It is necessary to build bridges.

By Carola Matarazzo

About a year ago, we couldn't have imagined what the coming months would hold for us: 14.8 million unemployed, an unemployment rate of 14.7% in the first quarter of 2021 (in the first quarter of 2020 the rate was 12.2%), according to data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). This is the highest rate in the historical series, which began in 2012. Unexpected challenges, fear, insecurity, and a great deal of resilience.

Vaccination brought hope, but the road to immunization sufficient fatal consequences. We know that in many places we can barely address the need to wash our hands because there isn't even water to drink.

When a great valley separates us from the rest of the path, it is necessary to build bridges. The modern thinker Zygmunt Bauman argues that we should not erect walls, but rather build bridges. In the current moment, the bridge that needs to be built is to save thousands of lives. What do we face in the post-pandemic era, from the impacts of the economic crisis to the health consequences for patients who continue to suffer from the after-effects of Covid-19? It is up to the third sector to help them cross over to the end of the pandemic.

This trajectory involves considering income generation, distance learning training, and actions to reduce poverty. It means investing in large-scale initiatives and supporting small sectors, which create a ripple effect that begins in the neighborhood, extends to the community, and spreads to the city.

I believe our bridge must have three main pillars: combating hunger and thirst, productive inclusion in the labor market, and connectivity, without neglecting health and education, the essential foundation. We must continue with joint efforts to materialize social results , scale changes, and address new public policies. We must build the link between the public and private sectors, ensuring a solid, resilient structure that helps us move beyond the place where Covid-19 has put us. The bridge is the space where we will prepare for the restoration of the economy, the recovery of employment, and social balance. Like many patients, our society also faces prolonged symptoms that have lasted for years. Many people need help in guaranteeing their basic essential rights , and the crossing also involves this construction.

The dictionary shows us that a bridge is synonymous with link, connection, bond, association, union, or tie. In philanthropy, we add collaboration. Bridges strengthen relationships and bonds, something fundamental for living in a more inclusive and plural society . Let's build bridges – this is the invitation I extend to everyone involved in philanthropy and the Giving Culture Movement in the country. When we act together and in coordination, we are capable of great transformations.

This article was originally published on the website of the newspaper O Povo Mais – CE.

Image Credit: Press Release/MBM