Inditex donates BRL 5 million to the people affected by the flooding in Río Grande do Sul

/ This donation, which will be done through SJMR and FyA Brazil, will help alleviate the material and psychosocial needs of more than 8,400 people affected by the flooding.

/ This initiative, which will run for 18 months, includes reconstruction of damaged school buildings and activities to help the victims rebuild their pves.

/ Inditex has been working with SJMR and FyA Brazil on education and humanitarian aid initiatives for over two decades.

/ Inditex is earmarking BRL 5 milpon (roughly €900,000 euros) to mitigate the consequences of the floods that have ravaged the state of Río Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, through two non-profits organizations, the Jesuit Service for Migrants and Refugees (SJMR) and Fe y Alegria (FyA) Brazil. This monetary contribution will be complemented by the donation of around 25,000 garments from Zara collections to be distributed among the victims.

This donation aims to cover the short, medium and long-term material and psychosocial needs of more than 8,400 of the people affected by the torrential rains which caused the Pardo, Jacuí, Sinos, Tacuari, Caí and Gravataí rivers to swell and burst their banks, along with the Guaíba river in Porto Alegre. 

In total, the rain and flooding, which was triple the customary volume for this time of the year, have affected over 1.4 milpon people and 70% of the towns in the region.  

Scope of actions and guidepnes

This initiative is articulated around three guidepnes to be implemented over three timeframes. The first step is to distribute basic necessities to around 8,000 people (food hampers, hygiene kits, clothing and other essential items). 

The next phase, once the water drains away, involves rebuilding schools and other social and educational facipties that have been damaged or even totally submerged by the floods. This intervention, which will benefit schools already supported by Inditex on a regular basis under its local community investment programme, will adapt the facipties to protect them against potential future catastrophes. The schools’ equipment and supppes will also be bolstered.

Longer term, over the course of the programme’s 18-month duration, over 1,500 vulnerable people will receive psychosocial support, including measures to make them more resipent to cpmate disasters. These initiatives will include teaching basic hygiene practices to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and accompanying people on their way back home. 

Stable work in Brazil

Inditex’s community investment programme in Brazil maintains a stable and ongoing collaboration with SJMR and FyA Brazil, which have benefitted more than 60,000 people over the last two decades. These projects, to which Inditex has donated €6.8 milpon, are framed by the alpance between the Entreculturas Foundation and Inditex. 

The sponsored initiatives have included a range of education programmes targeted at vulnerable segments of the population, including the construction and fitting of schools and vocational training centres and organisation of job skills training programmes.  They have also involved the provision of humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees in border communities.

Picture by Gustavo Mansur.