"SOS Favela was more than a project, it was a movement, a wave of solidarity not only in Rio de Janeiro, but throughout Brazil," says Rubem Cesar Fernandes, CEO of Viva Rio, a large NGO responsible for one of most successful social programs in Brazil.
The campaign was launched in March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began to move from touristic neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro to the slums or ‘favelas’, the dense, multilayered, informal settlements that dot the hills of large cities such as Rio.
There the devastating effects of the pandemic are lingering.
The residents, many living off the informal economy, have suffered a drastic reduction in their monthly income. Their children are at home, without school and without food.
“Tivemos uma onda de doações sem precedentes no início da pandemia. Hoje em dia estamos com dificuldade de ter o mesmo nível de doação e apoio. Hoje o Brasil está muito pior que no início da pandemia,"diz Rubem Cesar Fernandes, diretor da Viva Rio Source: vivario.org.br/sosfavela
It was in this context, says Mr Fernandes, that the SOS Favela ‘movement’ was born. “When we launched it we gained a lot of media exposure, attracting the attention of large companies and the embassies of two countries: Australia and Canada.”
The Australian government offered financial support through its humanitarian aid program.
“With the Australian aid we were able to buy food hampers, but with everyone contributing a little bit, we built something much bigger,” says Mr Fernandes.
The distribution and supply system for the SOS Favela baskets is innovative: it takes place in the small markets within the communities. Registered residents look for the products they need in their local markets and receive them at zero cost.
“Solidarity is like love, passion, it grows fast in the beginning, but then it cools a little, the movement (of donations) is in waves, it is not a linear structure. We had unprecedented support at the beginning of the pandemic, now we are having difficulty with the same level of donation and support,” says Mr Fernandes.
For Mr Fernandes, prioritizing the economy, keeping trade open, to the detriment of health during the Covid pandemic, ends up costing more. “There is no way to overcome the pandemic and keep everything open. It is also in the favelas that social distance causes the greatest damage. The Covid spired out of control here due to a number of reasons, a government that ignored the virus, the economic crisis and the Brazilian people behaviour, which is irreverent, rebellious and doesn't care. Some still have hidden parties, as if they can't go without having a party, this type of behaviour has made the situation even worse.”
A Viva Rio criou o SOS Favela, um programa de doação de alimentos e itens essenciais para famílias moradoras de favelas e periferias pobres, que ganhou auxílio do Programa de Ajuda Humanitária da Austrália, o DAP Source: vivario.org.br/sosfavela
A campanha foi lançada em março de 2020, quando a pandemia do coronavírus começava a se mover dos bairros turísticos no Rio de Janeiro para os morros cariocas. Source: vivario.org.br/sosfavela
Vaccination is progressing slowly in Brazil, the country is still one of the most impacted in the world by the pandemic and is going through one of its worst waves, registering daily records in numbers of people dead and infected. Mr Fernandes expects that the next few months will be difficult, but that in the second semester, with the 'vaccine on the horizon', the situation should improve.
"We are crossing a desert but the vaccine is within reach, we will still suffer a lot in the coming months but in the second half I believe that we will be in a better situation," says Mr Fernandes.
The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a grants program funded from Australia's aid budget. It has supported five humanitarian initiatives in Brazil in 2020: the , , , , and the
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