São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) launched on Thursday, 25, a new solidarity campaign to efforts against the problems ushered in by the novel coronavirus pandemic. This time, the campaign aims at fighting hunger, an issue that ravages entire families and has worsened during the COVID-19 crisis. The entity created an exclusive Pix key for those willing to cooperate with the campaign: [email protected].
The campaign was launched during the webinar organized by the institution and the Arab House in celebration of the Arab Community Day in Brazil, an pointed out the efforts to fight the effects of the crisis ushered in by the COVID-19. “The pandemic is around for over an year and, although Brazilians are a very resilient people, many have reached a very critical situation and are starving. The ABCC can’t stand idly by this situation and has launched another fundraising campaign, explained ABCC director Claudia Yazigi Haddad (pictured above) during the online event.
In the first phase of the campaign, the funds raised will be allocated to communities such as Brasilândia and Caboré. The ABCC is also a partner at the Cidade Solidária [Solidary City] campaign organized by the government of the city of São Paulo. “We’re now launching a new campaign associated with Cidade Soldiária to raise food baskets. We’re encouraging the Arab Brazilian community to us,” said ABCC president Rubens Hannun.
Before the pandemic, severe food insecurity reached the homes of 10.3 million Brazilians from 2017 to 2018, according to statistics agency IBGE. The fear now is that, with the spread of the pandemic and the food inflation, more people are exposed to the issue. “At the beginning of the pandemic, we distributed hospital supplies and facemasks. But now we felt the need to raise food items to alleviate the hunger many families are going through,” Haddad pointed out.
Haddad, who’s also part of the institution’s women’s committee WAHI – Woman Who Inspire points out the importance that the Arab community continue to collaborate with social responsibility. “The Arab women have a great history in Brazil with assistance work. For more than one hundred years, we’ve created hospitals, nurseries, and nursing homes. Now I ask you to help again and embrace this campaign,” she pointed out. WAHI s the campaign.
Previous campaigns
This is not the first campaign the ABCC has ed since the pandemic started. In partnership with other Brazilian and Arab entities, the institution raised masks and hospital supplies that were donated throughout 2020. “The Arab Community in Brazil has ed efforts for solidarity in several moments in 2020, which was a very difficult year,” said ABCC communication coordinator Marina Sarruf.
ABCC Marketing vice president Riad Younes also pointed out the institution’s efforts in protecting its personnel. “We track coronavirus symptoms in everyone that needs to come to the ABCC. We’ve done over 6,000 checks and, until now, no employee has been infected with the disease inside the Chamber,” he stressed.
Embracing Beirut
In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020 an Arab country, Lebanon, suffered from port blast in its capital, Beirut. To the Lebanese, Arab and non-Arab entities in Brazil came together. Among the actions for Lebnaon, São Paulo for Beirute managed to raise 30 tonnes of donations and was coordinated by São Paulo’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. “The humanitarian campaign was a response from the city that’s proud to be one of the largest Lebanese cities outside Lebanon to the Beirut Port explosions. In São Paulo, this mobilization was immediate,” said São Paulo Turismo director-president Luiz Álvaro Salles Aguiar de Menezes, who was then secretary of Foreign Affairs.
Another action that marked the moment was organized by the Consulate General of Lebanon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The institute ed broadcaster TV Cultura to create the TV special Um Abraço em Beirute (Embracing Beirut) which featured Brazilian singers and the Beirut Symphonic Orchestra in a concert for Lebanon. The show aired and, with the of the ABCC, donations were raised. Together with other entities associated with the colony, the ABCC called on the community to contribute, and a large volume of donations were sent to Lebanon with the of the federal government and the Red Cross.
ABCC istrative vice president Mohamad Mourad believes the action showed the union between Arabs and Brazilians. “In a few hours, we managed to raise a huge amount, which was sent to Lebanon’s Red Cross. This wasn’t the first time an Arab country fell on hard times and certainly won’t be the last, but we have never ed efforts so rapidly, spontaneously and comionately. I hope we’re always ready to lend a helping hand to our Arab brothers and sisters wherever they are, whether they are in North Africa, the Gulf or the Levant,” finished Mourad.
The online event on the Arab Community Day was ed by TV Cultura and Bandeirantes, which was greatly appreciated by the ABCC.
Read on about the Arab Community Day event:
Arabs have influenced life stories of Brazilian people
Watch the full webinar on YouTube:
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
