By Marina | Project coordinator
Dear friends and supporters,
Lockdown!
That’s how we've spent this quarter!
Like people everywhere, we in Brazil are asked to stay home because of the corona virus pandemic. So, as you may suppose our programs have been dramatically curtailed, and so have our income streams!
With the schools closed, our Reserach Center closed, and everyone on lockdown, we’ve been forced, like so many people, to reevaluate our programs and projects. Our main challenge is how to provide a youth leadership program that will be as inclusive as possible, and will transmit our passion for protecting our forests - at a moment when nobody is able to come visit them?
So we’ve been thinking of creative ways of revising our content and delivery. In terms of content we’re focusing more on climate change since it’s easy to see a direct link between habitat destruction and pandemics transmissible from wild animals to humans. As for our method of delivery – it clearly has to be online, at any rate for the foreseeable future. But in this rural area, although many families do have a cell phone, they have limited air time, and consequently little access to the internet. Our best channel of communication with them is via social media, and their preferred channel of communications is Instagram.
We've been stepping our postings on social media, and have had some interesting interactions with local youth. We’ve uploaded short videos on climate change, tips for protecting yourself against covid 19, and simple recipes for making household cleaning products and treating coughs and colds (remember that we are in the cool season at present, and that Brazil has been badly affected by the corona virus.)
So a big thank you for continuing to support us and please keep it up - we really need you!
One more thing - we’d love to hear from you if you have any suggestions as to how we can better serve our young people and their families during this difficult time of lockdown.
We hope that you and your family are well, and together we are looking forward to the day when we can put this behind us, and people everywhere will be free to go back and walk in the woods.
rainforest hugs, and stay safe,
Marina and the Lockdown (Eco) Leaders
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