Earthquake in Colombia
Your donation helps provide families with food and everyday essentials quickly.
One of the strongest earthquake in decades has struck western Colombia. Many people are still trapped under the rubble. The death toll and number of injured are rising steadily. In addition to numerous buildings, vital infrastructure has also been damaged.
While disaster relief efforts are focused on the cities, rural communities in our project regions are largely left to fend for themselves. SWISSAID is providing 100,000 Swiss francs in emergency aid and is reaching these communities through local partner organizations with which we have been working for decades.
SWISSAID is supporting earthquake victims in Colombia and providing food aid in rural areas that have received little attention. Help now! Every donation saves lives!
For decades, local farmers have been working with SWISSAID to establish seed banks in Colombia.
This fosters the creation of networks. People know and trust one another. It is precisely these existing networks that ensure our emergency aid reaches the right places.
The situation in Columbia
The earthquake struck on Monday morning at 7:34 a.m. local time in western Colombia, near San José del Palmar.
Colombian President Abelardo declared a nationwide state of emergency following the earthquake.
Homes belonging to farming families and seed managers in our project regions such as El Cairo (Valle), parts of Risaralda, and San José del Palmar (Chocó) were severely damaged. The water supply in western communities such as El Cairo, Trujillo, and Riofrío has been cut off.
