Silver Spring, Maryland -- On August 13, a fire broke out in Rio das Pedras, a makeshift community located in the Jacarepaguá district of western Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is working in partnership with governmental organizations and other non-governmental organizations to provide aid to families who have lost their homes and belongings in this tragedy.

The fire spread quickly through the community, destroying nearly 500 wooden huts and injuring residents, many of whom were hospitalized.
The cause of the fire, which left 3,500 homeless, is yet to be determined.

In response to the emergency, ADRA is partnering with other local organizations to meet the immediate needs of the approximately 500 affected families. ADRA is providing mattresses to 200 families, with each family receiving one couple-sized mattress and one single-sized mattress. In addition, 1,000 packages of diapers will be distributed to families with children under the age of two. Priority was given to families with children, followed by families that include the sick, the elderly, the handicapped, or the unemployed.

The project, worth $10,000, is financed by ADRA International, the South American Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, the East Brazil Union office of Seventh-day Adventists, and the ADRA office in Southern Rio de Janeiro.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.