Tired of seeing her students only through the screen of a computer, a Brazilian elementary school teacher Maura Silva, 47, decided to act. She bought dozens of plastic raincoats, gloves and face masks to safely visit 55 children in Rio de Janeiro.

With in-person gatherings risky for seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic, Guilherme Gagantini, 80, created an online bingo game called Pandebingo for them to socialize safely online.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created great risks not just to public health but also to the social-economic well being of citizens. Fernando and Jéssica, whose names have been changed to protect their privacy, are benefiting from a UNICEF programme designed to protect some of the most vulnerable during this time. They were both convicted of crimes as teenagers but were receiving vocational development instead of incarceration before the pandemic.

Every day since the beginning of the pandemic, Rafael “Rafa” Sanz, a driver for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Roraima, Brazil, follows a careful routine when arriving home. He takes off his shoes. He undresses and showers in an improvised stall in the backyard of his house. After spending the day helping protect migrants and refugees from COVID-19, he must be diligent to protect his family at home where his son is in declining health. 

Gislene Pereira, 51, is a dressmaker who lives in the outskirts of Brasília. Until COVID-19 struck, she used to make custom shirts for celebrations like birthday parties and uniforms for companies and churches. “All the orders I had were canceled. My whole production was shut down”, she said.

"The day the earth stopped", music by Raul Seixas, inspired Gabriella de Azevedo Carvalho, 25 years old, to name the dog she adopted the week she started quarantining because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At almost the exact same time, she also began work as an intern at the United Nations Information Center Nations for Brazil (UNIC Rio). Since then, her dog Raul has been her daily companion on her home office journey as a graphic designer for UNIC Rio.

Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer was illuminated with the names of victims lost to COVID-19 in an online ceremony called “For Every Life” that paid tribute to the 60,000 victims lost in Brazil and 500,000 lost worldwide. About 87,000 Brazilians heard messages of hope and solidarity combined with music and prayer in a live broadcast over social media. It recognized the losses of families and selfless work of healthcare workers and others helping the country through the pandemic.

Venezuelan manicurists Silany and Francis arrived in Brazil a month ago, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and were unable to get a job because of mandatory social-distancing measures. Thanks to a UNHCR cash transfer program, they will be able to sustain themselves and pay their basic living expenses.

In Ipiranga, a rural city of 10,000 habitants in Piauí, an organization of artisans found themselves with less work because of the coronavirus pandemic. Aware of the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health professionals in the region, the Association of Artisans in the City of Ipiranga-Piauí (ASSARIPI) changed their usual work programme to produce face masks and hair caps.

Brazilians living in marginalized communities are struggling to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus: many people live in the same house, in small spaces and don’t have the money to buy basic hygiene products. UNICEF and Granado joined forces to help them by donating liquid soap to five projects that care for vulnerable children and youth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The products were delivered to the families’ homes. Cíntia and Josete are two women who benefitted from the donation.