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HEALTH AND EDUCATION   

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HEALTH AND EDUCATION

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Up to 1989, it was the FUNAI, through its Executive Administration of Cacoal, which provided health assistance to the Paiter population. In the period from 1989 to 1991, the Health Assistance Project for the Suruí Paiter people developed by the CERNIC (Centre for Child Neurological Rehabilitation of Cacoal) in accord with the IAMÁ (Institute for anthropology and the environment), and with financial support from the Norwegian Program for Indigenous Peoples of the NORAD ( Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation), was successful in taking the first steps to improving the low level health assistance to the Suruí.

In continuity with this work, the PACA (Cacoal Environmental Protection) has been developing health actions with indigenous populations since 1992 through the training of Indigenous Health Agents, the results of which has diminished the high mortality rate and has made a significant population increase possible.

The research done in the villages has shown that the sicknesses and health problems that most affect Paiter children are: verminosis, influenza, pneumonia, dehydration and diarrheia. Among adults, the most common sicknesses are: flu, pneumonia, rheumatism and tuberculosis.

There are health posts on the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Land, except in two villages of line 11(Lobo village and Amaral village) and in one of the two villages of line 14 (Placa village). Transportation used to get out of the villages and to get medical attendance in the Indigenous Health house in Riozinho, or in the public health network of Cacoal, is provided by the vehicles and drivers of the FUNASA. On three Indigenous Posts - Line 11(Lapetanha village), Line 14(Gamir village) and e Line 09 – transceptor radio systems have been installed by the FUNASA/PACA in order to cover emergency health needs.

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With regard to education, from 1992 to 1996 the IAMÁ coordinated a project for educating indigenous teachers, which included teaching of the native language and Portuguese, as well as literacy in the indigenous language.

Currently, the schools of the villages have bilingual instruction from the 1st to 4th grades. The teachers in the villages are from the municipal school network of Cacoal. The indigenous teachers are hired by the state. The infra-structure of the village schools generally is improvised in various types of dwellings. Generally the schools have wooden walls, polished cement floors and asbestos roofs. In the villages that do not have schools the students study in neighboring villages.

The school lunch is provided by the SEDUC (State Secretary of Education/RO), through the regional delegacy in Cacoal. This service has been continuous which has meant a better performance on the part of the students. The preparation of the meals is voluntary and is done every day in a house by a student’s mother.


01:: School of Lobo village. Photo: Ivaneide Bandeira, 2000

02:: School of Lapetanha village. Photo: Rogério Vargas Motta, 2000

Betty Mindlin
anthropologist
arampia@nvcnet.com.br

Kanindé Association for ethno-environmental defense
kaninde@kaninde.org.br

Metareilá Organization of the Paiter Indigenous People
surui@nettravel.com.br

 

August, 2003

 
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