Wapichana indigenous seamstresses came together to face the new coronavirus in the Malacacheta community, in Roraima. With donated materials, they began the production of homemade face masks to distribute among residents.
According to the indigenous collective health manager Kiusylene Souza da Silva, the idea of producing the masks came about a month ago, given the advance of the pandemic in the state and the lack of actions to protect the community, which is 34 km from the capital.
"We thought about producing the masks from the moment we saw that our community had no initiative to contain this disease, not even the sanitary barriers. I talked to a nursing technician and we started looking for support, donated materials, seamstresses and then we got organized," she said.
In all, the action involved 60 volunteers who made 900 reusable fabric masks. Of these, 800 were distributed among residents and 100 sold at a symbolic price to help volunteers with food expenses.
"Many have already become aware, the community has organized sanitary containment barriers and everyone is taking this disease seriously," said the collective health manager.
According to her, despite the community effort, Malacacheta has already registered two cases of covid-19 and some families are being monitored. The community is located in the Serra da Lua Indigenous Land and has 1.4 thousand residents.
"We decided to continue sewing, but each one from their own home," said Kiusylene. "Our goal is not to let masks run out for those who need them
