In food-rich Brazil, people go hungry as pandemic rages (Part III)

Because of the swelling ranks of the new poor, city officials now give out 10,000 free meals a day, an increase of one-third. In Rio, too, "The issue of food is one of extreme urgency,"said Bruno Dauaire, the secretary of social development and human rights in the state of Rio. "Not long ago we did not even talk about poverty and hunger in the city of Rio, and now we are confronting this issue,"said Dauaire.

NGOs try to make up for governments that are struggling financially and overwhelmed by the pandemic, but they are faced with much lower donations. "Those who help are helping less,"said Claudia Carletto, secretary of human rights and citizen issues in Sao Paulo. The Red Cross of Sao Paulo, which hands out 2,000 food baskets a day, says the cash donations it receives are down 99 percent. "People need more help and for longer stretches of time,"said Bruno Semino, head of that branch of the Red Cross. The lack of donations, he said, "has a major impact on our operations."

In 2020, Accion de la Ciudadania used to distribute 80; 000 to 100; 000 food baskets a month all over Brazil. This year, it is down to 8; 000 to 10; 000: "We operate where the government is absent,"said Afonso of Accion Ciudadana. "Unfortunately, in recent years the government is absent from many places."

From: shorturl.at/wJKRZ. Accessed on 04/17/2021