CHURCH WORLD SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
EMERGENCY APPEAL: BRAZIL FLOODS AND LANDSLIDES
APPEAL #: 6765 APPEAL AMOUNT: $100,000
FEB. 1, 2011
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 6864 houses have been destroyed.
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 organizing 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.
BUDGET: $698,559 for direct assistance, including $88,835 for initial food assistance; $29,318 for cleaning materials; $404,594 for post-crisis phase food security, rehabilitation and livelihoods projects; $39,375 for psychosocial work.
HOW TO HELP: Contributions to support CWS-supported recovery efforts in Brazil may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515, Attention: Appeal # 6765, Brazil Floods and Landslide.
Contributions may also be made by phone at 800-297-1516 or online at www.churchworldservice.org.
Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy.
For further details on the CWS response, see the complete ACT appeal:
For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding please visit www.churchworldservice.org or call the CWS Hotline, (800) 297-1516.
CWS Development and Humanitarian Assistance Program/CWS New York office: (212) 870-3151
Program Director: dderr@churchworldservice.org