Covid19 Emergency Ribeirinhos _ Resex BRBJ
August 04 2020
Lessons from Europe: Stay Home!
Having observed the pandemic spread in Europe, from early on, the Amazon Charitable Trust activated a network of organisations in order to jointly fight against Covid19 and help the communities of the Jauaperi and then the entire extractive reserve of the lower Rio Branco - Rio Jauaperi. The advice relayed by the leaders of the communities was not different as the one the world has hung on to: STAY HOME!
Yet, for river-dwellers, having their livelihood depending on the constant activation of network of exchanges between the forest areas and the urban centers, this meant great difficulties.
International Cooperation and donations
In order to answer to the most urgent of them, we organised, with others the first delivery of food, hygiene products, fishing material and medicine on the 23rd of April to attend more than 100 families on the Jauaperi river. Each bags cost R$300 and contained the following items: Fishing Material such as hooks and fishing line, sugar, coffee, rice, wheat,oil, beans, pasta, milk, salt, soap, battery, in sufficient quantity for a month of provision for an entire household.
We have been so touched to receive generous donations from Loja Bemol in Manaus but also from supporters all over the world through our crowdfunding page.
Working with the ICMBio
In May we were joined by the institute Chico Mendes (ICMBio) the governmental organisation incharge of the Extractive reserve of the lower Rio Branco – Rio Jauaperi to organise a second delivery. ICMBio provided a second boat to transport 11 tons of food for the 210 families of the RESEX including the Jauaperi but also the Rio Branco. Doutores das Aguas, a Brazilian non-profit that operates in the Amazon region with our partner Amazônia Onlus to medically assist river-dwellers community, distributed vitamins, dental kits as well as pharmaceutics to trained health community agents in the RESEX.
The second delivery happened on the 30th of May 2020 and provided food, medicine, cleaning products and fishing materials to last at least for another month. The Amazon Charitable Trust funded the purchase of 212 bags with a total value of £8650.
In August, we completed a third operation, delivering another 8 tons of food to 140 families. Bringing the total cost of all three operations of 2020 to a total of £20.000
Covid19 Information Campaign
To date this enormous joint effort has helped to avoid a surge of infection in the RESEX. Proof that the early mobilization of the inhabitants of the RESEX, and information campaign that followed supported by the delivery of food and essentials have played an active role in slowing down the progression of the epidemy to the river-dwellers communities of the RESEX.
Needless to say that those operations couldn't have been successful without the work of community leaders as well as the workers from the CoopXixuaú, the crews of the two boats and everyone in the RESEX who ensured a safe delivery for the 210 inhabitants of the river.
Many questions regarding the future of the river-dwellers communities remain and our mobilization continues to accompany them on the road to economic and social recovery for the months to come.
