The Brazilian Olympic Committee will donate masks and food to schools ©COB

The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) has donated masks and food baskets to employees and students from four of its partnered schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With schools across Brazil closed due to the pandemic, COB, through its education programme Transforma, started the distribution yesterday.

Around 1,400 baskets will benefit teachers and the families of students at four Municipal Olympic Schools in Rio de Janeiro after the partnership to promote Olympic values started last year.

Each family will also receive four masks.

COB President Paulo Wanderley said it is the duty of the National Olympic Committee to help during this period, with Brazil having more than 349,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in the deaths of at least 22,100 people.

Brazil has the second-most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world ©Getty Images
Brazil has the second-most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world ©Getty Images

"We believe, more than ever, that we need to be close and united in order to overcome this difficult moment in our history," Wanderley said.

"The donation of basic baskets and masks to all teachers, employees and families of students from the four Municipal Olympic Schools in Rio de Janeiro reflects the spirit of collaboration preached by the philosophy of Olympism. 

"COB believes in the transforming power of this networked work with the school community, a partner of Transforma. 

"We hope, soon, that we can meet in person!"

The Transforma programme was tasked with promoting the Olympic and Paralympic values to seven million young people in Brazil following Rio 2016.

Values such as friendship, respect and excellence are focused on in the programme, which seeks to develop students' socio-emotional skills.