57 indigenous tribes of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the Center West of Brazil, will receive water-purifying filters.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between the National Health Foundation (Funasa) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). The objective is to reduce the number of water-related diseases.
The first municipalities to receive the filters are the one with more registered cases of the diseases. The priority is for the Guarani-Caiuá tribe, where the problem is more severe.
According to Funasa’s regional coordinator in Mato Grosso do Sul, Lenildo Morais, the measure is important because it will guide indigenous communities on clean water usage.
Morais said that, along with the filters, they will also distribute sodium hypochlorite (substance used to kill germs and bacteria found in water).
20 drops of this substance are enough for a 10-liter filter. “Our intention is to reduce diarrhea among children, for example, which is their worst problem,” informed the coordinator.
For Morais, the measure is more than just distributing filters.
“It is not enough to only give away filters and hypochlorite. It is necessary that indigenous health agents deliver permanent information and guidance to these communities,” he stated.
Educational material will be created in the Guarani language. In two months, all indigenous communities will have already received their filters.
Agência Brasil