The number of Afghans waiting for reception has increased again at Guarulhos Airport, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. There are currently 170 people, including 41 children, camping, according to data from the NGO Afghan Refugee Rescue Organization.
Food and hygiene kits are being provided by the city of Guarulhos in partnership with NGOs that work to assist refugees.
“We count daily through an Afghan volunteer on site to send the correct amount of lunch and dinner meals, which come through the city hall of Guarulhos/SP during the week, and on weekends through NGOs”, explains Ana Paula, vice-president of the NGO Afghan Refugee Rescue Organization.
Blankets and mattresses are delivered to the camped Afghans through donations to help people camped at the airport, and “we also check if more specific needs such as diapers, wet wipes and pads are to be sent and if there are health cases”, says Ana.
According to Guarulhos City Hall, the city has 257 places in shelters, 50 of which are managed by the state government. At the moment, they are all full.
The State Secretariat for Social Development informed, in a statement, that it is in advanced negotiations to welcome another 150 refugees into a complex in the metropolitan region of São Paulo.
The location, according to the department, will be able to serve up to 300 people. “The first to be transferred will be the Afghans who remain camped at the airport”, according to the text.
In a statement, the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger (MDS) reported that they are monitoring the situation of refugees and supporting the state and municipality in protection measures.
“Actions in the area of social assistance are carried out in an articulated manner, with general standards falling to the federal government and the execution of programs to the Federal Government and the execution of programs, in their respective spheres, to the states, the Federal District and the municipalities” , says the folder.
NGOs are also trying partnerships for baths, so that refugees can clean themselves. but according to Ana Paula, “sometimes we can find a place, but it is very difficult to get transport”.
Scabies outbreak
In June this year, around 25 Afghan refugees who were sheltering at Guarulhos International Airport, in Greater São Paulo, were diagnosed with scabies, a disease also known as scabies.
The first cases were detected in June by doctors from Guarulhos city hall and confirmed by organizations that work to help families recently arrived in Brazil.
The refugees were taken to a shelter in Praia Grande, on the coast of the state of São Paulo.
Historic
The flow of Afghan refugees intensified in February 2022, and the volume of people arriving is greater than the capacity to serve. Therefore, the place became a kind of camp for the new groups.
Everyone has a humanitarian visa, a welcome document granted by the federal government. The ordinance was published in 2021, a month after American troops ended 20 years of military intervention in Afghanistan and the extremist group Taliban returned to power. As a result, thousands of people had to flee the country.
Reception places rotate, and length of stay varies. People can remain in the equipment for an indefinite period of time until they can prove that they can live independently.
Source: CNN Brasil
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