The Instituto Solidare “Solidarity Institute” of the Baptist Church in Coqueiral is an initiative that works with poor and marginalized communities in Recife, a city in Brazil’s Pernambuco state where around 126 people died and thousands were displaced due to rains that caused major floods and landslides last month.

Located on the banks of the Tejipio River, the community has been frequently flooded, making the church there a refuge and care facility for people affected by the floods. In partnership with Tearfund Brazil, the Instituto Solidare has developed environmental care projects with the local church, preventive care plans for the river, and advocacy efforts to ensure public authorities fulfill their legal responsibilities.

As a result of the increase in houses around the river, the last flood was the worst in recent years. As you can see in the pictures, the church itself, which is also located in the community, was affected this time. During times of flooding, the church has a team trained by the fire department to rescue families in case public agencies don’t arrive on time.

The church has assisted 2000 families that were affected in the area. During this first phase, from the arrival of the people who slept in the church until the waters receded, the families were fed three meals a day in the church, as well as receiving donations of clothing and shoes each day. The church also provided medical care, vaccinations, and psychological support to the families.

Currently the church is responding to phase 2 of the delivery of 2000 basic baskets,

 mattresses, cleaning and hygiene materials, and bedding kits. Parts of these items have been donated, but 40% are still missing. The church is also in need of donations of furniture and appliances.

Furthermore, Instituto Solidare’s various activities with children, teenagers, women, and young people have been interrupted because of the damaged rooms. A rebuilding of the project rooms on the second and third floors is an urgent need so that if there is another flood, the families will have a safe place to shelter and that activities will not be interrupted again. This constitutes a loss valued at approximately 250,000 reais.

In addition to the Baptist Church in Coqueiral, serving 2000 families, there are around 80 other churches that are also serving their communities.The Baptist Church in Coqueiral held a meeting with church leaders to seek a way of mutual support and distribution of donations among the affected regions as most of them have no training for emergency situations, even though Recife is one of the cities most affected by climate change.