Over the years, the project has involved six ethnic groups: Guajajara, Awá, Ka’apor, and Akroá-Gamela in Maranhão, as well as the Yawalapiti and Kamayurá peoples from the Xingu Indigenous Territory. The Indigenous approach to health education is grounded in community, the strengthening of collective identity, and the preservation of Indigenous languages and ways of life.
The material is the result of a broader, inter-organisational effort, which has been supported by UNAIDS and the UN Secretary-General’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Brazil’s Ministry of Education (MEC), the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), and the Ministry of Health, as well as active participation by Indigenous communities, their leaders and organisations, who have played an essential role in building a collaborative, territorially-grounded intercultural process.
The launch took place during Red December, the month-long period dedicated to raising awareness on HIV and AIDS by highlighting the urgency of addressing not only infection but also stigma, racism, and discrimination which for decades have hindered access to care and information. “This publication represents a milestone in our mission to promote inclusive and quality education. We believe that access to information on health, delivered in an intercultural and accessible manner, is a fundamental human right,” Braga added.
While collaborating with UNAIDS, UNESCO has designed 13 educational materials on health education for different Indigenous groups: for the Matis, Mayoruna, Kanamari, Marubo and Tikuna peoples in Alto Solimões; and for the Warao and E’nepa peoples living along the border region in the state of Roraima. The newly launched materials are intended for the Kamaiurá and Yawalapiti peoples of the Xingu, in Mato Grosso, and for the Awá, Akroá-Gamela, Ka’apor and Guajajara peoples in the state of Maranhão. In the second half of 2025, UNESCO also launched a series of intercultural dialogues involving five ethnic groups from the Upper Rio Negro region to develop educational materials in Indigenous languages for the Baré, Baniwa, Tukano, Yanomami and Kokama peoples.
The Health and Well-Being Education Series is a tool designed to strengthen educational and health promotion initiatives in Indigenous territories. It can be used to support schools, health professionals, Indigenous health agents, and community leaders in developing more effective, culturally-sensitive and community-tailored care practices, as well as provide educational materials for Indigenous schools.
UNESCO in Brazil has also produced a series of videos for and by Indigenous peoples through a multilingual, pedagogical and intercultural approach focused on COVID-19 prevention. It seeks to present clear and accurate information on the pandemic — which continues to harm Indigenous Peoples — while promoting prevention strategies that are tailored to the cultural context and mother tongue of each community. The project included eight ethnic groups — Wapichan, Ticuna, Yanomami, Ye’kwana, Macuxi, Taurepang, Warao and E’nepá — all of which are located in the states of Amazonas and Roraima (Brazil). Click here to learn more.
UNESCO supports Indigenous Peoples in promoting their rights, traditional knowledge, and cultural and linguistic diversity, while advocating for their inclusion in decision-making and development processes. The Organisation supports the development of projects that include Indigenous participation while appreciating traditional knowledge, through tools such as the UNESCO Policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples and the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
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