More than a hundred UAE residents took time off from work and school on Wednesday to serve as volunteers and pack urgent assistance to communities impacted by the recent floods that hit the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.
While preparing the food packs and other relief kits, conversation among the volunteers focused not only on helping others but also on extreme rainfall becoming more common in different parts of the world.
Many of the volunteers themselves experienced the record-breaking thunderstorms that hit the UAE in April and they immediately volunteered to help flood victims in Brazil, where more than 150 people are feared dead following torrential rains.
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Brazilian expatriate Rachel Caires and her two kids and nephew were among the first to arrive at Expo City to prepare the relief packs. Caires told Khaleej Times she brought her kids and nephew “to help them understand and give them a real life lesson on what happened in Brazil.”
Conversations on climate change
“We had a conversation on climate change and why it is not only important to take action to protect the lives, health and well-being of people but also to take measures in tackling threats posed by extreme weather conditions,” added Caires, who chose to do volunteer work on the eve of her fortieth birthday.
Another volunteer, Alex Cale, who is orginally from São Paulo, drove all the way with his family from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to join the volunteer work. He said he lived for two years in Rio Grande do Sul and he had not seen such a devastating natural calamity.
It was the worst-ever flood and more than three weeks after, waters are not expected to recede soon, he noted. According to media reports, more than 77,000 displaced people remain in temporary public shelters and more tent cities are needed to accommodate.
“These natural calamities happening around the world should really open our eyes on how we are treating Mother Earth. While heat waves are happening in some parts of the world, rains have become more intense and destructive in other regions,” Cale said.
The issue of climate change is not lost among Filipino expatriates Mary Cui, Liz Casimiro and Bernalyn Grace, who came to volunteer along with their church-mates.
“We come from a flood-prone country. As we speak, localised thunderstorms are happening in some parts of the Philippines, bringing floods. The impacts of climate change are real and we are now seeing floods becoming more damaging and deadly,” they said.
Spirit of volunteerism
The Filipinas praised the spirit of volunteerism in the UAE. They said that when they were stranded at home for days due to the floods in their area in Al Barsha last month, they received food packs and other basic necessities from Dubai volunteers.
“Now, we are happy to pay it forward – by doing this volunteer work,” they added.
Meanwhile, Nada Khadhar Aljasmi, who is one of the dozens of Emiratis who helped carry the boxes, said she took time off from university to help. “I volunteered because I wanted to show the Emirati culture of always helping others in need,” she told Khaleej Times.
Sidney Leon Romeiro, ambassador of Brazil to the UAE, thanked the volunteers and the UAE government for the initiative. He said when Brazilian expatriates asked him how they can send aid to their home country, he approached the UAE government.
“We did not get only logistical support; the UAE government also immediately deployed emergency assistance, including power generators, blankets, mosquito nets and others” said Romeiro.
“We are forever grateful to the UAE government and its people for showing empathy and support,” he added.