Rio, 18/4/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Brazilian Development Bank BNDES is releasing some R$2.4 million for riverside communities in the Amazon region, as part of a project known as Health and Joy (PSA). The money will pay for work in health, sanitation, logistics and communications in 129 communities, where some 28,000 people live on the banks of the Amazonas, Tapajós and Arapiuns rivers.

According to the BNDES, the beneficiaries will get better water and sanitation installations. Their isolation will also be reduced with the result that they will see an improvement in the quality of their lives. (AB)