FLOOD RESPONSE
BRAZIL
story by: Nuno Virgilio Neto and Renato Dantas
The southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul is still reeling from catastrophic flooding last month. Nuno Virgilio Neto and Renato Dantas from the magazine Rotary Brasil describe the work which Rotary has been doing.
“I held on until the firefighters arrived and then left my building by swimming. The water was already two metres high. I took care to raise everything, but it wasn't enough. The water was stronger."
Those were the words of Luiz Gonzaga Gonçalves, District Governor 4670 and a resident of Porto Alegre who describes the pain inflicted on the inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul who, for weeks between April and May, faced the greatest climatic catastrophe in the state's history.
Until the closing of this edition, the floods had left a trail of destruction in 467 cities, causing the death of 161 people and the disappearance of 85. With 71,503 people displaced and 581,633 homeless, authorities estimate that more than 2.3 million inhabitants were affected by the rains.
The tragedy was met with what is considered the largest solidarity network in Brazil’s history, with thousands of volunteers mobilised and millions of reais in donations.
Once again, Rotarians proved that they are people of action. The clubs' response was swift, building on initiatives which began in Rio Grande do Sul and which spread across the rest of Brazil.
Rotary International Director, Henrique Vasconcelos, created a national co-ordination response committee. He explained: "Our first step was to unite the teams, provide guidance, structure fund-raising and resource the distribution processes.”
“I HELD ON UNTIL THE FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED AND LEFT MY BUILDING BY SWIMMING. THE WATER WAS ALREADY TWO METRES HIGH.”
It is estimated that over 2.5 million people have been impacted by the flooding in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Paulo Eduardo Fonseca, co-ordinator for Region 31, which includes the southern states of Brazil, was appointed by Henrique to lead the group formed by the governors from Rio Grande do Sul.
"The first contacts happened as soon as we saw the storm and floods reported in the media," recalls Paulo Fonseca.
"I noticed the sadness in the governors' words about the situation which was already happening and felt their concern about what could still happen. But, on the other hand, I also saw their willingness to unite efforts to try to minimise the pain as much as possible."
The Rotarians’ goal was to create hope among the chaos; houses swallowed by water and filled with mud, businesses which had been destroyed. Faced with the floods which had paralysed Rio Grande do Sul, Rotarians helped clean the cities and ensured the dignity of victims with the donations of essential items.
To concentrate aid and ensure its proper distribution, the committee created a unified fund-raising campaign, with funds distributed to the districts in five equal parts to finance local emergency support. Until the closing of this edition, the unified fund had raised R$ 2,097,578 (£320,300) and transferred a total of R$ 1,975,000 (£301,582) to the five districts in Rio Grande do Sul.
“I noticed a sadness. But on the other hand, I saw a willingness to unite.”
Residents have been forced to flee their homes by any means necessary.
Another decisive moment was the approval of a Major Disaster Fund, created by Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation to extend the aid request beyond Brazil’s borders.
"This was a very efficient and effective action by Director Henrique, supported by the President-elect of Rotary International, Mário César de Camargo," explained Paulo Fonseca. This fund had only been created by Rotary on four other occasions: the Ukraine war, the Morocco earthquake, the Pakistan floods, and the earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria.
Besides financial help, Rotary clubs from various parts of Brazil sent food, water, clothes, mattresses, and other essential items to the people of Rio Grande do Sul.
"The feeling of seeing so many people helping is that there is still hope in humanity," declared Henrique Vasconcelos. “In Rio Grande do Sul, our members are involved in distributing these donations and helping remove mud and debris from the cities.
“Many of them even lost their homes and are working collectively, despite the pain of losing everything they had.”
"Many of them even lost their homes and are working collectively, despite the pain of losing everything they had.”
Our beloved Rio Grande do Sul is a giant, and the path to rebuilding it will be long. But the first steps in this solidarity journey have already been taken.
"You are not alone," promises Henrique Vasconcelos to his brothers and sisters in Rio Grande do Sul. "Rotary International, the Rotary Foundation, and all its members are by your side."
Rotary and Rotaract members have worked around the clock to provide essential items of aid for those who have been impacted by the flooding.
How clubs in Great Britain & Ireland can help
The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation established the Brazil Flood Response Fund in May 2024 to support immediate relief efforts for people affected by devastating flooding in southern Brazil.
This fund will provide aid through disaster response grants, which will be available to Districts 4660, 4670, 4680, 4700, and 4780.
IMPORTANT DATES
The Brazil Flood Response Fund will:
- Accept contributions until August 31st, 2024.
- Make funds available to districts through grants until May 8th, 2025.
- Transfer any funds that haven’t been spent by May 8th, 2025 to the general Disaster Response Fund, to be made available for disasters worldwide.
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
You can give online, by check, or by transferring District Designated Funds:
To contribute online, use the Disaster Response Fund donate page.
- To give by cheque: Make it payable to The Rotary Foundation or to an associate foundation.
- Include a completed contribution form.
- In the DESIGNATION/PURPOSE section of the form, choose Other and write the fund name (Brazil Flood Response Fund).
- To allocate District Designated Funds, district leaders can use the DDF contribution form.
- To give using a boleto bank slip, donors in Brazil can use the DOE page. In the Fundo de Alocação field, choose Outros and enter “Enchente RS - Brasil” in the Código ou Nome field.
HOW TO RAISE MONEY TO SUPPORT THESE FUNDS
Anyone can start a fundraiser for the Brazil Flood Response Fund on Raise for Rotary.
Remember that:
- Raise for Rotary currently accepts donations in 12 currencies and is available only in English.
- Donations made through fundraisers for the Brazil Flood Response Fund on Raise for Rotary will be credited and recognized as described below.
- Any fundraisers on platforms such as Facebook or GoFundMe won’t direct donations to this specific Foundation fund and aren’t eligible for Foundation credit and recognition.
HOW CONTRIBUTIONS ARE CREDITED AND RECOGNISED
Gifts to the Brazil Flood Response Fund:
- Count toward a donor’s total cumulative giving
- Factor into Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, and Arch Klumph Society recognition
- Help the donor’s club earn the 100% Foundation giving banner
- Are not credited toward a club’s Annual Fund giving, toward per capita or SHARE calculations, or toward generating DDF
Learn more about how gifts to the Brazil Flood Response Fund are credited and recognized.
HOW TO APPLY FOR DISASTER RESPONSE GRANTS
The governor and Rotary Foundation chair in the eligible districts (4660, 4670, 4680, 4700, and 4780) need to complete the disaster response grant application online in the Grant Center.
$50,000
The maximum grant amount is US$50,000, depending on the availability of funds, and a district can have two grants open simultaneously.
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