ParaBeach at Itapuã Lighthouse

“The feeling is of freedom. It's the first time I participate. The work here is very well done, with great care. It brought the sea closer to me”. This was the testimony of Geraldo Dionísio, one of the 51 bathers on the first day of the ToBeach 2019, which took place last Saturday (05), at Farol de Itapuã beach. The project is an initiative of the City of Salvador, through the Sustainable City Department, in partnership with the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, and aims to promote assisted bathing for the physically handicapped and people with reduced mobility. The sixth year of ParaPraia takes place on the weekends of January (5th, 12th, 19th and 26th) and February (9th, 16th, 23rd and 24th).

The first meeting was attended by the deputy mayor of Salvador, Bruno Reis, who told how this project represents a successful action. “ParaPraia has already served more than 1.500 people with physical disabilities or with reduced mobility and provides a moment of pleasure, joy and inclusion. Right now, I was following Dona Maria, who was 23 years old and didn't go into the sea, she lived nearby, in Alto do Coqueirinho. Thanks to Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública for the partnership and to the Physiotherapy, Nursing and Physical Education teachers and students who participate and are the soul of this project”, he said.

Bather Carolina Santos, who before the project spent 9 years without taking a dip in the sea, says that she has been participating in the project for four years. “It's very good, after all it was 9 years on the tour, seeing people on the beach and now I'm also on the beach. Thank you very much to Bahiana and to all the companies involved”.

The project coordinator, Renato Linhares, recalled how ParaPraia was conceived 6 years ago: “The then undersecretary of the Sustainable City secretary of the City of Salvador exposed a series of projects for partnerships, among them was ParaPraia. We presented to some companies and arrived at the Bahiana, who was looking for a proposal on the same line. The partnership was immediate, as the school could guide the management of these people with reduced mobility”. According to Renato, another point encouraged by the participation of Bahiana was the development of the culture of volunteering: “At first, through the employees and students of the house and, later, with the involvement of the population. There are children who have never gone into the sea and adults who have not gone for over 20 years. Thanks to the action, these people can have this moment of leisure”.

Luciana Oliveira, teaching coordinator of ParaPraia and coordinator of the Common Nucleus of Bahiana, explains the difference between this edition of the event and previous years: “The novelty this year is that we decided to explore the beaches more. We are now getting to know, for example, Itapuã beach and, finally, on January 26th, we will return to Ondina, which is the place that welcomed us from the beginning, our mother beach”. In addition to these two locations, ParaPraia will also take place on January 19th and 20th at Arembepe beach.

There are many volunteers at ParaPraia, whether they are members of Bahiana or from the outside community. Luciana Oliveira also explains about the process of participating in the project through volunteering. "The school Bahiana it is fulfilling its role of social responsibility, which is also to help the community to realize that it can also be a factor of inclusion, helping people with reduced mobility to take an assisted bath and, in this way, empower this population. And whoever wants to be a volunteer to work in the next few days of Parapraia, needs to look for the extension of the Bahiana to be able to register by e-mail to parapraia@bahiana.edu.br".

The project is open to the entire public, including employees of the institution. Carlos Lima, volunteer and manager of the Control and Prevention Sector (SECOP) at Bahiana, participated, for the first time, as a volunteer in the action. “It was extremely gratifying to allow people with reduced mobility access to the beach and bathing in the sea. It's a very interesting attitude for both sides, for those who bathe in the sea and for those who help.” Carlos assessed the experience as enriching.

Igor Allonso is a physiotherapist, former student of Bahiana and technical coordinator of ParaPraia. He shared with all the other participants his experience during all these years of the project: “I started at ParaPraia as a volunteer in 2014, in its first edition, when I was still a student at Bahiana. I spent three years as a volunteer and, when I graduated, I received an invitation to coordinate the project. For me, it's more than motivating to participate in this initiative, because we hear and see exciting stories. It is a simple activity, like bathing in the sea, which for many people is insignificant, but for many others it has immeasurable value. So, every smile we see from bathers is very gratifying”, he concludes.