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Awareness Through Media: Addressing Toxic Use Reduction in the Brazilian Community

Project Details

Year: 2011, 2012, 2020
Location: Allston
Project Manager: Heloisa Maria Glavao, Brazilian Women's Group
Partners: Vida Verde Cooperative, New England Community Center, Faxina

Overview

About 75% of Brazilian women work as domestic workers, the majority are housecleaners and are in daily contact with strong chemicals such as ammonium quaternary compounds, bleach, ammonia and solvents. With an increase in demand to disinfect due to COVID, the workers are at more risk of exposure. The project goal was to promote awareness about the risks and safer ways to clean and disinfect.

Results

The Brazilian Women’s Group of Brighton trained Brazilian domestic workers and other Portuguese-speaking women about how to make and use safer cleaning products. The project team shared information about how to minimize coronavirus impacts in their local community, where 75 percent of Brazilian women work as domestic or essential workers. They will also reached out to nannies, elder care workers and childcare providers.

The project team worked with Faxina Media to produce a podcast and with Coop members to create videos showing how to make safer products. BWG produced facebook live events about use of safer cleaners and presented nine workshops. The project team also held hands-on trainings and workshops that demonstrated how to make safer products and disinfectants and how to read products labels. 

 



This page updated Monday November 22 2021
Brazilian Womens Group 25th Anniversary Champion