I would like to begin this text by sincerely and appreciatively thanking all the users who, in an unselfish way, were willing to give a helping hand to the people of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
As you know, a terrible flood affected the whole state and many people lost their lives. Others lost their belongings and ended up living in shelters.
For days, newscasts and newspapers recounted the most relevant facts of the tragedy, and presented the public with disturbing images of the destruction suffered.
Today the waters have receded, and many families are returning to their homes to begin rebuilding.
Is the outlook better now? Far from it. We can safely say that a new calamity is now beginning. The calamity of families who are living amidst rubble and mountains of smelly garbage.
The cover photo was taken in a neighborhood about 20 minutes from where I live and where I had the opportunity to participate as a volunteer in the cleaning and disinfection of a house.
That photo tells a story of pain, of loss, of injustice; of how the disaster took victims regardless of their age, condition or gender. It tells the story of moments of happiness that will take a long time to return.
In this place, as in all the neighborhoods that were left under the waters, there is an unpleasant smell of dead and dampness. A terrible stench to which the neighbors have had to get used to. In desperation, they have had to return to their homes, tired of living in shelters or in the homes of relatives.
Proposal 309 that I wrote a few days ago was aimed at raising funds to provide protective gear for volunteers involved in the cleanup efforts. The task is enormous and will take many days and many volunteers to accomplish. However, the most important thing in this context is to do the work safely and to take sufficient measures to avoid illnesses such as leptopirosis, epatitis A, gastroenteritis, skin and respiratory infections.
We set out to purchase enough materials and protective equipment for 50 volunteers. In the process we encountered some obstacles such as lack of availability of equipment, and we had to adapt as we went along, but fortunately we were able to acquire what we needed.
Would you like to see some pictures of the work the volunteers are doing?
The process begins by removing all the water-damaged furniture from the house until all the rooms are empty. Then chemicals are added to wash and disinfect, and finally ceilings, walls and floors are washed. It sounds easy, but it is not, an average house takes about 8 to 10 volunteers and they can take a whole day to disinfect and clean it.
Speaking in terms of supplying materials and protective equipment, we reached more than half of the proposed goal and we are not finished yet, we are still acquiring PPE (personal protective equipment) and other cleaning materials to donate. This coming weekend we will continue the cleaning and disinfection operations. There is still work to be done.
Honestly, I feel quite tired. Buying and distributing the material, as well as participating as a volunteer, is rewarding but also exhausting. Fortunately I had the help of 
Hive's contribution may have been a small financial help, but its impact is enormous for those who received it and will continue to receive it in the coming days.
