BAH - Great Humanitarian Help
In May 2024, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) faced the largest climate disaster in its history. Intense rains caused floods and landslides that devastated entire cities, interrupted access routes, and destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.
In the face of this tragedy, the Justice Institute (IJ) mobilized its support network and, along with hundreds of partners and volunteers, strengthened the chain of solidarity that formed throughout the country.
It was in this context that BAH – Baita Humanitarian Aid was born, a movement coordinated by IJ that united care, presence, and efficient logistics to support the most vulnerable populations.
Impact
R$ 174k +
Total amount invested
40 mil +
Impacted families
2.000 ton +
Donation
300 +
Volunteers
92
Impacted communities
In just two weeks, more than 2 thousand tons of essential items were sent, including water, food, medication, clothing, footwear, mattresses, and hygiene and cleaning items to various municipalities in RS.
Quickly, the BAH became a structured and powerful movement, with strategically located distribution centers to ensure that donations reached the most vulnerable families. From São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul, we utilized our own distribution centers (Erechim, São Paulo, and Sorocaba) and partner distribution centers (Porto Alegre, Farroupilha, Eldorado do Sul, and Gramado), serving 92 cities, where 78% of the affected population was located.
Main solidarity actions
- Sending donations: more than 2 thousand tons of food, clothing, footwear, blankets, mattresses, pet food, drinking water, personal hygiene items, and cleaning supplies.
- Back to School Campaign: donation of 500 school kits for children and youth.
- Community Kitchen in Ilha da Pintada: production and delivery of 15 thousand meals for families without shelter.
- Solidarity Thrift Store: resources redirected to purchasing food for the community kitchen.
Thanks to the engagement of more than 300 volunteers, the support of companies, unions, and partners such as the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and the Postal Service, we were able to bring hope, dignity, and essential resources to the affected families.
We conclude this cycle with a sense of duty fulfilled and the certainty that solidarity, when mobilized strategically, has the power to reconstruct stories and transform realities.
But the Instituto Justiça has not left Rio Grande do Sul. We remain present and committed to the process of social and environmental reconstruction and regeneration in the state, focusing on continued support for the affected communities.
Proof of this is the Recria-se project — an initiative for the reuse of textile waste with environmental, social, and economic impact, carried out with women from communities affected by the floods, which transforms unused clothing into sustainable products, generating income and a sense of belonging. Check here for everything about this project.
