Rio 'shanty town reporter' tells her story

Brazilian teenager Mayra Avellar was awarded the Children's Peace Prize in 2008 for organising a protest against drug-related violence in her shanty town. Here she tells how the battle between police and the traffickers affects the lives of people in her community.

Mayra finds damage left by gunfire all around the shanty town

I am 17-years old and live in Vila Cruzeiro, one of the shanty towns or favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Vila Cruzeiro is in the north of the city.

Around 120,000 people live here and at times it can be a difficult place because of the violence. It hits us when we least expect it.

We are not able to do anything. We cannot go to school, people cannot go to work and we have to stop our lives.

School life

Violent confrontations often happen next to one of the schools in the middle of Vila Cruzeiro. There are bullet holes in the walls.

There have been times when armoured police cars have stopped beside the school and shooting has broken out from all sides.

A bullet entered through the window of my house and hit my computer Nathan, aged nine

Regina is a teacher who has worked here for 28 years.

She says she loves what she does, but adds: "When the violence happens it is very intense. Teachers feel ill, children feel ill and sometimes faint.

"It interferes with the children's learning.

"Thank God nothing has ever happened to any of the students in the school, but there are bullet holes on the walls."

Zaira Florinda Costa da Cruz has been a teacher in the favela for 10 years.

She says it is very difficult to find teachers to work there because they hear from the media that the place is worse than it is.

"I work in another school and there they ask me how I have the courage to work here in Vila Cruzeiro," she says.

"I tell them I love working in that school, the children respect me."

Children's view

Leone is 10 years old. She says she likes living in the favela but does not like the shootings.

"I saw a friend of mine get shot and then get taken to hospital," says Leone.

An art project aims to help brighten up Vila Cruzeiro

She says she feels sad when her school has to close because she cannot study.

"There are a lot of people who can't read and write because of the shootings here," she says.

"Nobody can learn anything."

Nathan Bezarra da Costa is nine years old and also lives in Vila Cruzeiro.

He worries about the violence and was once caught up in a street battle between police and drug dealers.

"There was shooting and a bullet entered through the window of my house and hit my computer. I was crying," he says.

He now lives with his grandmother because he says her house is hidden and he feels he will be protected from bullets there.

I believe that society stigmatises us.

Some people think that everyone who lives here is a drug dealer but this is not true.

People here work, they study and they only want a better place to live.

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