Okay, so not everyone can afford to sponsor a child or make a donation, but it costs very little to purchase a small souvenir or a gift for loved-ones and you know the money is going direct to the artisan, designer or artist. Here are our favela finds, great souvenirs to buy while touring Rio’s favelas.
If you’re visiting Para Ti at Vila Canoas or Rocinha on a favela tour, you’ll have a chance to buy handicrafts, handmade clothes and accessories, t-shirts, and original artwork.
On the covered terrace of Para Ti a sweet but shy lady sells simple handmade gifts, from crocheted baby’s clothes to the cool bowl made from recycled paper that I bought, above. The money you spend on your favela finds goes straight back into Para Ti.
On the last stop on Marcelo Armstrong’s favela tour, a lovely young woman sells funky handbags and purses that are beautifully made – the stitching is impeccable. I think she made the purple polka dots one with me in mind!
Another guy sells Rocinha t-shirts – where else are you going to buy one of those? And two other blokes sell small canvases (stretched or rolled) of their vibrant, naïve art – they’re never going to become collectors’ items, but they make delightful keepsakes. The money goes to the individual sellers.
And if you’re a long-term traveller, backpacker or big family and can’t afford to buy anything? Well, you can always kick a football around for a while with the kids of Para Ti as Terence did when we dropped by.
If you’re settling into Rio for a while, see our Price Check Rio Shopping List for an idea of what groceries cost.
