Roberto Pereira da Silva, 54, has lived in the Jardim Peri region, on the outskirts of São Paulo, since he was born. He was sanding the plaster of the ceiling finish on a construction site. This is the job that makes Seu Roberto, proudly black, arrive home with white powder on his face, arms, clothes and shoes. Married and with eight children to raise, the bricklayer says he can't even think about standing still: "In the middle of the pandemic, I even stopped for a while, afraid of the disease. But there was no way. I had to do some temporary work. In fact, I need to do odd jobs".
Photo taken during a report on the covid-19 pandemic in June 2021, when Brazil experienced the worst moment. An average of 4,000 people died a day and vaccination was just beginning.