SAO PAULO, BRAZIL — In the middle of towering buildings and upscale neighborhoods of the southern area of Sao Paulo, there is Paraisopolis, the capital’s second-largest favela (a Brazillian term for an impoverished neighborhood that has experienced neglect from the government historically), a symbol of social inequality and, on the other hand, an important cultural center. With a never-ending expansion of new homes being built and a high population density, these neighborhoods suffer from neglect and underfunding, such as houses without plaster, exposed bricks, and more than one floor with unfinished slabs.
With this in mind, G10 Favelas, Revitaliza, and DAB created the project “Colors of Favela.” Through the production and creation of special NFTs with local artists, we will be raising funds to enable more than 500 homes in Paraisopolis to be plastered and colored.
Launched last April 27, Colors of Favela aims to raise BRL 5 million ($1 million) to be converted for community revitalization. It will be a unique and exclusive collection with 10,000 colorful NFTs generated from digital programming. By purchasing a token from one of these houses, the buyer contributes to transforming the houses of Paraisopolis.
Similar projects were carried out in Mexico, Philadelphia, and Vila Cruzeiro. They observed decreased violence, and improved interaction between their residents after artists painted homes with art and graffiti inside these marginalized communities.
Behind the Colors of Favela is Revitaliza Comunidades, a startup connected to visual impact causes inside Paraisopolis, one of the initiatives of G10 Hub, which joined with DAB (advertisers, artists, and NFT developer) to make the Colors of Favela live. “The project aims to revitalize homes, raise the population’s self-esteem, improve the residents’ quality of life, valuing the neighborhood, and strengthen the region’s commerce,” said Carlos Leonardo, CEO of Revitaliza Comunidades.
Purchases of NFTs can be made through the project’s website. To acquire the NFTs, the user needs to have a digital wallet inside MetaMask, which will serve to send coins, tokens, and receipts – operations of digital banks. To have an idea, the value of one NFT is attractive; one NFT can be sold at ETH 0.03, which is equivalent to approximately $100.
“The main reason for this project is to provide a comfortable environment, with decent housing conditions, protecting physical and mental health, generating social impact and income generation,” added Gilson Rodrigues, president of the G10 Favelas.
Knowing G10 Favelas
The G10 of the Favelas is a group of Social Impact Leaders and Entrepreneurs of the Favelas, like developed countries, such as Canada, Germany, United States, France, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, part of the G-7, which joined forces to develop the economy and act as a protagonist inside communities. The G10 is led by Gilson Rodrigues, a social entrepreneur, consultant, and leader of this movement. He is also the founder of the G10 Hub, which promotes social impact and business opportunities inside slum territories.
Learn more by clicking Visiting Paraisópolis or TED TALK: How painting can transform communities.
