In collaboration with the Municipality of Araçatuba, the Salesian university has arranged that a bus with 37 UniSALESIANO volunteers on board will leave the Araçatuba campus around 10 am on 17 May and should arrive in Porto Alegre on Saturday (18th), bringing with it doctors, nurses, a veterinarian, a psychologist, final year nursing students and medical students with qualifications in the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLs) sector.
Volunteers will provide their services and skills in the capital Porto Alegre and in the metropolitan region, under the coordination of Dr Ângelo Jacomossi, professor of the UniSALESIANO Medicine course.
The Vice-Rector for Teaching, Research and Postgraduate Studies of UniSALESIANO, Prof. André Ornellas, describes this service provided by the university as belonging to its institutional nature. “We exist to train professionals ready to work. So, thinking about the current reality in Rio Grande do Sul, we believed we had to do more than collect food. We will give these professionals some time to help the community that suffers the most" he explained, adding that the veterinarian and psychologist, graduates of UniSALESIANO, will go to the field to advise the group of health volunteers.
In fact, the veterinarian will analyze the epidemiological diseases and advise the health professionals present on the possible dangers of contamination by various diseases; while the psychologist will provide psychological support to the group. "Without forgetting that our Psychology professors and the final year students of this course will work online with people who need this support in the South" said the Pro-Rector.
The Coordinator of the University's Medicine Course, Dr Antônio Poletto, stressed that assistance in catastrophic situations is a fundamental humanitarian obligation of Salesians: "It is our responsibility not only to recognize, but also to act on this humanitarian commitment" he said.
For his part, the Rector of UniSALESIANO, Fr Paulo Vendrame, SDB, stressed that the solidarity shown by the Brazilian people at a time like this, of calamity, is surprising. "We are finding in young university students an echo that is something that makes our university institution and all of humanity proud. I congratulate our educators and those who responded to this call to volunteer, taking care of the most precious thing we have: life!" Fr Vendrame said.
