Successful Crowdfunding Campaign for Favela Dance School Featured in Pulitzer Center Documentary

In October 2018, grantees Frederick Bernas and Rayan Hindi released a short Pulitzer Center-supported documentary entitled "Dancing Through Gunshots in Brazil's Favelas" for VICE. The film follows Tuany Nascimento, a 23-year-old Brazilian dancer who established Na Ponta dos Pés, a dance school for girls living in Complexo do Alemão, which is one of Rio's largest favelas. Among the challenges Nascimento faced was finding a permanent space for the school. 

After the documentary's release, Bernas created a crowdfunding campaign to assist Nascimento in raising £5,000 to build a community center in the favela. Within a week of launching the campaign, the goal was reached and currently sits at £9,152.

"Construction on the community center began at the end of February and is finally taking shape," Bernas wote in a recent update on the school for VICE. "This couldn't have happened at a more important time, as right-wing authorities have been sanctioning brutal police violence across Rio, and this building will act as a sanctuary for Tuany and her students."

Nascimento is documenting the construction on her Instagram feed.