Hope at the Blue House: A Study of Income-Generation Projects in the Favelas of Brazil

Poverty is a social disease the world has been fighting for centuries. Like many undeveloped countries, Brazil has been creating countless programs for poverty alleviation, yet the numbers are still alarming. The giant of poverty will keep destroying lives, and inequality will remain an enemy unless society as a whole works together. The present research provides an analysis of the context within the favelas of Viamão, Brazil, showing a perspective of income-generation projects as an instrument for poverty alleviation. A definition of the term favela includes elements as neighborhood that emerge from a need for housing and development without external government regulation. Today, there are around 14 million people living in favelas, and for several reasons, those numbers are still rising. Using a qualitative research methodology, data was collected between November 2019 and March 2020. In total, 35 people participated, either in focus groups or interviews, and a triangulation method was defined to evaluate the results. The goal was to identify what the key elements were for developing a successful income-generation program in the favelas of Brazil and to determine whether there was a connection between the psychosocial and economic constraints and income performance. In-person observation was also used in the qualitative analysis, and the combination of data lead to a transformational model with 6 categories and 17 subcategories. It was clear that only a wholistic solution could address such complex issue. The categories defined as the key areas for establishing a successful income-generation program in a vulnerable community are family, education, community networks, spiritual life, mental health, jobs, and opportunities. The study also demonstrated a relationship exists between psychosocial and emotional constrains and income performance, but it was not possible to determine the impact of each in the individuals’ lives.