Big step forward for indigenous health in Brazil

With your help, indigenous peoples in Brazil were able to secure a substantial victory on August 3rd. After two years of organizing by the indigenous movement in Brazil, and a last-minute push supported by their allies (including Rainforest Foundation US via change.org), the Brazilian Senate voted unanimously yesterday to create a special Secretariat for Indigenous Health. President Luis Inácio da Silva must ratify the bill within 30 days for it to become law, but it is expected he will do so quickly.

With this new law,indigenous healthcare in Brazil will be overseen by a secretariat directly under the Ministry of Health. This was a major demand of indigenous peoples, and it is anticipated that the new structure will help avoid the pitfalls and corruption scandals that plagued its predecessor, FUNASA. As Marcos Apurinã, president of the pan-Amazonian federation of indigenous peoples COIAB stated: "I believe the new secretariat will take the sadness off our faces, and replace it with smiles - but we hope the new secretariat won’t be another FUNASA. It has to be managed properly, from prevention to treatment. They have to choose people with heart, with sensitivity”. There will be plenty of work ahead, but in the meantime, the 100 indigenous leaders who had gathered in Brasilia for the last-minute push celebrated.

Thanks for signing onto our action, and for your support! It’s a good example of how international solidarity, in support of local actions, can have a real impact.
Stay tuned for updates and other actions.