Brazil guarantees food security to 200k indigenous families during the pandemic

The National Indian Foundation has already delivered 1,3 million 22 kg food baskets to indigenous families across the country since the beginning of the pandemic, totaling about 30k tons of food distributed to more than 200k indigenous families.

This measure is essential to guarantee food security in native villages in the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, alleviating social isolation of communities and helping indigenous peoples to remain in their villages, thus reducing the risk of contagion by the virus.

In February, in the state of Rondônia, approximately 2,800 food baskets were delivered to indigenous families of the Aikanã, Apurinã, Cinta Larga, Paiter Suruí and Sakyrabiar ethnic groups, in the year's first major food distribution operation of the region.

Last March, also in Rondônia, another 923 food baskets were delivered to 72 villages, totaling around 20.3 tons of food distributed, benefiting indigenous communities of the Apurinã, Cinta Larga, Kwazá, Paiter Suruí and Sakyrabiar ethnic groups.

In April, 2,100 basic food baskets (46.2 tons) were distributed to 1,900 indigenous families from Tupiniquim and Guarani Indigenous Lands in the state of Espírito Santo, and 500 to families in the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land, in the state of Roraima.

The Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land occupies part of the Amazon municipalities of Normandia, Pacaraima and Uiramutã, in Northern Brazil, and is inhabited by about 28,000 people from the Makuxi, Taurepang, Ingarikó, Patamona and Wapichana ethnic groups.

Distribution of food baskets to indigenous families in the southern region of the country continued in April. 5,237 baskets of 22 kilos were delivered to indigenous families in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, totaling 115,214 kilos of food.