Volunteering in times of pandemic in the Province of Brasil Sul-Amazônia
At the beginning of the pandemic caused by Covid-19, the Province of Brasil Sul-Amazônia launched the project “Ação comunidades” (community action) with the aim of collecting donations of food, hygiene materials, clothes, money and masks for the most needy people cared for in the Social Units. Brothers, young people from the PJM, lay people, educators, students, fraternities of the MChFM, families and Marist volunteers from the different Social Units of the Province (Schools and Social Units, PUCRS, HSL) were involved. Below, we present a report of the main actions and campaigns of voluntary work carried out in the Units.
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande Do Sul
At the university, an adaptation of face-to-face volunteering was carried out for online volunteering experience, with 70 volunteers participating in a virtual meeting, to work at 3 institutions. They also donated 2,740 articles of clothing in good condition to 3 institutions. Also, 160 bottles of alcohol gel were donated. The #JuntosPodemos Campaign was developed, designed in accordance with the reality of the institutions in the context of the pandemic . Similarly, in partnership with São Lucas Hospital (HSL), raw material was donated to make 12,000 masks for patients, families and hospital staff.
São Lucas Hospital
Solidarity work for the production of masks: a group of 43 volunteers formed by the volunteers of HSL, Association of Volunteers and Solidarity (AVESOL) and people from the community in general joined together to make masks for the hospital staff. As of 31/08/2020, more than 20,000 masks had been delivered.
Donations of clothing for babies – Ilha Grande dos Marinheiros Marist Education Centre: 38 different sets of outfits for babies were donated. Donations for the Health Unit of the “Centro de Extensão Vila Fátima”. Delivery of 1,440 nappies and 75 pyjamas. Delivery of materials to patients of Presidente Vargas Hospital: 460 pieces of clothing were delivered. Campaign “É Tempo de Ser Presença Solidária”: basic food baskets, sanitary and cleaning products were collected. The Pastoral and Solidarity Service also allocated 208 items of clothing and shoes. Marist Day action: the Pastoral and Solidarity Service together with the Viver Bem Programme offered a moment of reflection to all HSL employees. The letter from the Provincial, Brother Inácio Nestor Etges, was also read and the gifts received from external donations were presented.
Social Units
Solidarity Art Project – Centro Social Marista Mário Quintana: the project was part of the movement called “Ação comunidades”. Between the 6th and 17th of July, more than 100 works of art were exchanged for gasoline vouchers.
Tia Jussara Marist Children’s School and Aparecida das Águas Marist Social Centre – Ilha grande dos Marinheiros delivered basic food baskets, sanitary and cleaning products and books, as well as clothes and a collection of cloth masks, distributed to the families served by the Social Unit.
Schools
Colégio Marista Conceição – Passo Fundo: collected basic baskets to help the families of the Lucas Araújo-Lar da Menina Charitable Foundation.
Colégio Marista Rosário – Porto Alegre: supplied two projects carried out by the volunteer group of Colégio Marista Rosário. The first was a collection of food for the inhabitants of the islands, a place of extreme social vulnerability where the Marists work. The second was the development of the project Ação Comunidades: Internet for transformation.
Colégio Marista São Francisco – Rio Grande: participated in three areas: Perseverance in prayer, breaking of the Bread, making of masks.
Other actions
Anonymous donors should also be mentioned. Some collaborations such as the NGO Cirandar that help in the community and have promoted a new collection of donations for the month of September. We also mention other collaborators such as the Chaco Forever football team, Boy Scouts Tupã-Ci, Leonel Carvalho and the “Central Única dos Trabalhadores” (CUT).
Currently, donations of food, sanitary products, blankets and clothes continue to be gathered at the collection points distributed in the Marist Units. In addition to storage, cash donations made to the “Ação Comunidades” project account are being turned into mobile phone chips so that students in social schools have access to the Internet.
Link to the testimonies of the volunteers of the Colégio Medianeira de Erechim.