Brazil: a national migration case study

Push factors:

 The Sertao is a semi-arid area in North East brazil

 Poverty: of the 208 million people in Brazil, 26% population is in poverty.
 Few jobs except farming
 Poor health facilities
 Few schools
 Little entertainment, especially for young people.

Pull factors:

 Rio de Janeiro now has half a million homeless, 1.5 million living in favelas (shanty towns) and another 1 million
living in poor quality local authority housing.
 That means that half the population of Rio is living in poor quality housing, or worse.
 The hope of better work and the chance to make money
 Better schools
 Better healthcare
 More entertainment

Problems (Housing):

 There are over 700 favelas in/near to Rio, each with more than 60 families.
 The largest of them is known as Rocinha.
 Favelas are not very stable – most are built on steep, unused hillsides from any materials available – and thus
storms and landslides are a problem.
 In 1988 storms caused 200 deaths.
 As they are on the base of hills, sewage from favelas further up the hill may stream through the favela.

Problems (Crime):

 Favelas are often perceived as areas of organized crime.

 This is acting as a push factor causing well-off residents to leave the city for places such as Barra de Tijuca.
 Tourists on Rio’s beaches are advised not to take valuables with them.

Problems (Traffic):

 There is severe congestion due to winding mountain routes.

 Thus, there is noise, light and sound pollution

Problems (Pollution):

 A thick, polluted smog shrouds Guanabara Bay.

 In favelas the rubbish is not collected and so piles up.

Solutions (Self-help):

 Residents of Rocinha have slowly transformed their favela into a small city, built with better materials.
 They have set up shops and small industries.
 The authorities, having accepted the existence of favelas, now work with the residents.
 They have helped to add electricity and satellite TV, paved and lit the streets and added water pipes.
 However, improvements are restricted by the high density of housing and the steep hillside.

Solutions (Site and Service Schemes):

 Even though the residents of favelas can develop their home, they cannot provide basic infrastructure.
 So, some governments, the World Bank and leading charities have set up these schemes.
 They provide a site, basic building materials, and links to electricity, water and drainage.