Brazil's emerging middle class says 'adeus' to poverty

There can be few more striking images of the inequality at the heart of Brazilian society than the favela or shanty town of Paraisopolis in Sao Paulo.But if favelas have come to symbolise some of the
greatest problems and challenges confronting Brazil, there may, in some
areas at least, be signs of change as well.

Among the people of Paraisopolis, there
appears to be a sense of optimism that this is a community that is
making some progress towards a better life.There is water and light in most homes now, which was
not the case even five years ago, and buses run by the city of Sao
Paulo now pass through the middle of the favela.