Project Outline:

Earthquake response

Location:

La Y, Ecuador

Partners Since:

July 2016

On the evening of April 16th 2016, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Ecuador’s central coast, followed by a 6.1 magnitude aftershock on April 20. Nearly 600 died and thousands were injured or made homeless. The towns of Pedernales and Portoviejo in Manabí were hit particularly hard. Our original project site in La Y is located at the heart of this region, and experienced significant damage. Among other things, the earthquake destroyed the first grade, second grade, and third grade classrooms.

While disaster relief arrived to Ecuador in the days following the tremor, it was insufficient to reach all affected areas. As an organization with long-standing partnerships in the rural communities of Esmeraldas and Manabí, The Minga Foundation is uniquely positioned to support communities overlooked by large relief efforts. In collaboration with the local community, Minga is now helping to rebuild the school in La Y. In the spirit of “Minga,” these funds will be distributed through community-driven efforts to rebuild community buildings and resources, to assist the most affected families who have not received significant aid from other sources, and to reduce long-term vulnerability.

Many of our Minga supporters and family have been with us from the beginning, when we first began supporting these communities. Over the past few days, many of you have reached out to us to see what you can do to help.

Donate

We are collecting funds on behalf of the communities in Esmeraldas and Manabí. Donations of any amount are welcome.

Our goal is to support vulnerable remote communities in the long-term. If you would like to support immediate relief efforts, we recommend contributing to the Ecuador Red Cross directly.