Colombia’s Earthquake Solidarity!
Bogotá, Colombia Aug 15 (EFE).- By Paula Cabaleiro
There is a saying that defines what solidarity looks like in Colombia: “Where two eat, three can eat as well,” an idea that recently turned into a chain of aid. Restaurants, gyms, universities, business owners, and anonymous neighbors have transformed their spaces into collection centers for victims of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country on Monday.
The scene is reminiscent of the Disney movie Encanto, in which an entire town comes together to rebuild a destroyed house, yet this time, the solidarity is real. Tens of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets to gather aid for the hardest-hit areas.
In Bogotá, there are at least six official collection centers throughout the city, in addition to spontaneous initiatives ranging from street-side drop-off points to large facilities like El Campín Stadium.
There, thousands of volunteers receive, sort, and pack donations.
“Everything we’ve gathered isn’t enough. We need a lot of help,” Mauricio Hoyos, director of the company that operates the stadium, told EFE a few days ago.
The supplies are passed from person to person as they are sorted by category to make transport easier. Water, non-perishable food, diapers, hygiene items, blankets, and other supplies are packed into boxes and sent to communities in need in the central, western, and southwestern parts of the country.
“You never know when it’s going to happen to you,” said Bogotá resident Herbert González, who went to El Campín after learning of the scale of the emergency, which has left 294 people dead and 115,461 people displaced so far.
Donations also began to be transported from other cities to Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, and Quindío, some of the regions hardest hit by the earthquake.
In Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, the first aid supplies collected from various parts of the country arrived on Thursday as part of an operation coordinated by the nation’s first lady, Ana Lucía Pineda, and the wife of the vice president José Manuel Restrepo, Tatiana Céspedes.
“Colombians have rallied in an incredible way. All the collection centers we have in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali are constantly receiving aid, but this is not the time to stop,” Céspedes told EFE.
A group of influencers, including Julián Pinilla, Martín Londoño, and Sebastián Moreno, promoted the collection of supplies on social media.
They managed to fill 10 trucks and three tractor-trailers, each weighing 35 metric tons, with aid destined for municipalities in Valle del Cauca and Risaralda.
The vehicles left on Friday and are expected to arrive on Saturday in Buenaventura, San José del Palmar (the epicenter of the earthquake), El Limoncito, and Bajo Calima in Chocó, one of the poorest regions in the country.
“What was beautiful wasn’t what arrived, but where it came from. It wasn’t just Bogotá. Many people traveled from their villages and towns, bringing whatever little they had to donate to us,” the influencers explained in a video posted on TikTok.
Jhon Arias, a soccer player for Palmeiras and the Colombian national team, born in Quibdó, has sent three planes loaded with aid to his hometown. Artists such as Karol G, Maluma, Morat, J Balvin, and Camilo have joined this massive effort through their foundations.
Aid on the ground
Meanwhile, on the streets of affected cities, aid comes in simpler forms: people arriving with water and food for rescue workers; groups of friends traveling from other cities to help; volunteers lending a hand with emergency efforts; and an ice cream vendor giving his products away to rescue workers.
Juan Pablo, a 13-year-old boy from Pereira, a volunteer who has been clearing debris after the earthquake, is one face of solidarity. His image has gone viral on social media.
“I’m not going to abandon my country. No Colombian can abandon their country,” Juan Pablo told an international media outlet.
He explained that he had helped clear a path through the rubble of a collapsed building to facilitate the rescue of a woman who was ultimately found dead.
Six days after the earthquake, boxes continue to arrive at collection centers, and trucks keep heading out to affected regions. This chain connects neighborhoods, towns, and villages with locations hundreds of kilometers away. EFE
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