(ANS) – A week after the earthquake that shook western Colombia, the emergency continues to affect the lives of thousands of people. Whilst rescue, assessment and reconstruction operations continue, the Salesian missionaries have stepped up their efforts in the areas affected by the quake, setting up collection centres, distributing food, supporting rescue teams and providing direct assistance to communities that were already living in vulnerable conditions before the emergency.
The emergency caused by last week’s earthquake has entered a new phase. In addition to search and damage assessment operations, there is now a need to ensure food, water, hygiene, shelter and safety for those who cannot return to their homes.
Initial figures indicate that over 350 municipalities have been affected, with severe damage to roads, hundreds of schools damaged and problems accessing water, electricity, sanitation and telecommunications. Against this backdrop, the Salesian missionaries have already moved to provide a direct response on the ground.
The Salesians have, in fact, converted schools and other facilities across the country into collection centres for water, non-perishable food, hygiene products and essential supplies for rescue teams. Furthermore, from these locations they are coordinating the delivery of aid to the worst-affected areas.
The extent of the damage also affects the communities: 10 of their 18 communities in the western part of the country have been affected. “We estimate that over 4,000 people associated with our works have seen their educational, pastoral and social activities disrupted,” explain the missionaries in the area.
Aid is already being distributed in towns such as Cali, Dosquebradas and Buenaventura, which have been particularly hard hit by the disaster.
In Cali, one of the cities hardest hit by the earthquake, Salesian aid is directed both at the affected population and at those who continue to work on the emergency response. This is the case, for example, with the students on the catering course at the Don Bosco Training Centre: these young people are preparing and distributing food in the towns near Cali. What they learnt during their formation has now become a practical tool for looking after the population in the midst of the emergency.
In addition, Salesian teams are supporting the rescue teams with breakfasts, rehydration drinks, ice and equipment. “Just yesterday, Monday 17 August, we prepared more than 200 breakfasts for the rescue workers,” explains Fr Adolfo Romero.
In Buenaventura, too, the situation is particularly worrying. The Fundación Servicio Juvenil is based there – a Salesian social initiative founded in 1972 with a long tradition of commitment to children, young people, women and families living in poverty and marginalisation. “Casa Bosconia Buenaventura” is one of the communities hardest hit.
Even before the earthquake, “Casa Bosconia” provided daily meals to around 100 children, for some of whom this might have been their only meal of the day. It also offered craft formation courses to around 200 mothers in a community predominantly of African origin.
Now, many of those same families have lost their homes or are unable to return to them. “There are people sleeping outdoors, in the rain, without electricity or a regular water supply,” explain the Salesian missionaries. In an area characterised by high temperatures and humidity, the lack of water and sanitation facilities also increases the risk of disease.
The Salesian missionaries in Buenaventura have therefore begun distributing food and hygiene products to the affected families, although it is not always easy to ensure these reach their intended recipients.
In the initial phase, the Salesian missionaries aim to reach 1,200 people. “We aim to distribute 500 hygiene kits, 100 emergency kits and 500 parcels of essential foodstuffs,” they add. The next phase will focus on reconstruction. “Damaged structures will be assessed; those deemed unsafe will be demolished; and educational, formation and community spaces will be rebuilt in accordance with seismic safety and accessibility standards,” the missionaries explain.