ANNOUNCEMENT: JOINT FAVELA PRESS CONFERENCE ON HUNGER FROM COVID-19, APRIL 29

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [PDF]

COVID-19 IN FAVELAS UNIFIED DASHBOARD AND SUSTAINABLE FAVELA NETWORK
TO HOLD JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE ON THURSDAY, APRIL 29

‘A YEAR OF LOSSES! WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?’

Covid-19 in Favelas Unified Dashboard to realize its fourth press conference this Thursday, April 29, at 2pm (1pm EDT), conjointly with Rio’s Sustainable Favela Network. Fifteen diverse favela leaders will reflect on this critical moment and launch an international campaign for humanitarian aid to save lives from hunger.

Click here to register.

April 28, 2021 — Ten months after the launch of the Covid-19 in Favelas Unified Dashboard (www.favela.info), Rio de Janeiro favela collectives and support organizations continue to denounce the lack of public policies to combat the coronavirus. This time, the list of concerns has multiplied and is terrifying: the accumulation of deaths in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas due to Covid-19 has aggravated numerous other factors: from food insecurity to school evasion, from mental health, to overloading our community movements, and much more. 

Don’t miss the press conference “A Year of Losses! What is the Solution?” which will bring together 15 critical and urgent mini-talks by favela leaders engaged in the Covid-19 in Favelas Unified Dashboard and Rio’s Sustainable Favela Network, representing favelas across the Rio metropolitan region. Themes discussed include the losses of this past year, beyond the massacre imposed by state neglect: food insecurity and the reemergence of hunger; difficulty accessing health care, testing and vaccines; return of police operations; impacts of school evasion; mental health; and domestic violence. 

The fourth press conference will take place on Thursday, April 29. At the event, 22 collectives that make up the Dashboard and 27 other organizations that realize the campaign for “Vaccines for Favelas, Now!” will denounce hunger and demand urgent policies to combat coronavirus in favelas. We will describe possible solutions: the return of emergency aid, anti-hunger campaigns, and prioritized vaccine access in favelas. 

The Unified Dashboard, over time, has accessed new data sources, increasingly showing the reach and impact of Covid-19 in favelas, and today registers 44,799 cumulative cases and 4,379 favela deaths across the metropolitan region, with 39,961 cases and 3,457 deaths within the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. As of today, the Dashboard covers official data for 66% of favela households in Rio. 

Joining the Unified Dashboard for this press conference is the Sustainable Favela Network (SFN), a community-based network integrating hundreds of socio-environmental initiatives in the favelas of Greater Rio, from community gardens and decentralized sustainable sewage systems to museums and solar energy projects. However, since the beginning of the pandemic, all the SFN’s member projects have pivoted to address demands for prevention and response to Covid-19 in their territories. 

More deaths have occurred in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas than in 164 entire countries. The Covid-19 in Favelas Unified Dashboard is realized through a highly participatory methodology that, given the current lack of mass testing in most communities, recognizes that data collected through a qualified local base are most accurate. Based on local sources, the Dashboard began building its database in July 2020 and has since added new sources each week. More recently, we incorporated a Zone of Influence by Post Codes (CEPs) methodology, identifying post codes that best reflect each favela, starting with the most populous ones. Thus, using CEP data, we have so far managed to cover 268 favelas, six of them in neighboring municipalities, in particular Itaguaí. 

At the April 29 press conference held ten months after the Dashboard’s launch, we will present new concerning data and hear from favela leaders describing the reality of this critical moment in the pandemic — and giving voice to their demands. There will also be the launch of an international campaign for food donations and the dissemination of a complete list of community campaigns for basic food baskets.

Agenda for Joint Press Conference of the Unified Dashboard and SFN:
(Rio de Janeiro time, subtract one hour for EDT)

  • 2-2:10pm Introduction and campaign launch;
  • 2:10-2:20pm Latest data presented;
  • 2:20-3pm Community leaders reflect on the current situation in their communities and possible solutions in this critical moment of the pandemic;
  • 3-3:30pm Q&A with journalists

Confirmed speakers from the Unified Dashboard and Sustainable Favela Network:

  1. Ana Leila Gonçalves – Centro Social Fusão, Mesquita
  2. Ana Santos – Centro de Educação Multicultural, Complexo da Penha
  3. Andressa Cabral Botelho – Maré de Notícias, Complexo da Maré
  4. Anna Paulade Albuquerque Sales – A.M.I.G.A.S. (Associação de Mulheres de Itaguaí Guerreiras e Articuladoras Sociais)
  5. Douglas Heliodoro – Coletivo Conexões Periféricas, Rio das Pedras
  6. Emerson de Souza – Associação de Moradores do Horto Florestal
  7. Fábio Leon – Fórum Grita Baixada
  8. Geiza de Andrade – Educadora socioambiental, Vila Kennedy
  9. Iara de Oliveira – Alfazendo, Cidade de Deus
  10. Kádina Bastos – Fazendo Mágica com Tecido, Vila Aliança
  11. Irenaldo Honório da Silva – Técnico de Enfermagem, Comunidade Pica-Pau Cordovil
  12. Laurinda Delgado – Semeando Coréia, Mesquita
  13. Nill Santos – Mulheres de Atitude e Compromisso Social (AMAC), Duque de Caxias
  14. Rachel Viana – Professora da rede Estadual do RJ
  15. Renata Gracie – Icict/Fiocruz
  16. Tânia Alexandre da Silva – Associação de Mulheres Edson Passos (AMEPA), Comunidade Cosmorama, Mesquita
  17. Theresa Williamson – Diretora Executiva, Comunidades Catalisadoras (ComCat)

Fourth Press Conference Details

WHEN: Thursday, April 29, 2021, from 2-3:30pm Rio de Janeiro (1-2:30pm EDT)
WHERE: On Zoom. Press registration here. English interviews available (contact us at press@catcomm.org). Others may watch live on Facebook here.

Credits

Delivery and management: Catalytic Communities (CatComm)
Partners: A.M.I.G.A.S. | Centro Social Fusão | Coletivo Conexões Periféricas-RP | Covid por CEP | Data_Labe | Fala Roça | Favela Vertical | Fiocruz | Fórum Grita Baixada | Frente de Mobilização da Maré | Instituto Educacional Araujo Dutra | LabJaca | Maré de Notícias | Mulheres de Frente | Observatório de Favelas | PerifaConnection | Redes da Maré | SOS Providência | TETO | Voz das Comunidades | WikiFavelas

Development and updates: Esri – Environmental Systems Research Institute

Demographic Data: Prefeitura Rio and IBGE 2010

Integrating Technology: Integromat

Video: LabJaca (watch the Portuguese video here: video.favela.info)

 #DadosSalvamVidas #DadosSãoPoder #Covid19NasFavelas #PainelUnificadorDasFavelas

Contact Us

Unified Dashboard: press@catcomm.org 

Facebook of the Unified Dashboard: fb.favela.info

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