing events can occur to anyone at anytime, it doesn't necessarily determine ones fate. I met women, children, and families suffering from and dealing with the effects of cancer. I met homeless teen girls who were giddy with excitement to show the shelter that they called home. I spoke with public health officials, day care/community center providers, and public servants passionate about their work. I have experienced in the last two weeks what some do not see in a lifetime. I will be forever grateful to ITD and to Leslie Laurie from Tapestry for allowing me this opportunity. It has changed me as a person to the core of my being.

Our three Curitiba hostesses were truly dedicated to this as a way to show their city, their country, and themselves. They opened their lives to us so that we could not only see but feel the true strength of their dedication to women's health and the work they do daily.

Julia carries us through the song :)

Julia, with her strong love of music and family has managed to combine both in a wonderful project. I was very lucky to work with Julia for two weeks at Tapestry while she was in Massachusetts. She started a music therapy program at AAMA, with her daughter (a beautiful singer and Professor of Music Therapy) as the supervisor. Julia is a lawyer, who includes her youngest daughter in her practice. In addition to introducing us to her work at the NGO, Julia welcomed us into her home to spend time with her family, sing, and dance. To those who don't know me it shows how special Julia is, and how much I adore her, that I stood up and fumbled my way through two songs. Her commitment to her family, faith, and work taught me that there will always be a balance between family and work if one has enough passion behind it.

Left to right: Valéria, Shelley, me, and Judy in the State Assembly's President's office.

I did not know Valéria when I first came to Brazil. Valéria is one of the most dedicated and hard working women I will likely ever meet. She adores her two daughters and is equally dedicated to helping families, especially women with cancer, navigate the complicated world of health insurance. Her commitment to challenging the way the health system deals with the vulnerable is admirable to say the least. She lives her life focused on the things that matter to her: her daughters happy and healthy, her family and friends nearby, and those who need assistance always having access to high quality care and legal assistance. Valéria is incredibly funny while always being compassionate, and her appreciation for life has changed the way I approach mine.

Rosangela, far right, and her sister, far left, with other Humsol members celebrate their 3rd Anniversary

Rosangela has more life and energy in her pinkie finger than I think I will ever have in my entire body. She exudes confidence and joy from every strand of her curly hair. She lives life to it's fullest, and with her organization Humsol she has met her match! These people know how to dance and celebrate. We were lucky enough to be in Curitiba for their 3rd Anniversary party. There was so much food, dancing, and laughing that I could not help but think this group knows a lot about celebrating the little and big victories in life. Rosangela, Tonia, and all of the wonderful people from this NGO love life. They want to celebrate every minute we are blessed with. They are dedicated to raising funds, through their breakfast and dance gatherings, for women needing surgery from cancer. Rosangela is an incredible woman and I am excited to hear about where the agency goes from here.

On Leaving Curitiba - Shelley's Reflections on July 28

Curitiba is a big city, very big.  I think there are close to 2 million people living there.  One could easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of cars and busses, tall buildings, sprawling neighborhoods and people everywhere.  And it might be very difficult to find the way through the enormity of a social system in a city of this size.  Over the past two weeks, I entered into what felt like a private world of illness, homelessness and poverty.  And in this world I saw resilience, ingenuity, hope, love, caring and pride. 

Curitiba is divided into 9 districts, each with its own central city hall that allows citizens of the district ease of access to social services.  Within the city, the bus system creates a web of low cost access to each district and, within each district, citizens can get to local health and social services.  We had the privilege of visiting many of the health and social services within several districts, including Cajaru, a district of about 100,000 citizens.  We experienced a broad range of services from local health clinics, to community organizations where women gather to create crafts to sell, to after school programs where juveniles gather to gain skills that will keep them off the streets and assist them in building a better life for themselves.  The concept seems so beautiful and sounds so right, yet I believe that are complexities below the surface that we could not understand given our language barrier and limited time.  And I know that there are many individuals helping others in the midst of these complexities.

I am left with this conceptual image:  the healthcare and social service systems in Brazil seem to be much like a prism.  In the daylight, the prism is beautiful and colorful from all angles.  But on a cloudy day, the beauty and colors are not readily available.  I will need to use my own recall to remember the beauty.  And I will hold onto this image with the memory of the many individuals who are working hard to assist others in navigating a system that is large, overwhelming and maybe easy to get lost in.  Those helping others are the living beautiful colorful aspects of the prism and they, in turn, see the beauty and colors in each individual who needs their help.  Together they make the system work.  They provide the light needed for the prism to beam with beauty even on the cloudiest of days.

The True Meaning of "Home" - Shelley's Gratitude for Rosangela

July 27   

To say I am not ready to leave Curitiba would be an understatement.  There are so many things to see here, so much to learn and, in a way, it feels like we have just begun to scratch the surface.  Isn’t it that way when one visits a new country, or even a new state in one’s own country?  Yet, in another way, we have seen so much.

We did get a bit of the tourist experience by visiting the Opera de Arame, Jardin Botanico, Museu Oscar Niemeyer and many important sites that provided us context of some of the culture of the city.  But more important than that, our personal tour guide, Rosangela, provided us the context for a deep understanding of life in Curitiba.  From the Green Exchange Program, to a bus system designed for ease of travel, to recycling, we learned how Curitiba is focused on providing the best it can for its citizens.  I will be eternally grateful to Rosangela for the way in which she opened her heart to its very depth and shared her life experiences with us in a way that helped us to get a better understanding of the “real” Curitiba.  

On leaving this city, I think of Rosangela.  I hear her voice, I see her face, I feel her love.  She gave all that she had to this fellowship and I am sure that I would never have gained what I did had I not had the privilege of her presence, her hard work, her heart and her love for her country.  To me, home is being in a place and with people that I love.  I believe in my own heart that Rosangela shared her “home” with us all. 

Brazil from Amy's Perspective

Our time in Brazil is quickly coming to an end. It is hard to believe it has been 11 days today since I landed in São Paulo. Too much has happened to recount everything. I would have to spend the last few days entirely blogging in order to give a fair shake to all of the places we have seen and the people we have met. I will focus on the events that are most vibrant in my memory to hopefully allow me to do the most justice to an experience that feels difficult to describe.

One of our partner NGO's, Amigas das Mama's, holds a choral and craft group that is open not only to women with breast cancer, but to women from the community as well. The women were so welcoming and proud to talk with us about the organization that they are involved with. All activities are on a volunteer basis but many of the women I spoke with talked about AAMA as their second family, their home away from home. It was clear from the way they interacted that these women were a family, and now I was a part of it as well. The crafts and singing were an introduction for the women to come together and share. They were the foundation of support for each other as they went through treatment and processed emotionally and physically the changes within their bodies and their relationships with other people.

As women stood before us to sing songs that helped them heal, I could only think how critical these services are as part of our health care system. The cancer treatment was doing it's part to save these women's lives, but so wasn't this organization, this group, these women. To witness the power of this family these women created made me realize that so many times our medical system is short sighted. How well would these women cope with the radiation if they couldn't come weekly to share laughter and songs? How would women who were deserted by husbands or families when they fell ill find strength, or trade tips for dealing with the side effects of treatment?

Finding a way for people to create new families and build a foundation of support for themselves is critical when approaching health care. There is more to healing than medicine. I encourage anyone reading to take a moment to reflect on how all of us are impacted by the support of our families or friends, and where you would be without it. I am grateful to AAMA and these women for welcoming me into their family and bringing me into their lives. You have given me a wonderful gift. 

Brazil From Amy's Perspective: Curitiba

Before delving into all that we have seen in Curitiba, I want to revisit São Paulo briefly and our visit to the U.S. Consulate. The consulate visit was fantastic; it was incredibly well organized and they were welcoming to us all. I learned a lot about the health, employment, safety and politics surrounding women in Brazil. The most powerful for me was listening how Vera Golik (who will be coming to the States this fall) turned having a sister, mother, and brother with cancer at the same time into a powerful expression of what it is to live with cancer through the "De Peito Aberto" (Open Hearted) project. Vera works with her husband, a photographer, to capture images of women and their families dealing with each phase of cancer: the discovery; the process of dealing with cancer and it's impact on symbols of womanhood like the loss of hair, fertility, and breasts; support, or the lack of, and how it affects treatment; and overcoming the disease and the personal growth that occurs. I can't wait to hear more about De Peito Aberto, and meet the rest of the women who will be coming to the States in a few months.

Photos by Hugo Lenzi, for De Peito Aberto

I arrived at my next destination, Curitiba, in the state of Parana, on Wednesday along with Shelley and Judy. Our original flight was cancelled, but we were quickly moved to the next available one. As we waited by the gate hoping to hear some announcement that we could understand, I was again brought to bewilderment and admiration for the Brazileiras knowledge and ease with the English language. It is so easy to take for granted the challenge of simple communication. To meet so many women who have not only have mastered basic conversational English, but are able to carry on conversations while transitioning between English and Portuguese is amazing to witness. It gives me a lot of hope that I will master Portuguese some day! 

Our welcome at the airport was nothing short of wonderful. Julia, Valéria, Rosangela, and Julia's son greeted us with big hugs and even bigger smiles. Our three hostesses and their families have been incredibly welcoming. They have taken us into their lives, happily spending all day with us showing us their homes, their work, and their passion for the women of Brazil. They play the role of organizer, but also translator, helping us around their city and (quite frankly) putting our hostess skills to shame. :) 

Judy and Shelley smile while waiting for the flight from São Paulo to Curitiba

Smiles, hugs, and excitement all around. Rosangela's (far right) wonderful personality is captured so perfectly here! 

Julia, Valéria, and Rosangela have filled our days in Curitiba with so many wonderful experiences we end most days excited, a bit overwhelmed, and inspired by the people that we meet. The afternoon of our first day we got to see Julia's project, music therapy, at her NGO Amigas das Mama. Mariangela, the therapist, worked us through the different ways music helps one's health via the vibrations, power of lyrics, and the support from group music therapy. She then worked us through some exercises so we could gain a better understanding of what the participants would go through. Mariangela is one of those people that you meet and immediately want to be friends with. Her warm, caring, and soothing personality immediately made us all feel at ease. She is incredibly well suited to being a therapist, and it was a pleasure to spend time with her.

Left to right: Shelley, Judy, Mariangela, and me after our music therapy lesson.

For dinner on Wednesday night, Julia and Rosangela, along with Julia's daughter and a translator who will assist at the conference, took us to this wild pizza joint where they offer slices like pineapple and cheese, white chocolate and strawberry, and banana pizza. We tried almost every option they have, because when will we be able to have banana and chocolate on a pizza in the States? It was a great and tasty introduction to Curitiba. 

Inside the Parana State Legislative Assembly building

On Thursday morning Valéria took us to the Legislative Assembly of Parana. We had two wonderful legislative staff who gave us a tour, explained the history of Parana and Curitiba, and answered all of our questions without missing a beat. As someone very interested in politics, it was great comparing and contrasting their political system with the States, and learning the ins and outs of another system. It was interesting to see the military police office in the room next to a Catholic chapel next to the Assembly's multiple secretary's offices, and thrilling to have coffee in the President's office even though he was out.

Legislative President's office.

Valéria and one of our wonderful guides enjoying coffee in the President's office.

Brazil, and especially our friends here, have treated us better than we could have ever dreamed or imagined. I have learned a lot and have stored away ideas for my own work back in western Mass. This trip has opened my eyes in many ways, but also inspired and encouraged me. This is a beautiful country with strong, amazing women working incredibly hard under difficult circumstances to make the lives of other women here, and across the world, better. Our time here is going by so quickly, I hope only to absorb as much of this time as possible, and do their work and passion justice when I return home.

The Big WOW! Shelley on June 20

The day started with a big WOW!!  We were welcomed into the office of the Parana Secretary of Health by the Secretary himself, Miguel Caputo.  He came in during his vacation time to share with us information about Curitiba’s Mother, a program that provides services to at risk women who are pregnant, throughout their pregnancy and beyond to the child’s age of 2.  The program provides resources such as housing, food, medical care and clothing.  Since the inception of this program 12 years ago, infant mortality in Curitiba has dropped from 16% to 8.5% and transmission of AIDS from mother to baby has dropped to 0%.  The program has started expanding into Parana’s Mother and Brazil’s Mother, an interesting twist on a traditional top down model.  Curitiba is leading by example.

At this same meeting, we met Vinicius Budel, an oncologist who was able to answer a broader set of questions regarding health care.  He talked about preventative medicine being the base of the health care system, with consultation with physicians as a second tier and hospitals as a third tier.  The base of the system includes four programs:  children, gynecological, seniors and chronic disease such as diabetes and hypertension.  Citizens access the health care system through its base, navigate through the portions of the system they need and always return to base.

 One interesting story that Vinicius Budel shared was about an event of eight years ago where Curitiba offered free mammograms on a Saturday.  The event was highly publicized and 33,000 women showed up.  The following Saturday, free prostate exams were offered.  800 men showed up.  This differential is being taken into account this year with the introduction of Blue August.  This event, similar to Pink October to raise breast cancer awareness, is designed to raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Another fascinating discussion item:
-    health care is a Constitutional right in Brazil (This leads me to the question of how “health care” is defined and who is entitled to publicly supported health care.  We were told that 30% of the citizens of Curitiba have private health care.)
-   12% of all state budgets must go toward health care
-   15% of all municipal budgets must go toward health care
-    there is no mandated percent of the federal budget toward health care.

We were also told that the “right” to a mammogram for women not “at risk”… how is that defined?… exists for women ages 50 – 70.  How many of my friends and acquaintances who have traveled the breast cancer journey would have qualified for a mammogram before the age of 50?  Hmmm?  This is becoming a discussion item in the U.S. too.  Something we have in common with Brazil, I guess.

Toward the end of the meeting, we realized that we, as Americans, had opened the door to a conversation that one of the local women attending with us had hoped to have for some time.  As a radiology technician specializing in mammograms, she has been concerned with the division of funding for the public health care system.  From what I could tell, she was concerned with the lack of funding for training in the reading of mammograms and said that all the great technology in the world does no good if the individual reading the mammogram cannot determine whether the exam shows indications of breast cancer.  It was fascinating to think that she had taken this opportunity to escort us to this meeting in order to get her foot in the door with people in high places.  Yet, I think that is exactly what she did.

At the end of the meeting, I presented Miguel Caputo with a token gift that I had purchased at Historic Northampton.  A WOW ending to an amazing meeting and another example of the welcome that we are receiving in this gracious city.

Judy here again, There is just soo......much we have experienced here I can hardly sort it out much less write about it all. I know I will need some time when I return to process the experience before I can do it justice on paper. Tonight I would like to share two experience that have impacted me deeply. Yesterday morning we went to the office of the Secretary of Health where we had close to a 2 hour meeting with the Secretary, who came in specially to meet with us from his vacation and an oncologist. Both men were gracious and very engaged in discussing their health care systems and answering our questions. We all felt very honored. There are some lessons in the provision of community health that we in the USA could learn from the Brazilians. The other awesome outcome of this meeting is that we gave the Brazilian women access to the secretary to discuss their issues that they otherwise would not have had. Later in the daya we visited a daycare/family community center. So far it has been the high point of the trio for me. I will walk you through the building....follow me We walk up to a sunny lime green buiilding with the sounds of children's voices coming from the big open windows. Around the side of the building is a garden with fruit trees planted in alphabetical order. On the roof is a huge blue container to collect and recycle water that is warmed by the sun to use to shower the children. There is also a display describing how to reuse soda bottles. Come back to the front of the building and enter the building itself...On the floor is a box of empty food and drink containers that they center recycles for 2 reais each. The first door on the left is a kitchen where mother can come in to learn to cook. they can also rent the space to cook for parties or bake goods to sell to make money for their families. On the right are bright sunny classrooms of children from babies to about age 4. The sound of saws and hammers is coming from the last room on the rights. Inside two men are working on a piece of furniture made from recycled packing crates. We are told later that these two men were once in prison for drugs but now are working on this to make money for their families. They make a bedroom set out of this wood and then cover it with bright material. A set includes a bed made of palates, mattress, bedding, a chest and a wardrobe all of the same wood and brightly colored fabrics. The set sells for 49 reais ($25) half of which the men keep and half goes to the center. Continuing along on the right is a room where the moms learn to sew tote bags out of recycled bags that come from the military(who in turn have bought about 1,000 bags back from the center. From here we enter the , Lunch room where some children are munching on cookies and being kids. Heading outdoors we see a garden and play yard. On the wall is painted in bright colors PAINT THE STARS AND YOU WILL HAVE THE SKY IN YOUR HANDS(not sure that is a direct quote but close). There are vegetables growing, lettuce growing in hanging recycled soda bottles and an adorable playhouse that the fathers(yes there are some gender issues here) can make to sell as well. Hope you are still with me....the last building houses more craft areas and a teen rooms where the kids are playing checkers. They all greet us with HELLO!when we learned we were Americans. We made our way back to the entrance said a fond fair well. As we walked out the gate people were helping themselves to two boxes of fragrant oranges that someone had dropped off. The woman who runs this organization and is the creative genius has 8 children as well! I hope you enjoyed this magical journey and wish you all could have been with us, I am sorry I cannot attach photos but my IPAD won't cooperate(more likely it's the IPad Operator) Kindest regards from Brazil

The Women of Amigas da Mama - Shelley's thoughts of July 19

This afternoon we had the opportunity to visit for the second time Amigas da Mama.  It was our time to learn from them and to share some of the “wealth” of our Connecticut River Valley.  Amigas da Mama is an 11-year old all-volunteer organization tucked away on an upper floor of an office building on Rua Ebano Pereira in Curitiba.  With not a single paid employee, Amigas da Mama is a success story if there ever was one.

From wigs and home-made chemo hats and prostheses, to informational and educational services about mammograms, to choral activities and advocacy, Amigas da Mama is there to help the many many women (Valeria says that some days she arrives to a line at the the door) who pass through its doors each day.  But it is the companionship of others who have traveled along the breast cancer path that stood out in my mind this day.

We were there on a day when Valeria was to explain all of the Amigas da Mama services to current and new participants.  The President of the organization, who I hear is at the office everyday including most weekends, quietly made sure she greeted each and every person.   Mariangela was floating through the room before the meeting gently coaxing women to join her upcoming music therapy group.  The group of women who come regularly to get together to sing or sew items for sale were bustling around the room greeting us with huge smiles.

And then, in came a woman who had not been there before.  She was sporting something we see all too often, the head scarf.  She came into the room at the last moment and quietly sat down next to me just as Valeria began to explain what Amigas da Mama does.  I did not understand the Portuguese being spoken, but at one point this woman found an opportunity to slip in a very short bit of information about her situation.  Everyone listened intently, nodding knowingly.

When Valeria’s presentation was over, she brought in two bags, one that I had carried to Brazil and one that Cynthia and Judy had carried.  These two bags contained the 100+ bras that I mentioned in an earlier blog entry and 20+ breast forms.  These donated items will fill a niche in Curitiba that is hard to understand in the world I walk in back home.  To see the faces of the women as we unzipped the bags and began to pull out the items…. Well, you just had to be there.

And then the fun began.  As breast cancer survivors often do, the ladies all began to make lemonade from a life sometimes full of lemons.  We all donned a bra and paraded around for a photo shoot.  And our new friend, the one who had walked through the door for the first time not even an hour before, jumped right into the action.

A performance for the Americans of a couple of songs followed, as did food and drink.  I had my first taste of the pine nuts from the Araucaria trees of Brazil.  Yum, yum!!

Women gathered to provide informal support for each other in corners of the room.  And clearly an overwhelming amount of community and support surrounded the newest member of the group.  She quickly took off her scarf to show everyone her bald head and I could see from across the room that she had found a new support group who will fast become new friends.

We received hugs and kisses from each and every woman as we left.  And as if all of this were not heart-warming enough, as we turned to say our final good-byes, we were left with a view of the newest member surrounded by her new friends, trying on wigs and getting all the oohs and aahs she might need to feel just as beautiful as she was.

Sometimes it is the hardest parts of our journey that leave us with the strongest memories of all of the warmth and love that we can experience in this life.  Companionship such as I saw today cannot be purchased and is worth more than anything money could buy.

Lessons Learned from Julia - Shelley on July 18

Julia is a lawyer here in Curitiba, practicing family law.  We spent our first afternoon in Curitiba with her.  She took us to Amigas da Mama, an NGO providing support to women with breast cancer.  Here I had some very powerful “aha” moments about the power of music as a therapeutic force that seems wildly underutilized.  Julia and her family have a love of music and that love showed in the radiance of her face as she introduced us to her fellowship project.  The essence of the project is to develop a music therapy program for breast cancer survivors. 

Julia introduced us to Mariangela, the music therapy intern who will deliver the program for Amigas da Mama.  Mariangela talked with us about the importance of music in our lives, in our bodies and in our hearts.  She explained the use of music as therapy in contexts such as illness, childhood development and dementia.  Her approach to music therapy is by working with individuals to passively absorb the music (listening/vibrational) and actively singing (both known songs and songs that result from improvisation).  She talked about the importance of these approaches at various stages of life and disease and the powerful impact music can make in a lifetime.  This seemed especially relevant to me since I am now dealing with a father with dementia.  Often it seems as though he is living in a world of song memories and a specialist at home had mentioned to me that music memories are some of the last to go.  I think I actually understood this more deeply after Mariangela took us  (Amy, Shelley and Judy) through a short series of some of the exercises she plans to use in the breast cancer setting.

I think Julia has created a program to be proud of.  Not only that, she has created a program that can be sustained.  Mariangela will develop the music therapy program over the next four months.  When she graduates, another intern will take over where she left off, and so on and so on…….  If Julia and Mariangela have anything to do with it, the program will flow gently from one person to another like the notes of a flute.

Shelley, Judy, Mariangela, Amy

Cynthia's Reflections of a Journey

"Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving it the sharp contour and meaning of art." -Freya Stark

I love this quote because it expresses the nervous excitement I have felt every day of my journey here in Brazil and about life. I have just gotten consistent internet access and ironically, being disconnected has made me even more connected to myself and the experience. This photo was taken from the backseat of the car on our tour of Sao Paulo. So here you are, trying to inhale every molecule of the experience and capture in an instant the smell, the color and the feeling that will become your memory as you snap what you know is the "perfect" image and this is what appears...I must say after several of these "perfect" photos Shelley (my backseat companion) and I belly laughed and determined that this was an amazing metaphor for life as it unfolds. It is in this blur that everyday life and it's "intrinsic qualities" are given "sharp contour." Some of the most powerful events in our lives come without warning…the energy renders you suddenly aware and awakens parts of your unconscious hurling them into your conscious mind, changing you forever. Each time a metamorphosis occurs there is a small interior voice that becomes more audible and gives one pause to question what other parts of the unconscious are awaiting to wake from slumber. This has been my experience in Brazil thus far.

I am grateful for the events that have led me to this fellowship, for my traveling companions Shelley, Judy, Amy and Leslie who are forever imprinted on my heart, for the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts for mentoring me and providing me with tools to recognize new things in the community before me and about myself and for the existence of this exchange program that creates space for innovative and powerful connections professionally, organizationally and personally.Our Brazilian hosts are warm, engaging and put so much thought and care into crafting an experience that spoke to our individual interests as well as our shared passions about health, human rights and social justice. All of these amazing individuals remind me about the meaning of passion and commitment, expressed through the bonds of communal solidarity.

My world has expanded in ways I could not have imagined since the beginning of this journey. I have made new friends and cultivated a deeper bond with existing ones. I have learned that engagement with our partners at home or abroad represent a form of “living text” where theory and practice come to life as we purposefully do our work. Moving forward, when thinking about policy and creating shift it is the voices, faces and stories of the women I have met that I will hear and remember. It is in the blur of life that quite possibly the most beautiful moments exist.

I have been moved everyday by the courage, heart and conviction of the diverse group of women here who ignite change. Thank you to all of you for being true to who you are out in the world.

Getting to Know Valeria, July 19 - Shelley's thoughts

Today (July 19) was all about getting to know Valeria and some of the work she does in Curitiba.  Imagine femininity; add a huge smile, a polished presence and loving softness.  And add to that an enormous giving heart.  Finally pile in a lot of conscious advocacy with a force you may not recognize until it right upon you.  I grew to admire her very quickly.  She is a lawyer who advocates for women’s rights, particularly in the area of health insurance. Valeria took us to the Parana Legislative Assembly for the morning.  We were given a tour, but with Valeria, it was not only a tour of the site, but also a tour of who she is and what she does.

As we stood in the Assembly Hall looking at the seats that would be filled with 54 representatives, 50 men and 4 women, Valeria told me the story of her fight for the right of mammography at the age of 35 for women at risk of breast cancer.  Three years ago, legislation that would establish this right had been proposed, passed and then cut by the Governor.  The Legislative Assembly had the power to overturn the Governor’s veto.  On the day of the vote, Valeria took 30 women, dressed in black, to the Assembly.  She had 20 of these women sit in the balcony and placed the other 10, many wearing head scarfs, around the Assembly Hall.

Somehow, behind the scenes, Valeria had asked that the microphones at each voting representative’s seat be cut off.  As the representatives tried to speak and could not be heard, Valeria had her microphone turned on and spoke as an advocate for passage of the law.  Then she passed the microphone around the room to the 10 women and had each of them tell their story.  One story was of a woman who had been diagnosed at a late stage of breast cancer and may not have had to have the treatment she was in if she had had the advantage of early diagnosis.  Another story was of a woman whose mother had died of breast cancer and would likely not have if she had had the advantage of a mammogram at an earlier age.  And on and on, with each woman in treatment taking off her scarf to reveal a bald head.  Powerful, right?  The legislation passed.


The action of cutting off voices felt like a symbol of the voices of women that are often cut off where they most need to be heard.  As Valeria told the story, she drew close to tears and I did too.  It was such a powerful statement in the importance of advocacy for those who cannot advocate for themselves.  And, of one woman who takes on this challenge of advocacy.

And the Eat Goes On! Shelley in Sao Paulo

We have had colorful and delicious food here in Brazil. Some photos of our Sao Paulo dining experiences are below (I hope).  We ate our way throught this city.  It is amazing how food binds us all together.  Our conversations were as rich as the colors of the food, as beautiful as the presentation, and as meaningful as food itself.

Meals seem to all begin with appetizers.  It took us awhile to learn that, unless you ask not to get them, you get them.... and you pay for them.  And when you finish them, you get more.... and you pay for more.

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Gorgeous pizza selections.

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Oh yes, and you get the basket of breads with the appetizers.  Again, if you don't let them know you don't want it, you get it, and you pay for it.

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Fabulous crab and shrimp souffle.

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More appetizers.  All so good, so we kept it coming.

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Airborne - Shelley - July 14

My trip began in my little town of Northampton, nestled in the northeastern part of the United States.  The hope of this journey is to learn about the people of Brazil and a country in South America.  
At the airport I met the four other women taking this journey.  While we had only met for a couple of hours before this trip, we are, of course, women, and that says it all.  The conversation was endless and, already, it is clear how our lives overlap and diverge.  After a relatively short flight to Dallas, we lifted off for our 10-hour flight covering more than 5000 miles.  The lump in my throat is noticeable and sends the clear message of how fortunate I am to have this experience.

Among other interests, I am a long time birder.  I am very familiar with the migration routes and the tremendous energetic output of migratory birds. But tonight I am the one in flight to a new land.  I hope my energy can compete with that of our feathered friends so that I make the most of this time.

U.S. Consulate from Shelley's perspective - July 16

I am not sure how to even begin to talk about the event of the afternoon.  I guess I’ll describe what happened and everyone can use imagination to gather what I must have felt sitting in a room at the U.S. Consulate with women leaders from Brazil, some of whom traveled quite a ways and all of whom took time out from very busy schedules to share with us a little bit about a country they are very proud of.  The event was the welcome briefing for the Professional Fellowship Program: Women’s Empowerment (Brazil Women’s Health). 
The five of us arrived at the U.S. Consulate just on time (traffic, yikes!) to surrender our passports, phones and cameras and be tagged with the words “this person must be escorted from this point on”.  The afternoon was one of powerful, exciting, ambitious, bright and dedicated women all gathered in one room.  We were greeted by Maria Estela Correa, Cultural Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Consulate General Sao Paulo.   After a half hour of meet and greet, a phrase that pales in comparison to the conversations that were going on, a panel of four women provided us with an overview of some of the issues women face in Brazil.

Vera Golik, a writer for leading women’s magazines in Brazil, presented a project that she has created with her husband, a photographer.  After learning in the same week that her sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer, her brother with lymphoma and her mother with ovarian and uterine cancer, Vera struggled to find her place in the family and decided to use her gift of journalism and her husband’s gift of photography to create a photo exhibit that educates the public about the breast cancer journey that women take.  I have seen many cancer photo displays over the past 12 years and I have to say that this one is the most powerful.  Listening to Vera’s story, wrapped in humanistic views of diagnosis, treatment and survivorship, I was not sure how to keep myself from shedding tears from the FRONT ROW.  Her show has been seen all over Brazil and, with the help of the Susan Komen Foundation, it was brought to the United Nations in New York City.  IMHO, it should be seen by everyone as it provides a clear message abut the human aspects of all illness.  To add to the power of the presentation, Vera’s sister, Andrea, was in the audience and we had time to talk to her in a very meaningful way both before and after the panel.

Rossana Camacho is a specialist in domestic violence and is the chief of the Police Department for Women in Marilia.  I felt her gift of bringing softness to a world of such hardness.  Rossana has worked hard in a world where there was no framework for dealing with the domestic violence she saw every day.  She sought and found small loopholes in the laws and poked her way into those loopholes to create the cracks needed for women to assert some rights in their struggle to be set free from abuse.  In 2006, Brazil enacted the Maria da Penha Law, a law to restrain domestic and family violence against women. Rossana’s hard work was rewarded with a legal instrument that codified her dream for a background within which women can assert their rights to be free from the threat of domestic violence. 

Claudia Luna is the president of the Brazilian Vital Voices NGO Women by Women: Voices and Action of Women.  She is a lawyer on the Brazilian forefront of Sao Paulo State policies for women and human trafficking.  Using the history of women in political positions throughout the country of Brazil as a backdrop, Claudia presented a view of the importance of understanding what it has meant historically for women to be in positions of influence within the government of Brazil.

Maria Fernanda Teixeira is the president of First Data Corp in Brazil.  FDC is the largest company in the world in the area of electronic processing of payments.  Maria spoke as a woman with a mission and a strong clarity around what it will take to achieve that mission.  She is considered one of the most influential executive women in Brazil and within Latin America and it did not take long to see why.  Her presentation was an analysis of the positions women hold in the corporate world and questions as to why women have not yet achieved a higher percentage of positions in upper level positions.  She emphasized the importance of those participating in this project being positive role models for future female leaders.  She also discussed why it is critical that women be in these upper level positions.  As an example, she spoke of the extent of women’s involvement in most of the family purchasing decisions and left us with the question of why corporations would not want women involved in the design and marketing of the items purchased.  Her presentation led to a healthy discussion around the use of quotas  to move a country closer to resolving long-standing issues of discrimination such as those that exist in hiring and pay decisions involving women.

During the coffee hour that followed, the American and Brazilian women were given the opportunity to gather more informally to talk about their lives, their work and issues that are faced by women worldwide at some level no matter the cultural context.  Every woman in the room seized this opportunity with a visible thirst for more time together.

Hello from Curitiba Brazil! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post! My only excuse is we have been having such an amazing experience and have no had much down time First, I want to express now very grateful I am for this amazing opportunity. The 5 of us have not only enjoyed Brazil and our hostesses but have enjoyed each others company and learned so much about and from each other as well. It was a it sad to leave Cynthia and Leslie as Amy, Shelley and I headed for Curtiba. It felt as though our newly created body had lost an arm. Our conference at the US embassy was wonderful and we enjoyed meeting several of the women who will be coming to the US Our first full day in Curitiba included a visit and tour of the legislative assembly, a market tour and a visit to Valaria's agency where we had warm fellowship and delivered the donated bras and Breast forms. Believe it or not we are going to a football/soccer game between Curitiba and Sao Paolo! We will probably freeze as we were not prepared for the cold weather here but it will be a blast as they LOVE thier soccer here. Regards to all back home Judy Mealey

Brazil from Amy's Perspective

My fondness of Brazil may have started with the warmth of the people, but it grew with the food, architecture, and beautiful environment of São Paulo. We have been busy since arriving early on Sunday morning, and several of us have run into issues connecting to the Internet. Here is a brief visual recap of the first few days so far. A more thorough post on the trip, and the visit to the U.S. Consulate in particular, will come after more time (and hopefully a reliable connection!) to reflect on the experience. 

We visited the Jardim de Esculturas in São Paulo on our architecture tour, which housed beautiful sculptures from the Museum of Modern Art.

Our wonderful guide taught us about the architecture and history of São Paulo.

  

Street art from around the city.

A view of beautiful São Paulo as a storm fast approaches.

Brazilian hot chocolate. Better known to Americans as pudding. Delicious, hot, chocolate pudding.

A view of beautiful São Paulo during the fast moving storm. 

Eating, chatting, relaxing after a busy day.

Art sculpture in one of the oldest alleyways in the city. The bags are full of water, and the thin blue tubes drain into trees. The bags are refilled when empty to continue the cycle.

Brazil from Amy's Perspective

After a brief delay due to weather in Dallas, we arrived in Sao Paulo on Sunday morning. Flying over the city put into perspective for me how huge the city is. Buildings packed in together, lined up like little legos on a board as far as I could see. The poor gentleman next to me on the plane must have felt my excitement radiating like an oven working overtime. After settling in at the hotel and getting some helpful tips about finding our way around Sao Paulo, the group went to a delicious restaurant a few blocks away. Despite the language barrier, and with the help of iPhone apps and some friendly patrons, food and drinks were ordered and we all settled into warm and lively conversation. Everyone we have met have been incredibly friendly, patient, and good natured. It turns out a lot can be said from a smile. 

The first day was spent exploring the neighborhood and this new culture that we are in. Brazilians walking about with wool scarves and jackets, dogs bundled up in vests to keep them warm during their winter. Yesterday was a wonderful introduction to this experience and to Brazil. I feel so lucky to participate in this program, and am eager to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us.

Photo above: Getting a bird's eye view of São Paulo from the rooftop pool.