With the objective of debating the challengers of implementing basic sanitation in Brazil in rural areas and those of traditional communities, in a participative and intersectorial manner, the National Health, Enviroment and Traditional Communities Conference -will be held on the 27th and 29th of July, in Belo Horizone (MG).

Directors of the National Council of Extractivist Populations – CNS and of Chico Mendes Memorial will participate to share the experience of implementing Sanear Amazonia.

Ambulance Speedboat, an alternative for taking medical care to traditional communities in the Amazon by river

According to the National Sample of Domiciles Survey – PNAD/2014, only 33.4% of rural domiciles are connected to potable water provision systems and only 5.1% possess a sewer system.

With the dialogue promoted at the Conference, there is the objective of getting to know and debating about strategies that may provide subsidies for implementing the National Rural Sanitation Program (PNSR) and to discuss healthcare in populations residing in rural areas and that of traditional communities.

A slot was reserved for presentations on sanitation put forth by social movements, decentralized FUNASA movements, municipal/state health secretaries and by other institutions present at the conference.  Succesful experiences, challenges and proposals for rural sanitation may be presented.

In this slot, called “Roundtable”, there will be a presentation of experiences of the Integrated System of Rural Sanitation (Sisar) of the states of Piauí, Ceará and Bahia; experiences of the Brazilian Company for Agropecuarian Research (Embrapa); the Centers of Reference for Workers’ Health (Cerest); and of Sanear Amazonia, implemented by the Chico Mendes Memorial in partnership with CNS.

Water Access Social Technology built by Sanear Amazonia in extractivist communities

Within this context Adevaldo Dias and Clodoaldo Ramos, President and Technical Director of MCM respectively, share the process of implementing Sanear Amazonia as a public policy of access to potable water and basic sanitation. Sanear Amazonia is being implemented since 2015 and will directly assure the provision of potable water for 2,800 extractivist families. The indirect impact will be felt by way of replication of the best health practices adopted by the entire population in the benefited areas, equivalent to almost 8,000 families.