The Impact of the Pandemic on Cidade de Deus
On March 21, 2020, Cidade de Deus had its first case of coronavirus, being the first favela in Rio de Janeiro with the virus. In June, it was the favela with the highest rate of COVID-19 among the neighborhoods surveyed by IBGE, with 28% of the sample testing positive. In addition to severe illness and death, the pandemic has had great impacts on residents: loss of work and income, hunger and lack of medical care, difficulties in accessing online classes and conflicts between family members, among others. However, little data has captured these impacts in a systematic and quantitative way. Our research has relied on guidance from local service providers and residents to identify the major physical, mental, economic and social impacts of the pandemic in Cidade de Deus. We hope this data will help prevent the spread of coronavirus, identify the most urgent issues in need of attention, and provide data necessary for service providers to demand more funding from the state.
In October 2020, we held an online forum with representatives of 15 local NGOs which provided critical assistance to residents most affected by the pandemic. Forum participants, most of whom are also residents of Cidade de Deus, have directly seen the impact of the pandemic, especially on needy families, children and adolescents, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses.
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During the forum, participants discussed which difficulties were the most serious, and which information would be most important to capture. Forum participants continued to offer advice throughout the other stages of the research project.
PHASE 1:
Forum with Service Providers
ETAPA 2:
Fórum com ONGs locais
Na segunda etapa, sendo realizada em outubro e novembro de 2020, estamos captando histórias de moradores locais sobre como a pandemia afetou suas vidas. Com ajuda da página de Facebook CDD Acontece, estamos divulgado um link onde moradores (com mais de 18 anos) poderão compartilhar suas histórias anonimamente.
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​Cada participante pode compartilhar o que quiser.
​Gostaríamos de saber como a pandemia afetou a saúde física e mental, situação econômica, escolaridade, trabalho, relações familiares, o ambiente público e social ou qualquer outro assunto que foi de grande impacto aos moradores.
Para compartilhar SUA história, clique aqui!
Os temas emergentes dessas histórias serão tornados em perguntas num questionário quantitativo.
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ETAPA 3: Coleta de Dados Quantitativos
Entre fevereiro e março de 2020, divulgamos um questionário com perguntas relacionadas aos temas mais comuns e urgentes levantadas das histórias dos moradores. 648 moradores responderam o questionário completo.
As perguntas mediram os impactos da pandemia no trabalho e renda, educação, saúde física e mental, relações familiares, resiliência social e atitudes sobre o coronavírus e a vacina. O questionário foi criado pela nossa equipe com ajuda de diversos representantes de ONGs locais e outros moradores para garantir que as perguntas e opções de respostas captassem a real experiência dos moradores da CDD.
​O link do questionário foi divulgado por diversas páginas de Facebook, grupos de WhatsApp e outras redes sociais online.
PHASE 4:
Dissemination of Findings
In March, we presented preliminary findings from the survey to a group of local NGO representatives. We decided together that a report on the economic impacts of the pandemic was the best way to disseminate the most urgent findings. Additional presentations will be provided to CDD residents and representatives of local NGOs who continue to help families affected by the pandemic.
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We intend to disseminate the data to newspapers and academic forums in Rio de Janeiro.
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The first report is now available. We will also be producing academic articles, co-authored by team members. and making presentations to universities and research centers in Brazil.