5th edition of the ParaPraia Project

Theme of music, poetry, image that gilds the dream of many... He, the sea, main character of the hottest and colorful season of the year in Salvador, welcomed, last weekend, more than 50 bathers with physical disabilities and intellectuals and people with reduced mobility in another edition of the Parapraia project, an initiative that enables assisted bathing in the sea, in addition to promoting and preventing the health of bathers. The action has the technical support of the Physiotherapy course at Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública since 2014, it has been carried out by the City of Salvador, through the Sustainable City Department, with sponsorship from Braskem and Salvador Shopping and institutional support from the newspaper A Tarde.

In its 5th year, Parapraia will be held every Saturday and Sunday – except on Carnival weekend – on Ondina beach, more precisely, in front of the Bahia Institute of Rehabilitation (IBR), from 8:12 am to 18:24 pm, until the February 25th. The big news this year will be a special edition that will take place on February XNUMXth and XNUMXth at Itacimirim beach, on the north coast.

"Since the first year, we see a project of great relevance to sensitize not only people who have a relative, friend or acquaintance with a disability, but society, citizens, people who are here as bathers", says the course coordinator of Physiotherapy Bahiana and activities of Parapraia, Luciana Bilitário. She points out that the project has an important social gain, since it gives visibility to people who have mobility difficulties. In other words, what for many is "another leisure activity", for many others it is a quality of life experience – bathing in the sea.

Another point highlighted by Bilitário is the enriching experience for the training of health professionals. "From an academic point of view, our students come out different. They learn in a practical way what solidarity is. It is another initiative that helps to form a more humanistic professional", he pointed out. According to her, in each edition there are about 200 volunteers, including students and teachers from the Bahiana, in addition to health professionals, partners and spontaneous demand. To be a volunteer, the interested party must look for the training notice that is available on the website of the Bahiana on the second semester. The training lasts one shift and is carried out by teachers from the physiotherapy course.

Recently graduated in Physiotherapy from Bahiana, Igor Alonso has participated in the program since the 1st edition. “From the beginning, my feeling has been the same: emotion and the happiness of being able to be useful to people who have limited mobility, who have reduced mobility”. He says that, this year, the responsibility increases, as now, as a physiotherapist, he assumes the supervision of activities carried out with bathers on weekends.

In addition to assistance with bathing and recreational activities in the water, this year Parapraia will feature actions by academic leagues, such as the “Nursing Angels” – who were also present on the project's opening day – in addition to initiatives by organizations volunteers, as in the case of the Okinawa Karate Association, which performed Kihon, Kata and Kumite presentations, bringing together about 30 students from 8 to 60 years old, including people with disabilities. The institution is chaired by the student of the Physical Education course at Bahiana, Anderson Carlos Costa. “Our intention is to demonstrate that everything is possible for those who believe. We came to embrace this idea of ​​Parapraia, which is already 5 years old. Our proposal is to help a project that is of great value to Salvador”, says Anderson.

The Sustainable City Secretary, André Fraga, also highlighted the value of the initiative for the population of Salvador. “What for so many is something so simple – going to the beach – for people with disabilities, represents many obstacles. A project like this sends a message that everyone has a right to the city”. He says that the city has tried, with the requalification of the seafront in Salvador, to make all sections have accessibility instruments.

As a wheelchair user, Carlos Costa Pinho has participated in Parapraia for three editions and points out how fundamentally important is the action of all project partners. “These are people who left their leisure and their homes to build this structure. The city still needs to improve, but this action already gives us good assistance to allow us to swim in the sea with amphibious chairs, access floors and all the volunteer staff here today”.