What is the Maresias Project?

This blog is made to share with my fellow students and teachers the day to day experiences in my stay here in Brazil, developing this project. In case you didn't know, my family and I have been preparing to work on this project for the last 6 months. This project takes place in a small neighborhood on the north coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, named Maresias.
 This neighborhood came to be after many surfers settled in this area in the early ’70s, as Maresias beach has perfect surfing conditions. In the last 40 years, the population of Maresias grew from around 15 people to 10,000 people. This neighborhood is surrounded by a very dense jungle called the Atlantic Forest. 
Maresias is also home to a large mountain range called “Mountain Range of the Sea”. We chose this neighborhood as my parents have been spending time in this area for more than 30 years and I have also been familiar with this neighborhood my whole life. My part in this project is to study the Peace and Conflict of this area. While studying this neighborhood in the past I came across three main issues.


  • The lack of a basic sewage system causing pollution in a river which empties out into the ocean
  • The conflict between those who are in favor of urban verticalization and those who are against 
  • The conflict between the city hall and the population surrounding the construction of two hundred compact homes to families living in areas that are at risk
I have learned about these three issues in-depth and in the next few days, I will be interviewing locals to hear their opinions about it. With this material, I’ll be making a documentary with the help of two local filmmakers. We are also collaborating very closely with an NGO named Desengarrafando Mentes (Unbottling Minds in English). 

This NGO started by creating surfboards out of littered water bottles to use as an educational tool for the younger generation of the neighborhood.

Location: Av. Dr. Francisco Loup, 606 - Praia do Saco, São Sebastião - SP, 11600-000, Brazil

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