Rotary Youth Exchange is a special thing that our club supports each year. Students go abroad and live an entire academic year. They are often described as ambassadors from their country for the shared goal of peace and strengthened cultural understanding. This week we had our brave current Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Julia, speak on behalf of her region and hometown that is nearly completely submerged by catastrophic flooding. All of her friends and family members have been directly impacted. Most losing their homes at a minimum and many missing. Her hometown of Canoas is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, forming part of the Greater Porto Alegre area. About 164,000 residents have been displaced and 100 died as a result of the downpour, which started April 28. Initial estimates from Enki Research suggest an economic impact of at least $2.5 billion in the state.
Driven by the persistent heavy rains, flooding has affected more than two-thirds of the nearly 500 cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina, displacing hundreds of thousands of people, according to authorities.
We are teaming up to support the local Rotary Club and Shelter Box. Click this link to donate here.
