Ecuador Earthquake Rapid Response

Hello donors!

All Hands has been on the ground in Ecuador since April and an enormous amount of progress has been made. The thousands of people that were affected by the earthquake are beginning to recover and regain a sense of normalcy. We have demolished and rubbled 16 homes to date, with 1 home in progress. To date we have completed 14 temporary structures using bamboo. In order to reinforce these structures to prevent damage in the event of a future earthquake we use rebar in the walls. This forces debris to fall outside of the structure rather than in to the structure during the earthquake. We have reinforced 23 structures with rebar to date. In order to supply our ever-growing need for bamboo we are looking in to a collaboration to build a bamboo treatment center that would provide the bamboo necessary to construct shelters.  This center will not only treat bamboo, but will also build local capacities with bamboo construction, treatment and masonry. We have also received approval to build a Temporary Learning Center in San Miguel de Briceño.

With over 16,000 homes destroyed or damaged homes there is endless amounts of work to be done. In many areas that are difficult to access we are helping out in various different ways, including assisting the 200 families living in the Saman Internally Displaced Peoples Camp. Drainage ditches have been created to combat the flooding that has occurred due to earthquake and worsened by storms. These ditches also surround the camp in order to prevent flooding there and mud buildup. Inside of the camp we have constructed wash tables for sanitation purposes and a permanent fence to aid in security.

We are greatly appreciative of your donations and hope that you continue to support our mission in Ecuador. We would not be able to sustain our programs without donors like you. For any additional information please visit our website!

Links:

• http://www.hands.org