CWS emergency appeal: Brazil floods and landslides
Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The death toll from landslides and flooding last month in Brazil has risen to 840, making it the second-worst disaster in Brazil's recorded history, officials said. More than 20,000 were made homeless from the floods and landslides, which occurred in a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro. The area -- the Serrana region -- was hit with the equivalent of a month's rain in a 24-hour period, authorities said.

APPEAL #: 6765
APPEAL AMOUNT: $100,000

Situation:

The death toll from landslides and flooding last month in Brazil has risen to 840, making it the second-worst disaster in Brazil's recorded history, officials said. More than 20,000 were made homeless from the floods and landslides, which occurred in a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro. The area -- the Serrana region -- was hit with the equivalent of a month's rain in a 24-hour period, authorities said.

At least 207 and as many as 540 people are missing. Damage to homes and bridges has been extensive. Some 104 bridges and 6,864 houses have been destroyed.

CWS response:

Church World Service is supporting efforts of CWS partner and ACT member KOINONIA, an ecumenical service organization which is the lead ACT-member agency in this response. Overall response will include supplying 1,218 affected families in the three municipalities of Teresópolis, Petropolis and Nova Friburgo with food items and hygiene kits.  Food packages will include dried meat and fish, nutritional supplements, eggs, beetroot, squash and bananas. These families will also receive organic fertilizers and pesticides as well as basic irrigation equipment to enable them to rebuild their market gardens.

Also planned: provision of basic household goods and equipment to 200 families whose homes were damaged or destroyed, and training on humanitarian response, organizational development and disaster-risk reduction.

The response will also include assistance to 13 small shopkeepers to re-establish their businesses and to support a local entrepreneur who will provide free seedlings to 800 local growers.

Koinonia also intends to facilitate psychosocial programming through organized sports, games, drama and other activities with children and young people, as well as education on "rights-based" approaches where local communities are empowered to know their entitlements so they can monitor and hold the local government bodies accountable.

How to help

Contributions to support the emergency response work of Church World Service may be made online or by phone (800.297.1516), or may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.

  Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy.