Medellín receives donation from Japan to help prevent coronavirus

Medellín received surgical masks, antibacterial gel, gloves, alcohol and facial masks from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency -JICA, in a donation that seeks to help in the prevention of coronavirus in the city.

Supplies will be directed to prison centers, care sites for the elderly and the homeless community, as well as to the hospital network.

This support was achieved thanks to the city’s social manager, Diana Osorio, who in 2016 was a fellow of an academic program of JICA titled: Sustainable Rural Development through life improvement approach for Latin America.

Due to this academic history, the Social Manager had an approach with the Japanese agency regarding the management of these resources, which will improve quality of life in the most vulnerable communities.

This contribution is a result of the mission that the City of Medellín has undertaken with public partners around the world in search of support to better address the crisis generated by the pandemic.

“This important donation includes 15,000 elements that will help us protect people who are on the front lines attending vulnerable communities in Medellín. This includes staff working in hospitals, detention centers, care centers for the homeless and care centers for the elderly, among others,” said the Social Manager.

The Executive Director of ACI Medellín, Eleonora Betancur, said that “cooperation with Japan has a history of good experiences, thanks to the efforts developed jointly through technical actions, which is why this new achievement is also a very important event to strengthen ties with this country that has so much to contribute to the development of the city and the region”.

This aid adds to those received in recent months by the governments of Korea, China and the United Arab Emirates to deal with the pandemic and to better manage the crisis affecting the entire world.

The good relations that Medellín has built with different countries over time now allow it to receive this kind of support in one of the most crucial moments of its history.