The blood has been washed away and the bullet casings removed. But the fear remains. Driving it out of Jacarezinho, one of the largest, most populous and violent favelas in Rio de Janeiro, is a challenge. It is a challenge that Don Bosco missionaries, such as Fr Natale Vitali, want to overcome. He arrived in the shanty town in 2020, a year before a Brazilian police operation turned into a bloodbath, the second deadliest in the city, surpassed only by 28 October last year in the Alemão and Penha neighbourhoods (138 dead).
The priest, who saw the weapons from the first day he went to Jacarezinho, knew one of the 28 people killed on 6 May 2021 in the raid carried out by over 200 officers with the aim of arresting 21 members of a criminal drug trafficking organisation. ‘He was a young man who always sat in front of our parish and our college and he always greeted us. During one of my visits to the six local Christian communities, I celebrated a Mass in which the names and faces of the victims of the massacre, which is still a vivid memory, were displayed,’ the Salesian, who has just completed his term as Superior of the St John Bosco Province of Belo Horizonte Brazil (BBH), told Vatican media.
Far from violence
Violence is deeply rooted in Jacarezinho. The numbers leave no room for doubt: it is the second largest slum in terms of the number of deaths during police operations.
From 2007 to 2023, according to Grupo de Estudos dos Novos Ilegalismos, there were 348 police interventions, resulting in 216 deaths. Violence has an impact on the education of young people: lessons are cancelled and schools are closed, and in the meantime, for some, the only way to earn some money is to become ‘drug transporters’, as Fr Vitali calls them.
‘When the police enter the favela, there is always fear,’ he says. ‘It is not an easy situation: many people do not want to live there. Children and young people often do not receive a decent education and do not establish a good relationship with their parents, who, in many cases, have not studied and do not understand the importance of educating their children well.’
The refuges for the youngest residents of Jacarezinho are the Mary Help of Christians parish, which has the Don Bosco holiday oratory, and the Alberto Monteiro de Carvalho school, which has more than 500 pupils. For three years, after school and lunch, they have been participating in the ‘computer literacy project’ coordinated by the Salesian, which he calls the ‘digital inclusion course’.
Children and young people between the ages of 6 and 14 try their hand at using computers – sometimes for the first time – supported by teachers hired thanks to funding from the Salesian Missioni Don Bosco Mission Office in Turin.
‘This activity is one of our “workshops”. But it is not limited to IT,’ explains the priest. ‘We contribute to raising awareness and developing moral and social values. We started it in 2022, after the St John Bosco Province bought the first devices. The number of young people has increased year after year: in 2022 there were 45, a year later there were 150, and in 2024 the number rose to 200. Today, there are 265. We struggle to get them to go home when the course is over because they feel at home in this familiar environment.ì
The Salesian alternative
Next school year, which will begin between February and March 2026, the ‘computer literacy project’ could be even more crowded because ‘we are expanding the college, which, when completed, God willing, will be able to accommodate another 200 students,’ says Fr Vitali. Furthermore, since 2024, the course has been extended to parents.
The impact of the Salesians' good work in Jacarezinho can also be measured by the responses the priest receives when he meets former students: ‘A short time ago, I spoke with two of them. One, who started working in an IT company, told me that the “digital inclusion course” changed his mind and heart. Another, on the other hand, donated his first salary to ensure that the initiative could continue.’
The Salesians' challenge will continue, educating children and young people, keeping them safe from violence and bloodshed, and giving them an alternative to becoming drug couriers. ‘Working closely with them,’ concludes Fr Vitali, ‘faith in God helps a lot, giving us the strength, hope and joy to continue proclaiming the Gospel even though fear, which we are committed to overcoming, is always within us.’
