Monsoon Ferrer: “In India, with the second wave of Govt, we went from fear to hell” | What moves … | Future planet

ர சி து Monso Ferrer Perry (Anantapur, 1971) His father said to him: “If I speak Telugu when you speak, I will do miracles.” However, he is now the director of projects for the Vicente Ferrer Foundation From a young age, he witnessed many “miracles” performed by his father, although his memory remains indelible.

As that memoir, the Indian government used three acres of vacant land, without access to water, to have the best banana harvest ever remembered in his community, and earned 300,000 rupees (3,495 euros). “My father helped him to set up a well and irrigation system. After the harvest, this man came to our house with a basket full of bananas to give us another money. He would say to us: ‘In my life, in the history of our caste or our people, no one has achieved anything like this. We never touched that much money. ‘ Vicente Ferrer Foundation His visit to Madrid, Spain. “We want to make it seem impossible to those who have never had the opportunity. In this way, this family now has its own resources to support itself and pay for their children’s school … and we don’t have to worry about that,” he said, waving his arms and wearing a light blue kurta.

Because His father, Vicente Ferrer, died in 2009, Ferrer’s son took over, With his mother Anna, Named after his father, the foundation, which has been serving the most vulnerable in India for 52 years, is headquartered in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. More than 2,700 people work there, benefit more than three million and support the needs of more than 3,000 people. All this work, with one of the many references his father gave him: “Never give up (Never give up), no matter what happens, Monso, We will never abandon our people (We will never abandon our people), Ferrer recalled, with a mixture of Spanish and English, the language they spoke at home, with his parents and sisters Tara and Yamuna. “Be his son [de Vicente Ferrer] For me it was always a special, not a burden, it gave me strength Who I want to be (Who should I be). Things happen (Will happen

Second wave hell in India

Ferrer, who defines himself as a quiet man, heard about the corona virus during his final visit to Madrid and Barcelona in February 2020, when the virus did not reach Spain, but reached Italy. “We lived in fear in the first wave of India because after what happened around the world, experts wondered how countries like ours would deal with Govt-19. However, the government shut down very quickly for fear of an epidemic and we were able to get the situation we could deal with,” Ferrer explains. “But after it started to open, we allowed the virus to spread freely for months. The second wave broke, and as one of our doctors said, we went from fear of hell.” Mass funerals, the hospitals they run are overcrowded and patients are overflowing with patients and lack of oxygen. The whole country is a victim.

Epidemic is a great opportunity to build global unity “

India currently adds 25,000 epidemics daily, with more than 400,000 occurring at the peak of the second wave. Regarding the vaccination rate, 47% of people have complete guidance, Followed by 17% single dose holders. Ferrer, who sometimes thinks we have “too little memory” to learn from a health crisis like the current one, believes it is necessary A “collective responsibility” to fight Govt-19, And considers liberation Vaccine patents To end the epidemic. “Making them is not just a question, it’s not just for the rich, it’s necessary for the distribution to all countries to be fast. It needs to be a collective struggle of the whole world. It needs unity.

Consequences of infection

Ferrer knew what poverty and inequality were from a very young age. His mother, Anna Ferrer, is now chair of the trust, She wanted her children to know her first. One morning in Anantapur, when Ferrer was a child, he and his friends, thirsty while playing, decided to go to a house to ask for water. Wishende’s son gave them a glass of how to drink, the others, the boys of the caste Dalits —India’s lowest one – the liquid poured into his hands. “I understood that situation later when I asked why this happened. But if you live there and you do not notice the differences, I do not know what you are doing”, a definite sentence.

This gap between the castes, rich and poor in India has widened in the aftermath of the epidemic, which is a health crisis that will affect the economic stability of many families as their only source of employment. Informal And an increase in orphans, who They are threatened by human trafficking, abuse and labor exploitation. “There are many more children who have lost their father and mother or other members due to the Govt. At the end of the month they have a lot of misery because they do not have a secure salary and have to go to the store every day to work. For millions in India, the situation during imprisonment is dire,” Ferrer lamented. Distributed about 10,000 million food parcels a day to the most vulnerable families in the first months.

If you live in India and do not notice inequality, I do not know what you are doing

Other effects of the epidemic include, in addition, inequality among young people and their education. “It’s a human right, but not everyone has the same learning. On the one hand, there are those who go to private centers, they have access to equipment and are able to follow their classes. Tablets Read “, contextualizes the director of the VF Foundation’s programs. Regardless of their social class, ”he promises.

Green future

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation aims to introduce an environmental aspect to each of its projects, with a focus on the future, gender, education, health or housing, with a history of over 50 years. “We have formed a small team of experts from Spain and India.

“My mother clearly knew that the areas we should focus on in our efforts after the epidemic were to continue to develop gender, the environment and unity,” Ferrer explains, recalling a letter he wrote to Vicente Ferrer. Ferrer was the organization’s true architect and without him, “all this would not have been possible.”

“Seeing a person without hope kills you. One of my father’s wishes is to give everyone a chance to live a decent life. As I walk through the villages, many remind me of what I said: ‘I want every poor family to become a millionaire.’ Also, as my father left, we can leave this world, but the dreams continue, and we continue to fulfill them.

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