The Amazonas State carries within many secrets, both for being the largest in the Brazilian territory and for keeping stories that refer to its roots.
Those who live far from the Northern Region of Brazil are not able to understand very well how things work there, especially in Amazon. Manaus, the capital, with its river port located downtown. First step there and you immediately realize things are very different.
However, the capital is still a big city, so to discover what lies beyond its borders it is necessary to endure long trips, which are almost necessarily through the waters of the Rio Negro – or a mix of internal flights + boat hoars. The state has limited access to dirt roads, which makes it difficult to move and recognize this entire area of over one million and a half square meters difficult.
Scattered throughout this rainforest territory and its 62 counties, there are a plethora of communities that lack access to health, education, electricity and other basic needs that a human being should have to live. Because commuting around the state is so complicated – and some communities are located days away from any nearby civilization – people end up suffering or dying for simply not getting any medical attention in time.
In February 2018, on a visit to Manaus, fate crossed paths with the staff of the Universidade do Amor (University of Love/Care), which is a group of friends that came together as volunteers, joined by the ideal of supporting the riverside indigenous children and adults of the Amazons. In beneficent expeditions, on board the boat “Jóia Rara”, they act in Health, Education and Social Inclusion actions in riverside indigenous villages and communities along the Rio Negro.
The Jóia Rara is equipped as a Basic River Health Unit and it also includes a complete dental office, providing free basic healthcare to those remote and isolated peoples.
As it could not be otherwise, the essay was developed aboard the Jóia Rara during the Carnival expedition of 2018. This photo series places the boat as the protagonist, assuming its strength and importance as a means of transport uniting and connecting the communities. It also shows the crew’s effort to maintain a functioning organism within the Jóia Rara, while sailing and docking, bringing happiness and relief to the communities.
Universidade do Amor beneficent expeditions, at the same time, help to discover more of the Amazon while spreading good. They are volunteers and gardeners of the forest, taking care of the most beautiful flowers that bloom there: the wonderful riverside indigenous children of our Amazon.
Dare to Love.
