His dream of unity for the communities who are neighbours to the Pereira da Silva gained strength during the pandemic.
A mixed group of roughly one hundred people, representing the different slums of the area, collectively managed the donations that benefitted almost 4,000 households. And although that was not a great number – given that each community’s population is between five and nine thousand individuals – nevertheless, those who were reached were the most in need from among the total. Solidarity and humanity overcame the divisions.
Cirlan believes that there are already too many forces that tend to divide them and turn them against one another – like the drug trafficking factions – or against the outsiders, sometimes: like the racism and the prejudice that they feel is attached automatically to them, and they carry like the burden of an unwanted present given by a close relative.