New partnership boosts
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| The Light of the Amazon II anchored at Ponta de Pedras, Brazil. Photo: UBS/Maurice Harvey (BRA94C4_15.JPG) |
PARÁ STATE, Brazil — A partnership with university staff and students has brought new impetus to a project which the Bible Society of Brazil has been running for more than four decades. Together, the Bible Society and the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) will bring a wide range of healthcare services by boat to isolated communities on the islands of Murutucu and Ilha Grande in north-east Brazil.
Light of the Amazon hospital boats have been making trips in the Amazon basin since 1962, bringing services such as dentistry, medical examinations and psychological care to people living in remote riverside communities who would otherwise not have access to them. These boats have a dual purpose, as they also serve as a channel through which the Bible Society can distribute Bibles, Portions and Selections free of charge or at affordable prices. Over the years, many people’s lives have been touched by this unique ministry (one elderly man’s story is told in World Report 344/15).
Medical skills
Last September saw the signing of an agreement which will bring enhanced Light of the Amazon services to around 800 people. By having university staff and students with specialised medical skills on board Light of the Amazon boats as they sail around Murutucu and Ilha Grande, it will be possible to place more emphasis on preventative healthcare, thus contributing to long-term improvements to the quality of life in the area. Under this agreement, the UFPA will supply and manage medical teams, while the Bible Society will be responsible for the boats, the crews and the provision of medicines and spiritual and social welfare services.
The first Light of the Amazon boat to visit the islands set sail on November 15, 2003. This was intended to be mainly a fact-finding mission, but those on board soon found themselves treating the crowds of people who began to arrive after they spotted the boat. “I gave thanks to God when I learnt of this,” enthused Maria Machado Trindade, a community leader. “Our community is very deprived; there are people who don’t go to the doctor because they don’t know how to get to Belém [the nearest city]. We are very happy with the news.”
Students
Once the healthcare needs of families
living in the riverside communities have been fully assessed, the partners
will visit each location once a year. “We have thousands of students
available for this purpose,” states UFPA Rector Alex Bolonha Fiuza
de Mello. His enthusiasm is echoed by Alice Giraldi, the Bible Society’s
Social Welfare Secretary. “This is quite a long-standing wish that
we now have the opportunity of making come true,” she says. “By
means of the partnership with the UFPA, we are able to offer the riverside
community services with qualified people, focusing chiefly on preventative
healthcare.” (WR 386/15 - 6/7.04) 