Responding to the Earthquake in Ecuador
As you have likely already heard, Ecuador experienced a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the evening of April 16th. Our team and the community we serve are safe, and there was no damage to the Manna house or the Community Center.
The earthquake most affected the coast of Ecuador, about 5 hours away from where Manna Project is located. With extreme sadness we know that many homes and buildings were destroyed, thousands of people were injured and several hundred lost their lives.
Our primary focus with MPI Ecuador will be to support our Program Directors in dealing with this tragedy. Experiencing a strong earthquake can be quite alarming, and watching the country you currently call home deal with the aftermaths of such a natural disaster will likely be emotional and difficult. We will take the time as a team to discuss personal experiences of the earthquake as well as our thoughts and feelings of the event and the aftermath. We will also help prepare the Program Directors to interact with community members and assist in any way we can.
If you were impacted by the earthquake, it is important to know that your reactions, feelings and concerns are normal. It is likely that you will experience a number of emotions over the coming days and weeks.
As an organization, we offer our sincere condolences to those families affected. We are thankful for the many governmental agencies and international NGOs who have so quickly responded with appropriate aid in the regions most affected. Our Ecuadorian government counterparts have reached out with opportunities to assist with donation coordination near Quito. It is our desire to help as much as possible locally, though we believe it is in the best interest of our staff and Program Directors to not travel to the affected areas at this time.
The safety and well-being of our volunteers continues to be a top priority for Manna Project International. If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact Executive Director Lori Scharffenberg directly at lori@mannaproject.org.
If you would like to make a donation to earthquake relief efforts, we recommend donating to the Red Cross of Ecuador. Click below to be redirected to their site. Thank you!
