She greeted us in Portuguese, put her basket of clothes atop her head and walked up the river bank to the village. In many parts of rural Brazil and Costa Rica we saw women standing knee-deep in a river washing clothes, usually surrounded by children. Sometimes the children seemed to be helping, but as often they were swimming. I assume children in the United States would choose swimming as well, were we to wash clothes in rivers again. Nazare is a community of more than 700 people spread out along the river.
Families have an average of seven children, and much family work is done together.
Our host, Cassio Alves Pereira, escorted us along the river and into the forest to meet some of the families. Although it was midday on a weekday, when American families are typically scattered, we found entire families at home. We were welcomed into the Cristo home, a building with sides made of boards and a roof of clay pipe. It was perhaps 15 feet by 20 feet. Nearby was a shelter with open sides that serves as the kitchen.