Could Covid-19 spark a culture of charity in Brazil?

There’s an old maxim that dark times bring out the best in people. In Brazil, the unprecedented challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic have already sparked a never-before-seen response from both companies and civil society. Now, the question is whether this goodwill may be enough to promote a lasting culture of charity in a post-pandemic world.

Initial results are encouraging. Itaú Unibanco, the largest bank in Latin America, has given BRL 1 billion (USD 196 million) to fight the disease in what was the biggest corporate donation in Brazilian history, adding to the BRL 250 million announced previously. Other major players have followed suit, such as steelmaker Gerdau, brewing company Ambev and pulp and paper firm Suzano. The Covid-19 Donations Monitor — updated by the Brazilian Association of Fundraising (ABCR) — has already tallied BRL 3.8 billion in Covid-19 donations, more than the BRL 3.25 billion recorded in the entire year of 2018.  

So far, these charitable donations have translated into the purchase of equipment — such as the 159 ventilators imported from China by Suzano — or the expansion of the M’Boi Mirim public hospital in São Paulo sponsored by Ambev and Gerdau. The public sector has been the major beneficiary of the surge in donations, with São Paulo’s state government...