Health

At least 45,000 children have lost both parents to pandemic in Brazil

Jundiaí, Brazil, May 25 (EFE).- “I lost my dad, my mom and my grandpa in the course of two weeks.” A retelling of the same words can be heard all across Brazil. Thousands of children have been orphaned by Covid-19, victimized by an overlooked tragedy still unaddressed by public institutions.At least 45,000 children and teenagers have lost both parents to the pandemic, according to preliminary estimates by Brazil’s Institute for Applied Economic Research.FOOTAGE OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE LOST THEIR PARENTS.SOUNDBITES OF ADRIANA DEL RÍO, RENATA PASCHOALINI, RYAN LUCATTO AND GLAUCE GALÚCIO.TRANSLATIONS:Adriana del Rio:"It is a pain that will never leave. A pain that only God will teach me to live with as time goes by""(The initiative) is like a father who embraces his son in a moment of pain""I couldn't just mourn, be on my own and cry because of the pain of losing my family. I had to just smile the next day and tell my granddaughters that everything is fine, that granny is here"Renata Paschoalini:"The initiative 'Mothers who welcome' arose from the need to help two young siblings, one who was 20 years old and the other 10, who lost their parents and grandfather in just 15 days due to Covid""Only this last week 5 mothers died and we got 19 minors whose five mothers died."Ryan Lucatto:"The first question my brother asked me was, did Mmm and Dad suffer? I told him that from what I know, I understand, they didn't, because they were both intubated when they died. And there he asked me, will we ever find them in heaven? Yes, I told him. Those are the only two questions he asked me and still asks me."