The Covid19 situation is critical in Brazil with close to twenty million cases plus and more than 560,000 lives lost. The number of cases and deaths per day is reducing. However, there now appears to be cases of the Delta variant in some states.

Paraíba state (population 4 million), where UP is based, has reached 423,580 plus cases with nine thousand deaths.

The rollout of vaccines remains relatively slow in Brazil; 53% of the population have received one vaccine; 21% are fully vaccinated. In Paraíba state, 47% have received one vaccine whilst 18% are fully vaccinated.

With unemployment high and social safety nets reducing, hunger is a problem for millions of families that live in poverty, the situation expected to get worse before it improves. Social organisations, including UP and partners, together with the state government support, when possible, with food parcels, but the situation remains critical. Domestic violence also remains a problem as does the mental health of many of the women we work with. Masks are obligatory in shops and public spaces, but there is no lockdown at this time in Paraíba state and no track & trace system. Public schools did close; with numbers of cases reducing, plans are being put into place to reopen. Religious spaces and restaurants are open, but with restrictions to numbers. Despite the situation and various state government decrees in relation to agglomeration, it has been normal to see crowded beaches and shops.

Supported by the Brazilian Federal Labour Prosecution Office and together with local partners, we are carrying out Covid19 emergency prevention activities, reaching women and their families that participate in programmes.

Food parcels were delivered reaching 1,305 people, 1,600 masks were supplied and distributed as well as hygiene kits (including liquid soap and gel alcohol – sanitizer), which reached 1,120 people. 

Awareness-raising activities on how to prevent Covid, including the distribution of printed materials, were carried out, and with a view to combating domestic violence during and beyond Covid, booklets with focused messaging and information on services were distributed and using cars with loudspeakers a one-minute jingle was repeated various times in 16 districts of five towns and cities where over 300,000 people live. This jingle had the goal of encouraging denouncements and informing people of where they can report violence against women.

Other projects:

• With a view to food security, empowerment and income-generation, in partnership with local organisations, we are working with 110 women that have built small enterprises or work together in groups. These women are located in six cities/towns in Paraíba state.  Their products are varied. They are farmers from agrarian reform settlements and family farms, women who traditionally have gathered and sold shellfish and women living on the peripheries of towns and cities. Their products include leafy vegetables, natural food supplements, natural medicines, food production from root vegetables and crafts. The project was designed to overcome the difficulties that they and their businesses face in order to become sustainable and increase the women’s economic autonomy, with a view to improving their lives and addressing gender inequalities. With a view to resilience and sustainability, activities include training to improve the quality and diversity of products; support to develop business plans and improve communication/visibility of their business and products with a view to reaching new markets. Considering the high rate of violence against women in Brazil and Paraíba, activities include time to discuss and reflect on gender inequality, gender-based violence and mental health.

• Funded by Electric Aid, a further project aims to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable women and youth from Paraíba, Brazil, to survive the Covid19 pandemic and their resilience and sustainability post crisis. Via support to three women-led and youth-led groups, the project will direct and indirectly benefit over 870 people who are some of the least economically empowered in Paraíba. The project is:

  • Providing essential materials and support to women farmers to build and equip a mill house to reduce loss of their cassava crop as a result of Covid19 and build a sustainable business.

  • Providing necessary infrastructure, materials and support to urban women to put in place a vegetable garden, to enable food security and reduce hunger, during and beyond the Covid19 crisis.

  • Providing equipment, materials and training to young farmers to build sustainable livelihoods and remain in their rural communities. 

We have created a brochure / booklet with information for communities about Covid prevention and prevention of domestic violence against women at this time in Portuguese -

With support from the Brazilian Federal Labour Prosecution Office, partner interaction with other donors, campaigns & the Paraíba government, over 6,000 food parcels and hygiene kits were distributed in urban and rural communities. The latter included masks made by women from one of the productive groups supported.

To combat domestic violence, 1,000 booklets on services for women that suffer from violence and promote denouncing of cases were produced and distributed. These booklets include information on Covid prevention. Focused messages in the form of jingles were also produced and communicated via ‘cars with loudspeakers’ in communities/towns where 58,000 people live.

As mentioned above, support to women’s productive groups enabled them to survive, despite Covid, those involved with food production diversifying from their original natural medicines business to collectively process (mill) cassava, which had been rotting in their fields as markets were closed. They are now earning 50% more as they can sell cassava flour for a higher price. With support from the project team, the group also started a campaign to raise funds to build a structure where they can mill the cassava, raising over £1,000 from a number of sources, including the local prefecture. If approved, a proposal sent to an Irish foundation will provide them with the materials and equipment to ensure this mill is fully functioning by mid-2021.