Colombia earthquake: Philadelphia community rallies to send aid

Colombia’s earthquake recovery will be ‘a long-distance race’

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the drive had already collected around 50 boxes of supplies at the bakery drop-off, said Cristian Marín, a member of Acción Colombia’s governing board. The organization is planning to send donations collected this weekend to New York City, where the items will be shipped by plane to affected cities in the western part of Colombia.

This is the first phase of what will be “a long-distance race,” said Marín. The focus now is on getting urgently needed supplies to Colombia. As the country begins to rebuild, the organization plans to stay in touch with leaders on the ground in Colombia to continue to respond to the changing needs of affected communities.

Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed by the earthquake, according to the government of Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was inaugurated just days before the disaster. Thousands of schools, hospitals and community centers in more than 400 cities have also been damaged.

“These first and second weeks, there maybe is an initial enthusiasm and we all want to help, but we can’t forget from the third, fourth week onward that there are still many needs that will keep changing,” Marín said. “Hopefully we can also be there when the media attention suddenly drops, and we’ll be present all the same.”

Coming together to do something to help people in her homeland was a “heartwarming” experience for Johana Borda, a 36-year-old resident of Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood who hails from Bogotá.

She came to help out Saturday after seeing Acción Colombia’s posts on social media.

“[It] doesn’t matter how old are you, where are you from — we’re here, we don’t know each other,” Borda said. “I don’t know anyone here … but it’s really good to feel that sense of community.”

She said stepping up with direct aid is necessary.

“I know that if we don’t do it for ourselves, we can’t trust just the governments or other people to solve this problem,” she said. “And we can do at least this, volunteer and [donate] at least a little bit, like $1, $5, like whatever you have, everything counts … We just need to be there for our people.”

Alfredo Rodríguez Ospina came to the bakery, which sits just a few minutes from his house, together with his 13-year-old daughter, who told him about the donation drive.

“Colombia needs our support,” he said. “We know that many countries and international organizations are supporting our country, but … there are still cities and towns that haven’t received donations, that haven’t received all of the help they really need.”

The need for support will continue as the country rebuilds and as Colombians at home and abroad cope with the emotional toll of the disaster.

“At this time, joining forces to support the Colombian people is what is most needed,” he said.