By Nico Ball | Fabio Andrade is the founder of "Familia Bangu," a small social project that has been helping kids from one of Rio’s toughest communities to overcome adversity since 1998.

A well-liked figure in the sport, Andrade is a maybe best known as the coach behind world silver medalist Marcio Andre.

Fabio Andrade (left), founder of Nova Uniao Familia Bangu. Photo By Vitor Freitas

Discipline and Determination

I tried to press myself closer to the matside table as Marcio Andre paced tensely beside me at the IBJJF Spring International Open in New York in April. He and his opponent, Johnny Tama, were both heated. It was an intense fight of nonstop attacks that threatened to escalate when Tama started slinging mid-fight accusations of foul play. At one point, I thought they were actually going to start punching. The time was running down and the aggression was mounting, but neither side had scored. It ended with Tama tapping to a bow and arrow choke.

As Andre’s mentor and first teacher, Andrade must have been proud when he learned the result all the way down in another hemisphere. Stepping onto the mats at New York’s City College with the cameras rolling is a dream that reckless kids from the streets of Bangu often can’t afford.

For the ranks of Rio’s forgotten lower class, securing the financial means (and skills) to travel and win international titles is almost as hard as having the discipline to control your anger and not swing haymakers at every person and problem that presents itself.

Marcio Andre. Photo By Vitor Freitas

Jiu-jitsu gave Andre and many other kids all of the above, and it’s taken him around the globe.

The Marcio Andre I met in New York was a drastic contrast from the small kid who showed up at Nova Uniao in Bangu when he was 10 years old. He walked into Andrade’s class with flip-flops, a snapback hat, and an attitude that got him sent right back out where he came from.

He was a veteran of the streets with the kind of friends that would make your parents cringe, and, let’s be real, his intention at the time was to gain some formal training in martial arts that he hoped would help elevate his street reputation. Andrade thought his rude welcoming would have sent the boy scurrying, but Andre was still there waiting after the class let out. He was the new son that life had given Andrade.

Known as having the Midas touch with kids from the community, Andrade may make his work look easy but that path to success is rooted in adversity. Through building a strong sense of discipline, determination, and humility in his students, Andrade has been able to create a successful social project that has provided his students with a hobby, a family, and — in some cases — even a career.

Nova Uniao Bangu

Fabio Andrade was born and raised in Bangu, a neighborhood located on the west side of Rio de Janeiro. It’s best known for its scorching hot summers, the infamous Bangu prison, and as being a place where you keep your head down to survive. The desolate neighborhood has seen little love from any kind of government or community initiatives.

“[Drug] trafficking is embraced, the plazas aren’t safe, and the government doesn’t fund the community centers,” Andrade said.

Photo By Vitor Freitas

Andrade has had to deal with these persistent social inequities his entire life. There weren’t any recreational centers and extracurricular activities to keep kids occupied during the long hours outside of school when he was young, so it wasn’t until he was 23 years old that Andrade finally stumbled across jiu-jitsu.

“When I was a kid, we didn’t have any free sports," he said. "So, when I grew up and could do something for my community, I didn’t hesitate. The truth is, I just wanted to do something for my community. I wanted to get kids off the street. I never imaged it would turn into something so big.”

Forming a family through jiu-jitsu

In 1998, Andrade started giving back to the community by offering free classes. He didn’t have the government support, and most of his students didn’t have the financial conditions to pay for training or competition fees. But slowly — and with the help of the Luis Pessoa, owner of gi manufacturer KF brand — Andrade was able to find permanent space to teach and started to build his own team.

“Even without support and resources we were working, however we could, and even like that, we were able to form amazing citizens and champions on the mats and in life,” Andrade said.

Today, the project serves about 100 kids from the community, offering two jiu-jitsu classes per day for their students. There aren’t enough funds to run a snack program or help pay for kids' competition costs, but together — as a family — they manage to cover training expenses.

Photo By Vitor Freitas

In the future, Andrade hopes to see more community participation and involvement from parents. The project’s goal is to raise kids to be outstanding citizens, not just athletes. Support from parents and neighbors plays a critical role in reaching that goal. Andre always counted on the support of his mother, and in the absence of his father (who died when Andre was 2) he had Andrade to help keep him motivated.

“I always worked hard,” Andre said. “I parked cars, bagged groceries at supermarkets, and went to every place I could to ask for sponsorship. I always had other people to help me here and there, but I have always worked hard to compete. I’ve been working since I was little.”

As one of the brightest young athletes of his generation, Andre saw his career lift him out of Bangu and take him to places such as Abu Dhabi (where he lived for three years) and Arizona, where he trains alongside fellow top Nova Uniao competitor Horlando Monteiro under the watchful eye of Gustavo Dantas.

As for Andrade, well you can find him where he’s always been: at home with his family, forming another wave of champions and the next generation athletes to represent Familia Bangu Jiu-Jitsu.

This article was produced in association with Favela Jiu-Jitsu, a 501(c) nonprofit organization that advocates for the transformative power of the sport in disadvantaged communities.