On Deployment in Brazil: Building a Digital Pipeline to Support Affected Families

American Red Crosser Jeff Paddock recently completed a six-week disaster deployment with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in response to devastating floods in Brazil.

Following heavy rains and unprecedented flooding beginning in late April 2024, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul suffered from what authorities called the worst disaster in the state’s history, which affected over 2 million people.

Brazilian Red Cross volunteers worked tirelessly to deliver first aid, psychological support and relief supplies like prescription medications, blankets, food baskets, cleaning kits, hygiene kits and bottled drinking water across flood affected communities.

In addition to supporting on-the-ground relief efforts alongside local Red Cross teams, four highly trained crisis responders from the American Red Cross deployed in the weeks following the flooding to lend skills in information management, communications and Jeff’s area of expertise, cash and voucher assistance (CVA).

Cash assistance is a dignified and efficient way to support people impacted by disasters, allowing them to purchase items specific to their individual needs, while also supporting local economies.

Jeff agreed to sit down for a Q&A with us. Below is a snapshot of Jeff’s experience working on this operation as a CVA responder.

Why did you decide to deploy?

I believe strongly that, in the moment a family is suffering, they ought to have the power and the resources to respond to it themselves. For me this means providing them with funds to spend on what they need. I have a background in designing these types of programs and was trained to deploy with our International Disaster Response Roster, so I raised my hand. I wanted to put myself to use as a CVA responder and see if we could build a way to reach people with cash.

Can you tell us a little about where you were in Brazil and what the situation was like on the ground in affected communities?

Imagine filling the bed of a dump truck with river water, sewage and debris. Then back that truck up to your front door and upend the contents into your living room and let it sit for 22 days as standing water. That’s essentially what happened when Porto Alegre, a major metropolitan city of one million people, experienced severe rains at the end of May 2024. We worked in both the upper mountainous region, where deadly landslides blocked roads and impacted rural communities, as well as in the city of Porto Alegre. We saw miles and miles of homes gutted and destroyed and families beginning their long journey of recovering their household belongings, particularly domestic items necessary for the cold months ahead like mattresses, windows and doors, and warm clothing.

What are some of the main activities you performed, day-to-day?

Because this was such a widespread response, I spent most of my time trying to build a digital pipeline that could transfer money across oceans, through various service providers, and into the hands of families who needed it most.

I spent my mornings meeting with Red Cross teams in Brazil to discuss how we might do this. In the afternoon, I would get in the car and drive out to markets, community centers and impacted neighborhoods to talk with people about the reality of the situation. I collected prices in grocery stores, visited banks and gathered lots of evidence of where cash might have a positive impact in the community. I had dozens of conversations with local leaders to understand the cultural nuances of how families handled their family budgets in Brazil. All this information helped give our team the confidence we needed to build a financial assistance pipeline into the area.

Can you describe the unique ways people are receiving help and how the Red Cross contributes to building the community’s resilience?

The initial response of the Red Cross Movement – and especially the Brazilian Red Cross – demonstrated an impressive capacity to provide emergency supplies to displaced families living in temporary shelters. I walked through huge warehouses filled with pallets: hygiene supplies, school supplies and a massive amount of potable water.

Now that the initial phase of the response is winding down, our role as a Movement is to support the recovery. Our teams are providing health and mental health workshops to local social work groups on how to cope after a disaster like this. Water and Sanitation delegates are still testing water quality in informal neighborhoods.

Cash assistance is especially important in this stage, for example: the first family we worked with had three members. Dad was dedicated to clearing and cleaning the house which had been under 12 feet of water for over two weeks. Mom was splitting her time between watching caring for their son with Down syndrome and attending her chemotherapy appointments for cancer treatment. When I asked them what they needed most, it was to lift their food, piles of clothes, and dishes off the ground to keep them from vermin. In the end, Red Cross assistance allowed them to buy a new sink for washing, a kitchen cupboard for their food, and a wardrobe for their clothes. Only by ensuring they could make these decisions for themselves did we help them to get the specific things they needed to recover.