The Amazon Charitable Trust response to Covid19 in the Amazon region
June 17 2020
Having witnessed the pandemic spread in Europe, from early on, the Amazon Charitable Trust has activated a network of organisations in order to jointly fight against Covid19 and help the communities of the Jauaperi and then the entire RESEX 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 centres, this meant great difficulties.
In order to respond to the most urgent of them, we organised, in hand with Amazonia Onlus (Emanuela Evangelista's organisation), 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.
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.
A month after, we were joined by the governmental organisation in charge of the extractive reserve (RESEX) the ICMBio and Doutores das Aguas (a non-profit which medically assist populations of the Amazon rivers) for an even bigger operation, to attend this time all the 210 families of the Resex of the lower Rio Branco – Rio Jauaperi with food essentials as well as medicine.
In August, we completed a third operation, delivering another 8 tons of food to 140 families.
All operations were a success avoiding a surge of infection in the RESEX but many questions regarding the future of the river-dwellers communities remain.
We know that ecosystem interactions, food, health, and environment are the big thematic of today.
We know the Amazon is being destroyed at an alarming rate and that the traditional population are the guardians of the forest having less deforestation in their territory than in the rest of the region
We know that research is key, and that Amazon research is indispensable for our future
This is why, the Amazon Charitable Trust, will continue to attend the river-dwellers communities to get through this crisis but is also determined to finalise the project of the multinational HUB for the Amazon research and education to be established in the Resex of the lower Rio Branco – Rio Jauaperi.
We count on your support and hope to concretise the development of the research centre together. In the meantime, stay safe!
