The first articles deal with the water scarcity in the Guaiviry village in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and the paternal absence in raising indigenous children. The initiative stems from another G20 Brasil Communication partnership, encouraging Indigenous people to share issues from their reality with the world through their perspectives.
Teacher and student Rosicleia Almeida, from the Kaiowá ethnic group, produced the first article in an indigenous language for the G20 radio bulletin, in which she discussed the drinking water shortage among the Guarani and Kaiowá in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). The article results from a partnership between G20 Communication and the team of professors and students at the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), who have already been translating G20 journalistic content from Portuguese into Guarani.
According to Rosicleia, the opportunity to be a reporter and show the reality of the Guaiviry village, where she lives, in the municipality of Aral Moreira, in Mato Grosso do Sul, came at a good time because the community no longer knows who else to turn to. "Who knows? Maybe our call for help will be heard in this report, right? We really need potable water since the water we currently use is at risk of drying up at any time. Not to mention, the article gives visibility to the community", she said.
Like Rosicleia, Jorge Sanches is a student of the extension project at the University of Dourados, which allows Indigenous students to become communicators. Jorge lives in the Jaguapiru indigenous reserve, in the municipality of Dourados, also in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), and says that professor Andérbio Martins, who coordinates the text translation project, invited some students to prepare bilingual reports.
For Jorge, the initiative is important because it brings the needs of communities into the global debate, where leaders can influence public policies that prioritize the well-being of Indigenous peoples. "Today, the G20 has the power to foster dialogues between nations, enabling the sharing of effective strategies and leading to global solutions to silent crises. It is a chance to give voice to those who have been silenced and to make a real and lasting difference."
For Jorge, the initiative is important because it brings the needs of communities into the global debate, where leaders can influence public policies that prioritize the well-being of Indigenous peoples. "Today, the G20 has the power to foster dialogues between nations, enabling the sharing of effective strategies and leading to global solutions to silent crises. It is a chance to give voice to those who have been silenced and to make a real and lasting difference."
Jorge teaches at Francisco Meireles Municipal School, where 90% of the students are Indigenous. He points out that many children are growing up without the care and affection of their parents, who, despite being physically present, are emotionally absent due to the various challenges faced by the Indigenous population. According to Jorge, parental neglect creates a void that disrupts the social and psychological development of these children, resulting in devastating consequences for their future and for society as a whole. Participating in the G20 as a communicator inspires him to highlight and seek solutions that strengthen families and promote parental responsibility.
The radio bulletin produced by Jorge brings up this issue. "When a father or mother fails to fulfill their role, it creates a cycle of suffering that affects generations. Therefore, for me, the importance of participating in the G20 lies in promoting awareness, restoring family ties, and offering children the chance for a better future."
The gaze upon oneself
According to the project coordinator, Andérbio Martins, the initiative provides an interesting way for teachers in indigenous areas to critically examine their reality, synthesize their experiences, and bring visibility to the problems that still affect the Guarani-Kaiowá people.
The themes of the articles for the radio bulletins have emerged from the Indigenous people's perspective on their context. The project has awakened in these student-teachers the awareness to reflect on their social problems, such as the lack of water, violence, child abandonment, alcoholism, and loss of territory-issues that are all present in the texts the communicators are developing. In addition, they are learning to conduct research through interviews, perform critical analysis, and create texts that can serve as didactic and supplementary materials for use in text analysis and interpretation classes.
"I feel very fulfilled as a person and educator who leads students' intellectual development. Imagine at what point in the country's history we would have a Federal Government communication website publishing journalistic articles produced by Indigenous people from the interior of Mato Grosso do Sul? It's the first time this is happening, it's a historic milestone for me", celebrates Andérbio.
