Hi all,
We are Bella Santiago and Gio Bruno and we are Brazilian-born Australians. Gio’s family are all from Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande Do Sul and we are seeing first hand the devastation the floods have caused. We have many family and friends who either had their lives touched by the flood or are helping in volunteering effort to support the community.
What is happening in Rio Grande do Sul?
“Persistent rains and destructive flooding continue to wreak havoc in Brazil, with officials saying rising river levels signal further damage in the Rio Grande do Sul region.
As of Tuesday, 149 people were confirmed dead in the flood-stricken southern state, with 124 individuals still unaccounted for, according to civil defense officials.
More than 600,000 people have been displaced from their homes, with approximately 155,000 of those homes being destroyed, officials said.” [1]
More than 2 million people have been affected in the state.
Shelters to accomodate the displaced people were quickly setup, however reports of sexually assaults against women and children at some of these shelters started being reported and some serious Non-For-Profit organisations quickly acted. [2]
Women and children only shelters have been setup to provide a safe environment free from abuse. These shelters currently are housing hundreds of women and children and will need long term financial support since many of the people in these shelters don’t have a home to go back to anymore. [3]
Where are funds going to be directed to?
All funds will be directed to respect institutions who are directly supporting these women only shelters who are not only giving women and children a safe place to stay, but also providing medical, legal, psychological support.
As the funds are sent to the shelters, we will keep this page updated.
*Remember, every dollar goes a long way!*
References:
[1] https://abcnews.go.com/International/flood-stricken-brazil-continues-battle-rising-river-levels/story?id=110229626
[3] https://www.unicef.org/brazil/en/press-releases/unicef-asks-children-be-prioritized-emergency-floods-rio-grande-do-sul