Friday June 6, 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil try to control surge in crime

Heavily armed but in small number, policemen give security on June 6, 2003 to construction workers hired to seal a cave used by drug dealers to incinerate their victims in a bush area at Morro da Grota shantytown, one of the most dangerous in Rio de Janeiro. The cave is know as "the microwave oven" and was used one year ago to burn the body of award winning TV producer Tim Lopes, murdered by the criminals while doing an investigative news story on the drug trade at the comunity. Not feeling safe enough, the workers stoped working after less than 2 hours and left the place.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday May 30, 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil tries to control surge in crime

Brazilian federal police agents patrol Morro do Borel shantytown in Rio de Janeiro while giving security to police experts investigating the alleged execution of four of the shantytown's residents by Rio's police.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Monday August 5, 2002, Itaituba, Pará, Brazil

Bush pilots link isolated Amazon comunities to the outside world

Bush pilots fly over gold mining region in Brazil's Amazon forest, where the only means of tranportation are planes and boats. The planes, many unlicensed, usually fly way overloaded and land and take of from short and muddy clearings in the deep forest. Accidents are quite frequent.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Tuesday May 6, 2003, Tabatinga, Amazonas, Brazil

Brazil tries to control surge in crime

Brazilian Federal Police agent patrols the Solimões river in search of boats bringing drugs into Brazil at the triple border between Brazil, Peru and Colombia.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday May 30, 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil tries to control surge in crime

Students at Cenfaaib, a private security training academy in Rio de Janeiro, learn how to shoot during a private security formation course. Private security is one of the fastest growing industries in Brazil's service sector, thanks to a widespread surge in crime around the coutry.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Wednesday March 1, 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

HIV positive travestis living in Rio de Janeiro's forest

HIV positive travesti Paulete (standing) preprares to leave her shelter under a bridge in Rio de Janeiro's urban Tijuca National Park to go to Copacaban beack to work as a prostitute

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Tuesday April 8, 2003, Patrocínio Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil

Brazil uses alcohol as substitute to oil to power cars

Day laborers, seasonal migrants from Brazil's poor northeastern states, finish their day cutting sugar-cane to be processed into alcohol fuel at nearby Cevasa alcohol destilery. After years of decline, the consumption of alcohol fuel, used to power cars and added to gasoline to lower imports of oil since the mid 80's in Brazil, is getting a boost by the high price of gasoline and a renewed interest by the federal government to stimulate the use of alternatives to oil derivated fuels.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Sunday February 16, 2003, Lagoa da Caridade, Piauí, Brazil

Brazil tries to erradicate malnutrition with Zero Hunger program

Kids watch TV at their home in Lagoa da Caridade community. Lagoa da Caridade is situated in the state of Piauí, one of poorest in Brazil and often affected by severe droughts, a little more than one hundred kilometers away from Acauã, one of the towns used by Brazil's government as a laboratory for the development of the Zero Hunger program. Organized and funded by the local diocese, out of the initiative of a German priest, the residents of Lagoa da Caridade and surrounding comunities started tending bees for honey and goats for meat to be sold to Brazil's big cities and for export, as well as working as a group on each others fields, increasing productivity. As a result their income is enough to feed them for the entire year, to improve their houses and community and buy amenities like tv sets and refrigerators, almost inexistent in places like Acauã.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday October 18, 2002, Serra Pelada, Pará, Brazil

Serra Pelada, Brazil's Eldorado in the early 80s, still dream with gold 20 years later

Baby waits in wheelbarrow for his mother to finish washing clothes in what 20 years ago was the biggest open pit gold mine in the world, attracting thousands of miners hoping to get rich overnight. The pit flooded since the mine was closed by authorities in 1992 and the lake that formed holds in it's bottom a big amount of mercury, that is poisonous. Now only 5 thousand people, all former gold miners and their relatives, remain in the village that surrounded the mine, all in hope that the mine will be reopened by the government after a law suit they filed against the closure is settled in court.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday February 14, 2003, Acauã, Piauí, Brazil

Brazil tries to erradicate malnutrition with Zero Hunger program

Small farmer Manuel José da Silva goes home after working on his fields in Acauã, where he supports a wife and two daughters with no income other than the beans and corn that he plants. Acauã's population has one of the lowest incomes in Brazil, with 87% of it's residents living on less than US$ 55 a month, and frequently suffer the effects of droughts. It was chosen by Brazil's government, along with three other comunities in the state of Piauí, to serve as a laboratory for the implementation of a program called Zero Hunger, that is designed to, throught a series of intiatives, to erradicate malnutrition from Brazil.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday February 14, 2003, Acauã, Piauí, Brazil

Brazil tries to erradicate malnutrition with Zero Hunger program

Small farmers from Acauã leave early in the morning to take lifestock to be sold on neighboring Paulistana. Acauã's population has one of the lowest incomes in Brazil, with 87% of it's residents living on less than US$ 55 a month, and frequently suffer the effects of droughts. It was chosen by Brazil's government, along with three other comunities in the state of Piauí, to serve as a laboratory for the implementation of a program called Zero Hunger, that is designed to, throught a series of intiatives, to erradicate malnutrition from Brazil.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday April 1, 1999, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Street children downtown Rio

Street child hang out in square downtown Rio where groups of children gather to sniff shoemakers glue and comit small thefts.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday April 1, 1999, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Street children downtown Rio

Street child hang out in square downtown Rio where groups of children gather to sniff shoemakers glue and comit small thefts.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday April 1, 1999, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Street children downtown Rio

Street child hang out in square downtown Rio where groups of children gather to sniff shoemakers glue and comit small thefts.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday April 1, 1999, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Street children downtown Rio

Street child hang out in square downtown Rio where groups of children gather to sniff shoemakers glue and comit small thefts.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday April 1, 1999, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Street children downtown Rio

Street child hang out in square downtown Rio where groups of children gather to sniff shoemakers glue and comit small thefts.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Wednesday November 21, 2001, Aliobad, Konduz, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Mix of former Taliban and Northern Alliance fighters fight Taliban forces for the control of the city of Aliobad, on the outskirts of the city of Konduz

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Wednesday November 21, 2001, Aliobad, Konduz, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Mix of former Taliban and Northern Alliance fighters fight for the city of Aliobad, on the outskirts of the city of Konduz

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Sunday November 18, 2001, Mazar I Sharif , Balkh, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Refugee camp near Mazar-e Sharif

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Wednesday October 24, 2001, Dashte Qala, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Internally displaced people at camp near the frontline between Northern Alliance and Taliban troops

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday November 22, 2001, Aliobad, Konduz, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Mix of former Taliban and Northern Alliance fighters fight for the city of Aliobad, on the outskirts of the city of Konduz

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Saturday October 20, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Northern Alliance soldiers mount guard on trenches facing Taliban positions on top the hills separating the cities od Farkhar and Taloqan

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Wednesday November 21, 2001, Aliobad, Konduz, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Mix of former Taliban and Northern Alliance fighters fight for the city of Aliobad, on the outskirts of the city of Konduz

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Saturday October 20, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Northern Alliance soldier sleep inside trench facing Taliban positions on top of hills separating the cities of Farkhar and Taloqan

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Saturday October 20, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Northern Alliance soldiers warm up while guarding trench positions on top of hills separating the cities of Farkhar and Taloqan

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday October 19, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban forces

Northern Alliance fighters rest in tent at the frontline on top of the muntains between the cities of Farkhar and Taloqan.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday October 19, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Soldier who lost his foot to a land mine at the front line.

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Friday October 19, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Northern Alliance soldier fires rocket at Taliban position

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

Thursday October 18, 2001, Farkhar, Takhar, Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance troops move against Taliban Forces

Northern Alliance soldier fires rocket at Taliban positions on top of the hills separating the cities of Farkhar and Taloqan

Credit: André Vieira / Polaris

André Vieira