Impact · Case Studies · Territory
At the Vila Gilda Dock, a dream from 1999 returned, 26 years later, to teach the community how to protect itself. And new dreams were born from the group of women from the tidal flats.
The Dique da Vila Gilda: a story spanning three generations of the ‘Warriors Without Weapons’.
26 years
from the 1999 nursery to fire prevention in 2026
1
a group of women organised around the dream of setting up the Espaço Mulheres da Maré (currently in progress).
2
Two community sirens installed and the aim of developing a fire prevention and fire-fighting system (in progress)
1999
It all began here. At the first ‘Warriors Without Weapons’ event held at the Dique, a collective dream came to life through a community effort.
People from the neighbourhood and further afield, side by side. That was always the approach: starting with the community’s dreams and building together.
In three days, the dream became a nursery, right there in the middle of the neighbourhood.
the following years
The nursery has grown. The collaboration that began during the community effort did not stop when the programme ended.
In the same neighbourhood, in 2002, a group of women envisaged a socio-cultural project for children and young people. Elos, in partnership with the Olodum Cultural Group, nurtured this vision, which paved the way for the founding of the Arte no Dique Institute.
In 2010, the project for the headquarters of the Instituto Arte no Dique became public policy and was selected by the Federal Government for the ‘Mais Cultura’ programme.
In 2012, the Arte no Dique headquarters was opened. Art, culture and education as a way of life for local children and young people.
Today, Arte no Dique is a national leader in artistic and cultural education. It supports 600 children and teenagers through its holistic education programme and offers workshops open to the community.
An entire institution born out of the community’s own dreams.
The legacy of 1999 lived on for more than two decades before Elos made a comeback.
2026
2026: *Warriors Without Weapons* returns to Dique, 26 years on. This time, the challenge is a different one.
Participants from nine countries, ranging from Angola to Bangladesh, are working alongside local residents.
The reports highlighted the urgency of the situation: the fires that were once again destroying homes every few weeks.
The response was organised by the community: sirens, an evacuation plan and equipment for communal use.
a solution adopted from Jardim São Manoel, by the 013 Leadership Network
A community-based prevention scheme, designed to remain in the hands of those who live there and to be refined over time.
Following the GSA programme, the Elos team is advising the community group, which now hopes to bring the Espaço Mulheres da Maré to life, featuring a community kitchen, a sewing workshop, a multi-purpose room and a community vegetable garden.
What Elos carried out: Elos provided training and technical support for the two programmes, Tia Nilda’s nursery and Arte no Dique, which included strengthening bonds and social interaction, community organisation and the creation of communal spaces.
What the community has built: Local organisations have consolidated the projects and forged partnerships with public authorities and the private sector. The nursery ran for 23 years and closed its doors following the pandemic. ‘Arte no Dique’ continues to transform lives!
What the community has built: the fire prevention system and the dream of building the ‘Mulheres da Maré’ centre.
Fires have always been a major problem at the Vila Gilda Embankment, and in early 2026, fire destroyed homes on more than one occasion, whilst the forecast of a heatwave in the Baixada region heightened fears of further losses.
The residents decided to respond together. During the 2026 edition of ‘Warriors Without Weapons’, which brought together participants from nine countries, the community launched a community-based fire prevention and rapid response system during the July collective effort.
The system brings together several elements: two sirens positioned at high points, connected to a trigger that any neighbour can reach; residents who have completed the fire brigade training course run by the Ponte Collective; and a fundraising initiative to buy insulated boots and fire extinguishers for communal use.
The idea didn’t come out of the blue. In Jardim São Manoel, also in Santos, residents were already using a similar alert system. Both communities are part of the 013 Leadership Network, and it was through this network that the solution from one neighbourhood found its way to the other.
The GSA had already been to the Dique before. In 2002, the community effort helped to create the first after-school space for children, and from that collaboration the Instituto Arte no Dique was born, now a national benchmark in cultural education. As in previous years, the end of the community project is just the beginning of the realisation of long-term dreams.
At present, the dream involves installing new community sirens and strengthening the fire prevention and fire-fighting system. And a group of women has come together around the dream of setting up the Espaço Mulheres da Maré.
Those who have experienced it tell their stories
A solution devised by local residents inspired another community to develop its own response. The GSA helped to raise the profile of this dialogue and to promote local knowledge.
Natasha Gabriel
Project Director, Instituto Elos
Warriors Without Weapons does not provide ready-made answers. Our role is to create the conditions for people from different places to learn from one another and to strengthen solutions rooted in the reality of each local area.
Mariana Gauche
Director of Education, Instituto Elos
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