Wannabe sweepers try to outrun poverty

Daniele Nascimento ran 1.2 miles barefoot on a sun-scorched asphalt runway in the hope of getting a coveted job as municipal garbage collector in Rio de Janeiro.

The unemployed 19-year-old woman, who lives in a shack in a hillside slum, had lost her only pair of running shoes. But she chose to compete in the endurance test along with thousands of other contenders anyway.

The job description is hardly enticing and the test is hard but it is their chance to outrun poverty and unemployment in Latin America's largest country.

"I depend on getting this job very, very, very much," said Nascimento, who has a daughter of nearly two years. "I don't think it's fair to have such a tough physical exam for this job, but I have to do it."

Around 385,000 people had applied to compete in this year's municipal contest, which offers just 1,200 openings with a monthly salary of about $210, transport coupons, food stamps, a healthcare plan -- and a distinctive orange uniform.

With a third of Brazilians, or about 60 million people, living on $1 a day, that is a golden opportunity. Nearly 10 percent of Brazilians are unemployed.

The job is one of the most hotly disputed in Brazil's second-biggest city, where slums overlook the dwellings of the rich and famous.

The previous such contest two years ago caused a stampede and police had to use tear gas against eager applicants but this time authorities managed to avoid disorder.

TOUGH PHYSICAL CONTEST

"We've taken most of the applications via the Internet and by telephone. About half of the applicants gave up after learning about the physical tests ahead," said Andre Lemos, a spokesman for Comlurb garbage removal service.

The first phase where the candidates' size was considered eliminated all but 7,000 aspiring trash collectors as the rest were deemed too thin or too fat to do the job. Preference was given to younger applicants.

Comlurb officials insist it is important that garbage collectors are healthy and can endure great physical effort.

A paramedic crew was busy attending 20 people who suffered from respiratory and other problems on the first day alone.

The ambulance rushed to pick up Sueli Carvalho dos Santos who collapsed on the runway. Half an hour later she regained her breath.

"The body just got weak, it was very tiring," she said. "I'll try to keep fighting for this job," she added, but a monitor standing behind her shook his head, making clear she wouldn't pass to the next stage.

Dos Santos, 19, has a four-year-old daughter to look after.

Milton Rocha, a fit young man from the suburbs, completed the run on time and expects to get the job which would allow him to get his mother on a healthcare plan and stash away some money for college.

"I need this job, but there are older people with kids who need it more than I do. This test is unfair," he said.