In early November the Rio Doce region in Minas Gerais was hit by what many consider to be the greatest environmental disaster in Brazil’s history. As two water dams in the mining town of Mariana burst, a deadly surge of mud washed over the region, destroying everything in its path – lives, history and local biodiversity. The effects of the disaster linger, threatening the lives and livelihoods of some 4 million Brazilians.
BrazilFoundation created the Minas Fund to mobilize the international community to raise funds for projects and organizations that could develop social technologies to support the thousands of people affected by the disaster.
In addition to launching an online campaign for the fund, BrazilFoundation will allocate 100% of the proceeds from its Holiday party to the Minas Fund. The event, which will take place on December 8th in New York, is hosted by actress Gabriela Duarte and the BrazilFoundation Youth Fellows.
The BrazilFoundation team is working to identify civil society organizations and initiatives local to the Rio Doce region that develop projects specifically for fishermen, farmers and water conservation.
Visit the campaign page here.
Visit the event page here.
Download press release here.
