BRAZIL: Efforts to fight COVID-19 honored
Don Bosco Catholic University receives award for work during the COVID-19 pandemic
BRAZIL
(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Catholic University in Campo Grande, Brazil, was one of the winning institutions in the first edition of the Citizenship Award sponsored by the state government through the Secretariat of State for Citizenship and Culture in Brazil. The award acknowledged the work done during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The university was honored for hosting a drive-through vaccination and testing center, for lending high-level equipment to the government, and for implementing initiatives through its degree programs to help fight the virus and keep people safe.
Don Bosco Catholic University saw an average of 1,500 people per day at its COVID-19 vaccine clinic. The clinic was set up across three sports fields and was supported by 200 students, teachers and administrative employees who helped in the administration of vaccines.
The clinic, which operated under the responsibility of the Municipal Secretariat of Health, was launched on June 24, 2021, with eight vaccine locations. It was later expanded to 15 locations. It was set up as a drive-in so patients did not need to leave their cars to receive their dose. This setup ensured greater agility and minimized contact between people waiting to be vaccinated.
During the clinic’s operation, Salesian Brother Raffaele Lochi, the interim rector of Don Bosco Catholic University at the time, said, “With this drive-in service, Don Bosco Catholic University feels embraced by the people of Campo Grande and can even embrace them again in turn. We know that we are benefiting the population and this is gratifying. We are doing what Don Bosco would have done in his time, opening the doors and helping in difficult moments.”
Don Bosco Catholic University also lent one of its super freezers to the Municipality of Campo Grande to conserve vaccines, which must be stored at temperatures well below freezing. In addition, the university also provided use of high-tech machinery for the processing of swabs at the central laboratory of Mato Grosso do Sul.
Salesian missionaries in Brazil provide education, workforce development and social services throughout the country and specifically focus on children with disabilities within several programs. Missionaries help to meet the basic needs of poor youth, including street children, and provide them with an education and life skills to gain employment, break the cycle of poverty and lead productive lives.
According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on Brazil with poverty tripling in 2021. The poverty rate now is higher than it was a decade ago. Researchers estimate that 12.8 percent of Brazil’s population, some 27 million people, are now living below the poverty line.
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Sources:
ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)
Salesian Missions – Brazil
World Bank – Brazil
