Letter from the Executive Director

​

2020 will go down in world history as a completely atypical year. A pandemic of global proportions has devastated all countries and definitively changed the way organizations and individuals communicate. As I write this text, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 4.1 million people and more than 191 million have been diagnosed with the virus. An unprecedented tragedy in the 21st century! A tragedy of this proportion also brings with it significant challenges for civil society organizations. Many vulnerable populations rely on these organizations so that their lives can be preserved and the increase in poverty can be avoided.

​

This is how PROMUNDO and its incredible team were ready to donate, body and soul, all their energy to benefit the most vulnerable populations, such as children, indigenous people, riverside dwellers, families in situations of poverty, among others. In addition to the continuity of implementation already known nationally and internationally, such as Program P, Program H, Program M, among others, PROMUNDO dedicated itself to providing basic food and COVID-19 prevention supplies, such as alcohol gel, soap and masks, in the communities where it operates in Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon.

 

Although PROMUNDO's mission is not to promote emergency humanitarian actions, it did not shy away from mobilizing resources for the distribution of these supplies. Thousands of supplies were donated to hundreds of families. Furthermore, with the use of low-cost communication tools, such as WhatsApp, PROMUNDO maintained direct communication with families in these communities to promote the importance of social distancing and the use of COVID-19 prevention supplies. Furthermore, PROMUNDO adapted one of its main methodologies, Program P, to form groups of father figures online. The P Online Program was developed and applied in several communities in Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Fortaleza.

 

In collaboration with local governments, PROMUNDO trained professionals in family visitation programs, such as the Happy Child Program of the Unified Social Assistance System, and worked collaboratively so that father figures could have the opportunity to participate in groups on care, fatherhood and engagement in housework. Once again, using very low-cost communication tools, such as WhatsApp, PROMUNDO worked with several groups of men from vulnerable communities to strengthen their family ties and contribute to early childhood development. Due to the great impact achieved in these activities, even in a situation of health crisis, PROMUNDO received high recognition from its funders and institutional partners.

As a result, contributions to the implementation of PROMUNDO programs increased once again in 2020 compared to 2019 and we were also able to consolidate a positive institutional reserve, strengthening our organizational surplus.

 

Based on this reserve, PROMUNDO used its own resources to acquire part of the purchase of food and COVID-19 prevention inputs. Finally, PROMUNDO promoted several online events during the pandemic to train professionals from all three production sectors. Our traditional webinar held annually during Father's Month (in August) reached an incredible 10 thousand views. Even with so many achievements and overcoming difficulties, we cannot escape the sincere feeling of regret for the losses that Brazil and the world suffered during the pandemic.

​

We know that the majority of COVID-19 losses are from people living in low-income communities around the world and men (who are once again putting themselves at risk due to the sexist and gender unequal sociocultural norms that also continue to plague our country and the world). Not to mention the unacceptable losses of women victims of femicides, black and traditional populations victims of racism and members of LGBQT+ communities victims of homophobia.

 

In 2021, the challenges will continue, but we will spare no effort to guarantee the most fundamental right of all: Life.

 

Miguel Fontes, PhD
Executive Director