A state of emergency has been declared across the states of Maranhão, Piaui, Ceara, Bahía and Alagoas. Torrential rain has left over 14 people dead and 50,000 homeless, and major vehicle routes have been closed.

President Luis Ignácio ‘Lula’ da Silva has travelled to Maranhão today, where 29 municipalities have been categorised as high risk. Ten thousand rescue packages have been dispatched to the area, while a further US$130m has been pledged to help the victims.

Floods and mudslides have forced thousands of families out of their homes, with many of them being totally destroyed. Rainfall is at its highest in Brazil in over 20 years and in some parts of the Northeast region it has constantly rained for nearly a month, and forecasts suggest it will continue until mid-May.

The Poty river is estimated to be 14 metres over its usual level, whilst several major highways have been closed due to dangerous conditions. The BR-316, the only stretch connecting the north of the country with the northeast, was battered to such an extent that a 30 metre wide hole was created ten days ago.

Governor of Maranhão, Roseana Sarney, was quick to reassure people affected by the disaster.

“I want to assure everyone that the state and federal governments are united in coordinating the assistance for the victims. All affected areas will receive help and we will get out of this mess.”

Police raided a three floor building in San Telmo in the early hours of Wednesday morning, where almost 100 families live. Authorities offered residents 7,000 pesos to leave the house, usurped over 20 years ago. If they do not move out by choice, they will be forced out without compensation.

Neighbours had complained about growing violence in the area, and blamed the residents of the property on Paseo Colón. Police stormed the building, and found 800 doses of paco, a lethal, addictive drug. Four people were arrested on suspicion of drug dealing, and two women were taken to hospital suffering from tuberculosis.

Only eight families accepted the compensation, and the majority refused to leave. Secretary of Justice, Daniel Presti alleged that many of the families were staying in the building against their will.

“Many families want to leave and take the compensation, but those that don’t want to leave won’t let them.”

A mother of three who has lived in the building for nine years remained defiant.

“I work and the kids go to college. We all pay for gas and electricity. I know that it’s not beautiful, but what will I do with 7,000 pesos? You have to pay 1,300 pesos rent and then two months deposit.

It was also argued that those claiming compensation are exploiting the situation.

“Some people take the money and find another place to squat. It’s a vicious circle.”

Photos courtesy of Un Techo Para mi Pais

 

Woken at 7am to the sounds of Aqua’s Eurotrash anthem ‘Dr. Jones’ (‘WAKE UP NOW’) as a man in a giant green dinosaur outfit shakes me from my slumber. This is no standard weekend in Buenos Aires. I’ve been invited to join ‘Un Techo para mi País’ on one of their construction campaigns, as they endeavour to build emergency housing for 50 families over the space of a weekend. There’s a lot to do, so we get started at an hour where most people will just be staggering home from a boliche.

Origins and Current Campaign

It is estimated that throughout Latin America, there are 200m people living in poverty, with up to 80m living on less than one dollar a day in precarious living conditions. ‘Un Techo para Chile’ was set up in 1997 as a ‘Sur-Sur’ organisation: one that was created by Latin American youths themselves to confront the poverty that they find in their own backyards. In the intervening years they have constructed an impressive 32,000 houses as the first step in getting their compatriots out of extreme poverty. Five years ago the group arrived in Argentina as ‘Un Techo para mi país’ (UTPMP); beginning in Córdoba before moving on to Buenos Aires.

This weekend we find ourselves in Barrio Nicole in La Matanza, Buenos Aires Province. The shantytown was formed just over ten years ago and received its name due to the fact that it was served by ‘NI COLEctivo NI COLEgio’ (no buses or schools). Things have improved slightly (we walk past bus stops and sleep in a local school) but severe issues remain in the area.

Photos courtesy of Un Techo Para mi Pais

 

The gravest problem stems from its location next to CEAMSE; the huge rubbish dump that receives 64,000 tonnes of waste a month from the capital as well as La Matanza (the most heavily populated municipality in Buenos Aires province).

Tests have concluded the local water supply to be suitable not even for bathing; yet local people are forced to use it for drinking and cooking. A judge ordered the dump to be closed three years ago, yet society’s indifference means the people of Nicole continue to suffer the consequences of the local air and water. The area experiences higher than average rates of lupus, leukaemia and muscular dystrophy as well as other deformities. “There’s a medical post just around the corner,” says María Vivian Pacheco, 41 years old and a resident of Nicole, “but a lot of the time it’s closed, maybe due to staff shortages.”

Preparation

UTPMP has been active in Nicole for a year prior to this weekend’s construction. After a long period of consultation with local families it is decided who will get a house, based on who has the most urgent need. A family is informed they will receive a house a month or two before construction, giving them time to finalise what they plan to do with it, as well as gather together their contribution to its construction.

“Our intention is not to be an organisation that drops some charity work on an area then leave,” says María Giovanardi, director of communications of UTPMP Argentina. “We’re in Nicole for the long run; before and after construction.” The emergency houses cost around $3,000 each to build, and rather than giving them away freely to needy residents, local families are asked to contribute 10% to the costs of construction. “We do this to ensure the families are fully committed to the project; to the success and improvement of the house,” continues María. “It also means the family is involved in the building of their own future, and not just a ‘donation’ from elsewhere.”

The houses themselves are simple structures; six metres by three metres and made up of nine wooden panels and a metal roof on top of 15 wooden trunks as foundations. The simplicity of the structure means that a team of ten mostly inexperienced volunteers can put one up in the space of the weekend. The design of the structure is constantly being tweaked, and they now use the same model in all 12 Latin American countries where they are active.

Empower

However, emergency housing is only the first step of UTPMP’s ‘plan of intervention’. The aim is to ‘empower the community’ by sticking around after construction is finished.

Photos courtesy of Un Techo Para mi Pais

 

They work with the families to give advice on economic means of improving their situation via micro-credits and new businesses, help with healthcare and hygiene, education assistance for children and literacy programmes for adults.

The group has a decidedly non-political appearance and prefers to get on with the matter at hand: providing decent housing for all Argentines. Many are sceptical of politicians who get involved in such poor barrios; they are seen as only interested in getting votes and neglect these areas once election day is gone. In fact, María reports that “Some families turn down our offer of housing, hoping that a politician will roll in and give them something for free.” It seems somewhat bizarre to me, but does prove the dedication to the project of the families who choose to contribute.

Youth Appeal

In Chile, such is the status of ‘Un Techo’ that it is more well-known than both UNICEF and Greenpeace. It receives the cordial support of large companies such as LAN airlines, Santander Rio bank and Disney. Its status is growing in Argentina, as can be seen in the response to this weekend. “To be honest finding volunteers isn’t difficult,” Giovanardi informed me. “We reached our target of 500 volunteers in a day and had to turn another 1,000 away. We’re massively grateful for the support we get from Latin American youth.”

Photos courtesy of Un Techo Para mi Pais

 

I managed to chat to a couple such Argentine volunteers who were taking part in a construction for the first time. “It’s gone really well so far, I prefer this kind of ‘hands on’ social work to just giving away money and forgetting about it,” said Sebastian Granara, a 19-year-old business administration student at UCA. “It’s great to be able to help with something that seems so basic but is so essential to life; i.e. housing.”

Janice Berneman, an 18-year-old from the capital continued the theme: “Hopefully we’ve managed to help a little this weekend! I don’t plan to just do this once and that’s it; to be honest I’d love to study more about social work and make a career out of it.”

A weekend’s construction with UTPMP isn’t just about building a house; it’s about developing a community and working with the members within it. I’m impressed by so many young people taking such positive action, and the warm bonds that develop between the volunteers and local families. Once the house is finished on Sunday evening it is up to the family what they will then do with it. There’s a tinge of sadness as we say goodbye, but many volunteers will take the opportunity to come back with UTPMP and build on the constant work that is being done in the barrio.

To find out more about the group and how you can get involved, visit www.untechoparamipais.org.ar