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Olinda, Brazil: making in times of COVID-19

Ricardo Ruiz and Corinna Schäfer (Moderation)

Debate visits Brazil! The makerspace Casa Criatura in Olinda produced thousands of pieces of PPE (personal protective equipment) by mixing open, globally designed products with local practices, and donated it to local indigenous health authorities, Afro Brazilian traditional communities and public hospitals. The makerspace also developed an open source aerosol box together with physicists and teachers from reference hospitals in the region, igniting a community of makers and health care professionals around it. And, most importantly, the demunis, the ordinary citizens with community obligations, received support too. All these activities were accompanied by the overarching question, how communities can better care for themselves during pandemics. We speak with Ricardo Ruiz, a member of the Global Innovation Gathering and the Careables network, about the current situation and activities in the city of Olinda and Recife, north-eastern Brazil.