The summer rains of 2021/22 brought to its peak the destruction of communities, cities, and lives in regions of the state of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and in the Amazon region, in the states of Pará, Tocantins e Maranhão. Families lost everything, especially lives, due to excessive rain linked to the climate crisis, and the rupture and opening of floodgates to control the water flow of several dams.

The people affected in these diverse and many regions face basic and immediate needs, such as shelter and food, as well as the need for support from the Brazilian State and the companies responsible for the projects. Unfortunately, the 30-year experience of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) teaches us that the reconstruction and restructuring of the lives of these families, as well as the reparation for the damage suffered, only materialize when the affected subjects understand their rights, they organize and fight collectively in each part of the process of identification of damages/claims, advocacy, and mobilization.

The historical struggles of those affected organized in MAB have achieved many victories and lessons learned, especially around the importance of collective organization, which every day shows itself as the viable path for the defense and conquest of rights. In 2015, when Samarco’s Fundão dam failed in Minas Gerais, devastating the entire Doce River Basin, and in 2019, when the crime tragedy was repeated in Brumadinho, MAB worked from the beginning with a Leadership Brigade to help families and communities to access information, items of basic need, either directly by MAB or other allied organizations that joined the movement of immediate assistance to victims. But above all, the Movement has persevered and continues to work in organizing and mobilizing those affected so that they can guarantee their rights and justice, even if economic and political forces are committed to preventing it.

It is with support from its principles, commitment to the affected population, and goals of social transformation, that MAB asks for your donation to continue working to guarantee emergency humanitarian and organizational aid and in the reorganization of these people’s lives. The Movement’s social networks and this Campaign page will be the channels for disseminating the work done, updates on the regions, dissemination of activities, and reports of those affected. We hope to interact with our supporters and count on their availability to share information about MAB and the struggle of the affected population in Brazil in their social circles.

The Campaign will be managed by the National Association of People Affected by Dams (ANAB), a historical supporter of families affected by dams in Brazil and Latin America, which will continue to guarantee the execution of donations according to legal norms and the plans and needs built by those affected.