Alisson Becker and WHO Foundation Launch Campaign to Raise Resources and Support Treatment of COVID-19 Patients Beginning in America

The “Give Breath for Health” Campaign Launched on World Health Day to Launch Global Efforts to Purchase Oxygen and Other Stocks and Therapeutic Life-Saving Agents

Champions goalie Alisson Becker, the World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Health Promotion, has launched a new global fundraising campaign called “Give a Breath for Health,” led by the WHO Foundation and the WHO. The initiative aims to support the delivery of oxygen and other rescue supplies to healthcare facilities that treat patients with COVID-19 worldwide.

First donation for “Give yourself a breath of health”, Performed by Alisson, will contribute to the supply of sites on Amazon and collaborate with the efforts of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the WHO Regional Office for America, with the support of the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the State Health Department Amazonas.

“I am a proud Brazilian and I wish my people the best possible health. By working together, we can get through this difficult moment and I will do everything I can to help my country, my region and the world during the COVID-19 crisis, ”said Alisson, goalkeeper of the Brazilian national football team and Liverpool. “Although vaccines provide great hope to many countries around the world, there is still a desperate need in many areas to supply basic medicines and equipment, including oxygen, to keep people alive in our hospitals and clinics.”

Part of Alisson’s contribution will be used to purchase non-invasive ventilation masks for people hospitalized in remote parts of Brazil for COVID-19. Supplies will be delivered to eight municipalities in the Amazon state: Coari, Humaitá, Itacoatiara, Lábrea Parintins, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Tabatinga and Tefé.

The rest of the donation will be used to purchase equipment to fill oxygen cylinders in the municipality of Tabatinga, located on the border with Colombia and Peru. These stocks will help solve the logistical problem related to the need to send bottles to other places for refilling.

“We are concerned about the situation in America, where the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases is causing some areas to have very high occupancy rates in intensive care units and putting the health system at risk of collapse,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne. “As more and more patients require hospitalization, a solidarity response effort like the one led by Alisson Becker can help provide health workers in the region with much-needed supplies and equipment, including oxygen, to save lives.”

Oxygen delivery is one of the priorities set out in the recently published WHO Strategic Readiness and Response Plan for 2021, for which the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund seeks to raise funds from individuals, philanthropists and corporations.

Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, thanked Alisson Becker for his generous support of healthcare facilities in America and for the driving force of the “Give a Breath for Health” campaign.

“The response to COVID-19 is greater than any country or government can manage on its own. The “Give Breath for Health” campaign is an exciting example of how the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund can enable anyone and anywhere to support the urgently needed efforts of the WHO and its partners in responding to a pandemic. “

About the WHO Foundation

The WHO Foundation is an independent grant foundation based in Geneva that aims to protect the health and well-being of all in all parts of the world, working together with the World Health Organization and the global health community. It aims to support donors, scientists, experts, implementing partners and advocates around the world in rapidly finding new and better solutions to the most pressing global health challenges today and tomorrow.

The Foundation aims at evidence-based initiatives that support the WHO in achieving the goal of sustainable development (SDG) 3 (ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for all). It focuses on reducing health risks, preventing pandemics, better disease management, and creating stronger health systems. It addresses these areas by building awareness and supporting its partners, including the WHO, so that it invests in every life and the world is ready for any health emergency that may arise.

WHO Foundation. Together we have so much to achieve.

www.who.foundation

Campaign website

PAHO works with American countries to improve the health and quality of life of the population. Founded in 1902, it is the oldest international public health organization in the world. It serves as the WHO Regional Office for America and is a specialized health agency of the inter-American system. More information at www.paho.org