By Britt Lake | Chief Program Officer
Last Tuesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake in central Mexico struck a country and people still reeling from the 8.1-magnitude quake that devastated Oaxaca and Chiapas on September 7. Thanks to the generosity of more than 10,000 of you who've raised nearly $1 million already to support our nonprofit partners in Mexico hard at work assisting survivors of both earthquakes, the first round of funding from the Mexico Earthquake Relief Fund is already on the ground. Your donations are supporting:
Un Techo para mi Pais is building 200 emergency transitional houses for families in Oaxaca, Puebla, Morelos, Mexico City, and Mexico State who've lost their homes. Far from the tarps and tents commonly seen used as temporary shelters after natural disasters, Techo's transitional houses are constructed from fiber cement and wood and have a lifespan of 20 years.
Cooperacion Comunitaria A.C. is helping communities in Oaxaca and Chiapas impacted by the September 7 earthquake begin the process of rebuilding their homes. In Ixtepec, Oaxaca, a city of 40,000 where 60% of the houses were destroyed, they also lost a mainstay of their economy in the form of 150 ovens used to make tostadas and totopos, so Cooperacion Comunitaria’s team is working to replace those as well.
Proforestal A.C. is coordinating with local first responders to deliver food, clean water, fuel, hygiene products, and shelter to earthquake survivors in Mexico City.
IsraAid has deployed its emergency response team to Mexico immediately following last week's earthquake. Their staff is providing mental health support to individuals experiencing trauma, with a particular focus on people who've been evacuated to temporary shelters.
International Community Foundation is working alongside local organizations responding to both earthquakes to meet immediate needs, like delivering water filters to 1,000 people living in isolated communities in Oaxaca and Chiapas without access to safe drinking water, as well as laying the groundwork for long-term recovery work.
The massive scope of the damage from these two earthquakes means that the work of recovery will continue over the weeks, months, and possibly years to come. Thank you for standing with the people of Mexico in their time of need—we'll be sure to keep you updated about their work to recover and rebuild.
Thank you for your support,
Britt Lake + the GlobalGiving Team
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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