Alana

Breno asked me if I could portrait his volunteers as an expression of recognition for their help. I gladly agreed. 
This is Alana. She is 21 years old, works as a secretary for the city council and studies law at night. She joined Projeto Amar in its beginnings and has been helping since then. She comes from a respected family in our town and is a "electric" personality, as she describes herself. It amazes me how this beautiful young woman chooses to spend her weekends working for those in need when she could be spending her time with her friends. The sacrifices she makes are uncommon for a girl from the upper middle class. 
Photographing Brazilian women is not as easy as it might seem. As soon as they see a camera they go into "pose mode". So I had to resort to all kinds of jokes to make her abandon that "standard" posture. And she made me very happy when she chose this shot as her favorite.

I want to thank you all your encouraging comments, stars and hearts along this week. It has been an emotional roller coaster. The misery I was able to see was emotionally draining, but I wouldn't have wanted to miss it. I met many gorgeous children who still have their lives in front of them, and we do have a chance of helping them find a better future - as hopeless as their situation and circumstances might seem. As my friend Dr. Júlio once said: The worst we can do is ignore them. Giving them attention and love makes a huge difference in their lives. We might not be successful the way we imagine, but we have no idea how powerful a loving word or gesture can be. The extra shows Alana "in action" last Sunday.

MMC17 Day #18