gather around a collapsed building in earthquake-hit
Colombia. Photo/Supplied.
Thousands
of families in earthquake-devastated Colombia have had their
homes damaged or destroyed, with children and families
urgently in need of drinking water, food, and emergency
shelter, said Save the Children.
Colombia has declared
a national emergency following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake
that struck the western part of the country on Monday and
killed at least 224 people and damaged or destroyed about
9,521 homes [1].
Isabel-, works for Save the
Children in Cali and is one of the organisation’s staff
whose home was damaged.
Isabel-
said:
“I feel powerless, frustrated, and very
sad because the efforts of my entire family over many years
vanished in a moment. However, we have been staying strong
by being together and facing the situation.”
In
Buenaventura, a city in one of the most-affected regions,
Save the Children will be providing children and families
with shelter and hygiene kits, drinking water and water
filters, primary healthcare, and food.
Save the
Children also started establishing safe spaces in
Buenaventura where children can play, access psychosocial
support, and other protection services. The aid agency is
closely monitoring needs in Cali and Chocó, two other
highly impacted areas where Save the Children is ready to
scale up its response.
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The needs of children and
families are likely to continue to grow, with dozens
of health facilities affected by the earthquake,
including a major hospital in the city of Cali which was
severely damaged.
Almost 800 schools have also been
affected, disrupting learning and leaving children in need
of safe spaces, education support and psychosocial care,
while children will need mental health support to cope with
the shock and trauma caused by the earthquake.
Maria
Mercedes Liévano, Save the Children’s Country Director in
Colombia said:
“Thousands of homes have been damaged
or entirely reduced to rubble, and schools, community
centres and hospitals – the places children rely on to feel
safe – have been damaged. For thousands of children, their
whole world and sense of safety have been ripped
away.
“The stories our staff are hearing from affected
communities are deeply distressing. Families have fled
damaged homes with nothing, parents are struggling to find
safe places for their children to sleep, and children are
facing the trauma of losing loved ones, homes and a sense of
security. Our immediate concern is for the safety and
wellbeing of children, especially those who have been
injured or separated from their families.
“In the days
ahead, children urgently need emergency shelter, safe
drinking water, food, mental health support and healthcare.
An earthquake upends children’s lives in a matter of
minutes, but we need to ensure that children are at the
centre of the humanitarian response so that its effects on
the children of Colombia are not permanent.”
Save the
Children has worked in Colombia for 40 years, working in the
regions most affected by natural disasters, armed conflict,
violence, poverty, climate change, and mixed
migration.
New Zealanders wanting to donate to support
the response can do so through the Children’s
Emergency Fund.
Notes
[1]
According to UNOCHA, the earthquake damaged 8,385 homes and
destroyed 1,136 others https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/colombia-flash-update-003-actualizacion-afectaciones-por-terremoto-en-13-departamentos-de-colombia-11-agosto-de-2026
–
Name changed to protect
privacy
