For many indigenous students, preparation for starting their degree at Unicamp involves a long journey. Most of them come from the northern region of Brazil, and even those from closer communities go through a period of change that involves financial costs and adaptation. Thinking about the difficulties faced and the need to guarantee the effectiveness of the affirmative action policy, the Ñandutí Support Network brought together students, staff, teachers and supporters in general to facilitate the arrival of freshmen, and has already been successful in acquiring tickets so that approved candidates for the 2020 Indigenous Entrance Exam arrive in Campinas.
“It was difficult to get here, you can’t even imagine where everyone comes from. This Brazil is huge, I come from Amazonas and it is quite far away. Leaving the community with a little tail and a canoe, it took about four days to get to the city, from that city to Manaus and from Manaus to here”, says Economic Sciences student João Florentino da Silva, from the Baniwa ethnic group. João is from the first class of indigenous entrants, from 2019, and his example illustrates the difficulties that many of those who pass the entrance exam face.
Through a mobilization campaign, in addition to tickets for those students who could not afford the cost of travel to Campinas, the Ñanduti Network organized an action with the company Dow, which donated 20 computers to the 2019 freshmen this Tuesday (11).
“We have been working all year and a lot of help has come from various walks of life, academics, teachers, companies”, explains Arlindo Gregório, who is part of the support group and also entered the first indigenous entrance exam at Unicamp. “It is important to be interacting with everyone and seeking this support, not only as an academic but as an indigenous person. A support group like this gives you strength. Many people embraced the idea and understood the importance of the indigenous population accessing Unicamp. In addition to my people, there are almost 900 thousand indigenous people who fought for us to get here”, he assesses.
The student, from the Baré ethnic group, from the Cué-Cué community, in the northwest of Amazonas, is studying Electrical Engineering and highlights that the Network's actions, which began in 2019, take place both through “word of mouth” and through social media. In addition to tickets, the group mobilizes support for temporary accommodation vacancies, as the procedures via Unicamp's Student Support Service (SAE), both to obtain a place in Student Housing and to receive housing assistance and other Social benefits can only begin after the enrollees enroll. In addition, the Support Network asks for food and personal hygiene items and assistance with rides.
The SAE coordinator, professor Helena Altmann, highlights that the Network's work is important, and SAE has been working in partnership with the group, attending meetings to provide information about the aid and to answer students' questions. “These support networks that are formed in the period that precedes the formalization of indigenous students as Unicamp students are very welcome because there is a period of time between the student being approved, being able to arrive at the University and actually starting to receive the benefits”, she highlights.
She also explains that the benefits for indigenous students are the same as those offered to other students, and that there is a large demand due to the fact that the majority come from outside São Paulo (SP).
To find out how to help the Ñandutí Support Network, access one of the group's communication channels - facebook of Indigenous Students from Unicamp, Instagram, blog - or get in touch via email rededeapoio.nanduti@gmail.com.
Indigenous entrance exam at Unicamp
Unicamp's indigenous entrance exam began in 2019. At the time, 72 places were offered and students from 23 ethnicities entered the University through the modality. The second edition of the entrance exam increased the number of places to 96, in addition to increasing the choice of courses.
For Arlindo, accessing higher education leads to the possibility of improving the conditions of indigenous communities. Therefore, actions that allow students to continue and remain in their studies are important. “Who will want to graduate and go work for us where there is no electricity, air conditioning, or shopping malls? Leaving your place of belonging and going to work for people there is very difficult. The fight to include indigenous academics in the university is based on this justification.”
He also notes that, just as academic knowledge is important for indigenous people, learning about the history and reality of indigenous communities is also important for other students. “We have been suffering from issues that separate us from society. “The current context of indigenous people is very unknown, so we are becoming spokespersons for our relatives”He says.
João salutes the struggle of those who demanded affirmative action. "I thank the people who fought for there to be an indigenous entrance exam at Unicamp. For us as indigenous people, for me as a Baniwa, it is very important because in the community we have training more or less until the fifth or sixth year and from there the person has We had to move, face an urban center to continue our secondary education. We came to graduate, return to the community, help the community develop with the knowledge we learned here".
Reception 2020
On February 27th there will be the reception and registration for indigenous entrants. The following day (28), SAE will hold the lecture "Reception: Student stay at UNICAMP" explaining all procedures for granting social benefits. The agency advises that students should be aware of the necessary documents, which can be accessed here.
