ACT Alliance responded to the request for emergency humanitarian aid from the ACT Brazil Ecumenical Forum, made through CESE, to support the indigenous peoples of the Amazon affected by the fires started in August this year, which are ongoing in the region.
The support is to equip indigenous fire brigades, to provide these brigades with the means to reach the locations where the fires persist and to inspect the burned areas, which remain vulnerable to land invasion. The food security of the brigades and the families who have lost their farms and the areas where they collect and hunt for food are also part of these emergency aid activities, which include the delivery of different foods to this population. Another area is supporting indigenous leaders to go to Brasilia to participate in advocacy activities with government and civil society bodies.
The indigenous peoples who will receive support are: the Tenharim from the Tenharim Marmelo Indigenous Land in the south of the Amazon region; the Uru Eu Wau Wau in Rondonia; and the Huni Kuin’s Haru Yuxibu Centre in Acre. In order to guarantee the rapid execution of these activities, CESE is working with the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia: COIAB) and with support from partners in the region, such as the IEB, the Council of Mission among Indians (Conselho de Missão entre Índios: COMIN) and Kanindé.