Rio Grande do Sul is the region hit by terrible floods at the end of April – and from where an all-round solidarity race has begun, now involving the whole of Brazil. Interview with Mariella Francischinelli
Source: Movimento dei Focolari Brasile site
Throughout Brazil, thousands of people are mobilising to help the 1.4 million people affected by the tragic storms that hit Rio Grande do Sul (RS) on 29 April 2024.
The Rio Grande do Sul Civil Defence Report, published on the morning of 8 May, shows that 417 of the state's 497 municipalities were affected in some way by the climate crisis. Videos circulating on social media show the frightening speed with which the water is rising and flooding houses, shops, hotels, bridges and roads.
However, another force was also seen spreading at the same speed throughout Rio Grande do Sul, coming from all parts of Brazil: that of solidarity.
«The best of humanity is coming out».
These were the words of Mariella Francischinelli, head of the Centro Mariapolis Arnold, a physical space run by the Focolare Movement in São Leopoldo (RS), which is working on several fronts to ensure greater dignity for the population affected by the storms. We spoke with Mariella on the afternoon of 8 May and she told us about some of the initiatives carried out so far by the Focolare communities. Have a look at them now.
Mariella, what are the Focolare communities in Rio Grande do Sul doing to help the local population?
«We have strong and resilient communities that are collaborating on the different fronts needed in this time of crisis. Just today, the Mariapolis centre closed the purchase of 300 mattresses that will be transported to 
Porto Alegre to be sent to the shelters that need them. Over the next few days we will welcome 45 medical and nursing students from the Istituto avventista di Maringá, who will stay at the Mariapolis Centre to tend to the sick for about 20 days. In Bento Gonçalves an evacuation alert was issued this morning and the population is already mobilising to collect food and hygiene items. In Santa Maria (one of the cities in Rio Grande do Sul), they are bringing food to a local indigenous community that was left without external communications because of bridges broken during the flood».
«Communities that were not affected are mobilising to help those nearby.For example, the parish of Osório is collecting clothes; the community of Santo Antônio da Patrulha has taken in 50 homeless people from Canoas, a municipality that was heavily flooded, who are also receiving snacks and meals sent from Gravataí. In Lajeado, many families in the Movement have lost everything and have started the clean-up work, which must be done quickly because the more the mud dries, the harder it is to clean. Here in São Leopoldo, we are in contact with 
Unisinos, the Jesuit college that houses 1,800 people, to organise the facility for assistance, delivery of tools, medicines and supplies. Here in the focolare, as we call the residences where the consecrated members of the Movement live, we have taken in two families who have lost everything and who are helping us to prepare food for the people taken in by Unisinos. We were told that they needed protein, so we bought 300 loaves of bread, ham, cheese and meat and we are preparing their meals here. Unisinos made the entire University building available, including the kitchen of the gastronomy course, where the teachers and students themselves are cooking the meals. And there are those who are helping in other ways: by playing with the children and bringing them joy. We also have two young people from the parish that are receiving clothes donations and are having fantastic experiences there».
How are these daily tasks going? Are you getting what you need?
« 
With all the hard work and donations coming in, we are doing our best. There are many unforeseen events coming up and we are working to deal with them. We received a call from a family whose wife was about to give birth prematurely and had no clothes for the baby. We called the young people in charge of sorting the clothes and they told us that they had just received some baby clothes. Then we needed blankets and were told that there were some blankets on their way to be donated. Another time, we needed a pair of size 42 shoes and, of course, they arrived, too! The difficulty is there, and we are facing it together, each of us doing what we can to collaborate».
And in the capital, Porto Alegre?
«We have recently closed two men's homes that we intended to rent out. With the rains, we opened the doors of one of them to a homeless family and the other to volunteers in boats. A family in the capital also opened their home and made themselves available to create a specific spreadsheet with people's names, weight, height and clothing size, so we could get exactly what each person needed. And since they are now opening some roads, we are able to receive some donations from Porta Alegre here in São Leopoldo. For example, we needed cutlery because Anvisa recommends not to reuse it and we couldn't find any here, so a family brought it from Porto Alegre. However, the journey from there that used to take half an hour was seven hours long this time».
Was the wave of solidarity you speak of immediate?
«
Absolutely. There was an immediate unity between all the partner institutions and the communities as a whole. People opened their hearts. We see donations coming in from everywhere. I, for example, am from São Paulo and I am receiving donations from relatives and friends who are willing to help in any way they can – they are even sending furniture! As it is, everyone is donating what they have, be it a thousand, a hundred or even 1 euro and 30 cents. There is no donation that is not important. We receive donations from people who have a lot of financial resources, but also from people who are socio-economically vulnerable».
What would you like to say to those who are following the news from outside Rio Grande do Sul?
«We are very grateful for the commitment of each one of you. Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement and also of the Economy of Communion, taught us to love our neighbour as ourselves. This means that we are all equal and that we all deserve dignity and care. Here in the shelters, everyone is treated equally and receives the same care. And we feel that we are living the love that you have taught us to live».
«I would like to emphasise that we will still need a lot of help, because the biggest costs will come later, when it comes to rebuilding homes and families. So do not loose Rio Grande do Sul from sight in the coming weeks, but stay with us, in this solidarity that we are feeling so abundantly now».
FIND OUT HOW TO DONATE
You can be part of this network of solidarity for the people of Rio Grande do Sul and make your donation through the reliable channels provided by the Movimento dei Focolari Brasile, with the Economy of Communion,the 2024 Genfest Committee 2024, AMU and AFN.
🟡 DONATIONS from Italy and Europe
Azione per un mondo unito (AMU - Action for a United World) ETS
IBAN: IT 58 S 05018 03200 000011204344 at Banca Popolare Etica
SWIFT/BIC Code ETICIT22XXX
or online donations: AMU: https://www.amu-it.eu/campagne/emergenza-inondazioni-in-brasile/
Azione per le Nuove Famiglie (AFN - Action for New Families) ONLUS
IBAN: IT 92 J 05018 03200 000016978561 at Banca Popolare Etica
SWIFT/BIC Code ETICIT22XXX
or online donations: AFN: https://afnonlus.org/#donaora
Important for international donations:
Please specify when donating:
👉 Flood emergency in Brazil
Tax benefits are available for these donations in many EU countries and in other countries around the world, according to local regulations. Italian taxpayers can obtain deductions according to the rules established by the ONLUS.
🟡 DONATIONS FROM BRAZIL
Banco do Brasil
Associação Nacional por uma Economia de Comunhão
CNPJ: 07.638.735/0001-94
Agency: 2665-4
Current account: 39.322-3
🗝️ PIX:
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⚠️ PLEASE NOTE: make your donation through reliable institutions. Share to build this network of solidarity with us 🤝
