After the rupture of the mining waste dam in January, which affected the Paraopeba River valley and communities in the region of Brumadinho, a small town of Minas Gerais, the actions of the FRATERNIDADE – International Humanitarian Missions became recurrent in the area. Among the countless activities, we highlight the direct support in the logistics of the rescue of impacted animals and psychological assistance to the victims and their families.

The work of the FRATERNIDADE’s “Psychology Front” in Brumadinho began at the end of January, just five days after the collapse of the dam at the request of a local community leader. Presented to the Regional Council of Psychology, which provided guidance on the guidelines for psychological intervention in the crisis in Brumadinho, the service began with a sociopsychological diagnosis of residents of the affected communities, such as Parque da Cachoeira, Córrego do Feijão, Tejuco and Monte Cristo.

Marianjda, spiritual name of the psychologist Luzia Serdano, a missionary of the FRATERNIDADE, says that many affected people begin to restructure their lives, returning to work and continuing the daily routine. She makes this statement after comparing the results obtained throughout this period, which show this more positive scenario.

Until April, the FRATERNIDADE provided 236 consultations among the victims’ families, firefighters, wildlife rescue teams and employees of the Vale Campaign Hospital. This work, under the coordination of Marianjda, has been carried out by seven volunteer psychologists of the FRATERNIDADE. It is expected that the service will continue until the month of August; it may be extended, depending on the demand.

Attention to animals

At the beginning of the Humanitarian Mission in Brumadinho, the large animals were directed to a farm, where the FRATERNIDADE team helped in the unloading and accommodation. Where there was mud, the rescue of animals, both domestic and wild, was done exclusively by firefighters. Already on the margins, it was carried out by Ibama – Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources and authorized non-governmental organizations, but only in the city.

The FRATERNIDADE volunteers, from the beginning, participate in the activities only in areas far from the mud, in the so-called cold zone, where the Vale Hospital of Campanha and the city of Brumadinho itself are located, helping in the logistics of receiving food and medicines, and in the support to the veterinarians. Baths, walks, food and medication are also part of the work routine of the FRATERNIDADE team, as well as helping people to locate their lost pets.

Brumadinho and the Missionary Experience Practices

The Missionary Experience Practices organized by the FRATERNIDADE have the purpose of forming people with vocation and willingness to help others, so that they may be trained for humanitarian missions. In this training, the participants experience and learn how to manage and cope with the main situations they may encounter in a mission, from the simplest to the most complex.

And Brumadinho has been a favorable place for these instructions, besides all the help it requires to receive, which is also provided by those who participate in these trainings. The first Mission of the FRATERNIDADE in the city was organized soon after the rupture of the dam, with a team of 27 volunteer missionaries. Since then, two Missionary Training have been organized in Brumadinho. In the first one, in April, 25 volunteers participated; in the second one, in June, there were eight.

The latter mission also included support for the care of hospitalized pets, sheltered after the dam rupture or by abandonment, as well as psychological support for the victims’ families. There were 39 psychological consultations. According to Mariandja, one of the activities with hospitalized dogs, still with a history of trauma, is very simple, but fundamental for their recovery: walking. At the hospital, access to sunlight and fresh air is more restricted and they regain their mood in a simple walk.