The campaign is being promoted by an international network of more than 40 organizations from various countries with different cultures and religions.“The possibility to be vaccinated should not be limited to a privileged few; it is every person’s right. So we are working at both political and community levels to guarantee this right to every person.” Thus declared Conleth Burns, a 23-year-old law graduate from Northern Ireland during a press conference, which marked the opening of this campaign. Klara Piedade, a young law graduate from the State of Parà in Brazil stated that the date for the official launching of this campaign had not been chosen at random: it was planned for the eve of the G-20 World Summit. Piedade was representing the Youth for a United World, the young people of the Focolare Movement, who started promoting this campaign during this year’s edition of United World Week, an event that focused mainly on the concept and practice of “care” in all spheres: political, environmental, social, and economical. “As a Brazilian, I can say that the pandemic situation, that struck indigenous and riverbank populations, is much worse than official figures show. The people who live in these areas are forgotten by society; they live far from urban and care centers, and today they are hit not only by a health crisis, but also by social, economical and environmental problems. Through this campaign, we are proposing an online donation to support and show care for the inhabitants of this region, who live on the banks of the Amazon and have no access to social and health care.” Mario Bruno, an Italian, who is the international president of the Movement for Unity in Politics, a promoter of the campaign together with the Focolare’s Youth for a United World, clarified that this campaign started precisely on the eve of the day when the international community would announce its orientation towards a solution: Would it be suspension of patents or would it be sharing of them, with a sort of ‘patent pool’ through which pharmaceutical companies decide to share licenses for their productions in poorer countries? “We ask for agreements to be reached with pharmaceutical companies whereby affordable prices are established for the poorest countries. We appeal to governments to be motivated by the desire for universal brotherhood and not by new forms of colonialism, and to be ready to provide the vaccine funds needed for the poorest countries as well.”

Alongside this global mobilization, a health campaign is also under way in the Amazon region of Pará (Brazil) to support the “Pope Francis Hospital Boat” project. Operating since 2019, this project seeks to provide the care needed by the “ribeirinhos,” the populations who live along the Amazon River, far away from any healthcare center.

Edson Galego, a Brazilian nurse who lives at Obidos in the lower Amazon and who works directly on the project said: “Since September 2019, the Pope Francis Hospital Boat has reached more than 700,000 inhabitants in the Amazon region, thanks to the commitment of many volunteers and economic aid, and this is still not enough. At the moment, vaccines are urgently needed, but the state is catering mainly to those who live in urban centers. The situation has now become worse: it is the peak of the rainy season; the water level is rising and, because of floods, the communities cannot go fishing or sail to cities where they can buy food, medicines, and other basic needs. We believe that only a worldwide network can sustain us in our goal of universal brotherhood and embrace together this part of humanity, that suffers and is marginalized.”

Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, (Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Coordinator of the Economic Task Force of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission) highlighted the aspect of justice. She said: “This is not a matter of being charitable and giving crumbs to those who are worse off than us. It is a question of being indebted and just towards the poorer ones. As Pope Francis has reminded us, ‘we are either all saved together, or no one is saved,’ which means that we will not be saved until all of us, especially the most vulnerable, the poor and the forgotten, are taken care of. I think that the temporary suspension of patents and the lowering of prices show that this project is moving in the right direction. Then, there is also the question of distribution of technologies: we should be able to study all vaccines, including those that are not produced in the Western world. This is quite difficult for some populations. Let’s aim for vaccines that can be easily produced and transported everywhere.”

Yassine Lafram, President of the Union of Islamic Communities and Organizations in Italy (UCOII), emphasized the indispensable element of co-responsibility on the part of individuals and States with regard to the current worldwide pandemic and its consequences: “We are convinced that we will all be able to start afresh if responsibility is shared. We are all connected and we will be at risk if whole populations are vaccinated, while only one percent of the poor populations have access to the vaccine. We hope that other vaccination campaigns, especially for the poorest populations, will be launched.”

Gianfranco Cattai, coordinator of Retinopera, broadened the horizon when he spoke about the need of offering more just healthcare solutions to poverty-stricken populations. “This is a very concrete campaign and I hope it will trigger further developments: I am referring to the possibility of locally produced essential medicines in poor countries.”

Noteworthy were the words of Vinu Aram, director of the Shanti Ashram (India), who argued that in the idea of a vaccine for all there is a very important ethical element. “It is not enough to take care of oneself. Both Pope Francis and Mahatma Gandhi invite us to practice solidarity. It is the first time in the world when scientists have collaborated to produce vaccines. I support this vaccine-for-all campaign, and we make this appeal not only for Indians, Americans, or Italians, but for everyone, so that the global family can dream of and live true solidarity.”

Stefano Comazzi, president of the NGO Action for a United World (AMU) spoke about the project “Prevention, vaccine and care for ‘ribeirinhos’ – Pope Francis Hospital Boat.” This project will be managed by AMU together with the Associação Lar São Francisco de Assis na Providência de Deus. When sharing details about the health, social and economic support to be given, Comazzi said: “Medical care will take place within the existing framework of the healthcare program for hospital boats, providing triage, diagnostics, and specialized care when necessary. For prevention and preventive treatment against the disease, we intend to work with the local leaders to provide guidance and raise awareness on hygiene, establish social distancing, and distribute protection and hygiene packs. The estimated cost of each pack is €15. The aid program for the most vulnerable families includes the distribution of food packages, and personal hygiene and disinfection items. The average cost of each unit is estimated to be €17.”

In the end, he highlighted an element that underlines the uniqueness of this project: reciprocity. He explained: “We, as AMU, attach great importance to this element, so that no one feels like a passive beneficiary, but bonds of fraternity are created between the communities who donate and those who receive. In fact, the communities visited by the ‘Pope Francis Hospital Boat’ are used to providing voluntary services to support and contribute to these missions.”

Stefania Tanesini