Rainforest Resilience Fund
Emergency support for communities through the Covid-19 crisis.
The Covid-19 pandemic is the latest threat to households and habitats in the rainforest.
But unlike droughts, loggers, typhoons and floods, coronavirus is hitting every rainforest community simultaneously. Supply chains are broken, fresh food prices have tripled and misinformation is spreading fast.
Cool Earth’s long term focus will always be on building livelihoods, but for now, requests for emergency aid have come from almost every one of our partner communities. With your support, we are committed to getting help to every family that needs it.
Essential supplies of food and hygiene equipment are needed immediately to keep people safe and healthy, along with resources like seeds and tools to prepare for the coming months.
How we’re helping
1. Food for Families
We’re supporting local partners to get urgent food supplies to indigenous and isolated communities.
2. Stop the Spread
Right now a bar of soap is a super power. Cleaning products, protective masks and gloves will help reduce the spread of disease.
3. Plan for the future
Seeds and tools will help improve food security in the months to come. Funding will also keep local businesses supported.
Update:
A lack of oxygen, medicines, and personal protection equipment puts the lives of the Awajún people at risk.
The spread of Covid-19 across Amazonian indigenous territories is now a reality, with the number of cases increasing every day. Since the pandemic began, many indigenous communities have closed their territories, self-isolated and worked with local organisations to ensure food sovereignty and obtain medical supplies.
Despite this, they need our help.
Our Global Covid-19 Response
Peru
As the situation worsens in the Peruvian Amazon and the fire season looms, Cool Earth is working with a network of local partners to distribute medicine, health supplies and personal protective equipment to Awajún communities. Helping to protect community health and avoid infections in the already small number of doctors and nurses there are.
Papua New Guinea
In Papua New Guinea, Cool Earth is working with the local committee to provide funds to help local market stalls keep their businesses from collapsing. The immediate impact on the economy from Covid-19 meant that people were unable to earn money, access their cash or afford to buy food. Bulk goods like rice, tinned fish, oil and soap have been delivered, allowing trading to continue in the village at affordable prices.
Ecuador
Cool Earth’s local partner Yakum is reacting quickly to the Covid-19 crisis in Ecuador. The first stage of their response involved providing hygiene supplies to stop the spread and short cycle crop seeds to cover alarming food shortages. The Yakum team is now working to provide longer cycle seed packs to build resilience and improve overall nutrition, developing food security long into the future.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Although our communities in DRC are based many miles from areas affected by Covid-19, our partner organisation FFI is ensuring teams are safe whilst they continue with their forest protection work. Community members are protecting themselves and continue to carry out their biomonitoring patrols in case of any illegal activity or immediate threats to wildlife or the forest.
Mozambique
In Mozambique, Cool Earth’s local partner organisation Legado have continued to support communities. Finding new and creative ways to support people through this crisis, Legado has created a collaboration with the local government to increase health support and recruit and train community health activists. Providing communities with the information they need to stay safe and prevent the spread of the virus.
Cameroon
Cool Earth is working with local partner CCREAD-Cameroon to deliver much needed health and food supplies to rural rainforest communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. This additional support aims to increase local resilience in the coming months and reduce the effects of the crisis on the forest. We have delivered urgently needed food packages, sanitation supplies and hygiene supplies to stop the spread.
Cambodia
In Cambodia, activities and field visits are resuming after having been put on hold to protect community members. Community wardens are carrying out patrols for the monitoring of crocodiles, elephants and other habitats. Whilst Cool Earth is providing as much remote support as possible, local paravets and village rice advisors have been filling in for the team providing coaching to local rice and chicken farmers.