June 17#2: Shooting at Vila Torres

Right now, Brazil are playing Mexico. I've just spent an hour walking around taking in the atmosphere. Most of the shops were closed and people were congregating in the bars and squares to watch the game. There is a lot of excitement and noise. Firecrackers echo around the building and smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Sadly, the the smell of gunpowder was in the air at Vila Torres last night. Just 24 hours after we finished our Freedom Through Football/Cheer For Peace event in that favela there was a drive-by shooting. A van with no licence plates drove through the neighborhood and one of the passengers opened fire with a machine gun. Four people were shot. One person survived, but two died and a third remains in critical condition.

It's a reminder of the constant stress and challenges the people, and the kids, in these communities face.