...The Renova Foundation in Brazil, formed in 2016, is responsible for overseeing the full and fair remediation and reparation of the impacts of Samarco’s Fundão dam failure in November 2015. Five years on, while there is still much work to be done, there has been significant progress towards restoring the livelihoods of the people affected through its unique resettlement program which is guided by the families who will live there, as well as through the indemnification and other programs...One of Fundação Renova’s priority social programs is the relocation and rebuilding of the communities of Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo in Mariana/MG, and Gesteira in Barra Longa/MG. A key to the success of this program is the participation of affected community members, their technical advisers, State Prosecutors, municipal leaders, regulators and other interested parties. The process of collective resettlement involves designing new towns on land that has been chosen by the community, to be as close as possible to the previous layout. It requires attending to the wishes and needs of the families and communities, while also meeting permitting and legal requirements. Each family is designing their own house, one by one, assisted by architects trained to translate the families’ expectations...All the families entitled to this assistance are accommodated in houses rented by Fundação Renova, most of them in Mariana/MG. In Bento Rodrigues, where 202 families are expected, the public school, Health and Services Centre and Sewage Treatment Station have been completed. Other public buildings and infrastructure are under construction and, as of April 2021, 95% of the infrastructure works are completed, including roads, drainage, electricity, water, and sewage networks...A total of 1443 families have chosen not to join the collective resettlement of their previous community in Mariana. Fundação Renova is assisting them and 57 properties have been purchased for these families, which 19 properties are to renovate, 34 houses to be build and four vacant lots (as of April 2021)...Workforce numbers have since fluctuated depending on the COVID-19 situation in the area, but have remained low...