INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH ECUADOR
The International Alliance of Inhabitants calls for international solidarity to support the people of Ecuador in rebuilding the communities, towns and cities affected by the earthquake.
The coastal region of Ecuador was shaken by a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale on the night of Saturday 16th April 2016. This caused the collapse of hundreds of houses and buildings, as well as destroying motorways and urban infrastructure. The official is at least 413, with 2547 people injured and over a million made victims of the disaster, the majority of whom are poor inhabitants from the provinces of Santa Elena, Manabí and Esmeraldas. The communities most affected are as follows: Manabí, Manta, Pedernales, Bahía de Caráquez, Canoa, Portoviejo and the small communities of Chone, Calceta, Santa Ana, Jama, San Pablo de Manta, San Vicente and Babahoyo.
Organisations, Unions, Collectives, Guilds and Ecuadorian civil society are mobilising in order to continue the search among the rubble for their families, friends and neighbours and ensure that basic survival products, machinery and as many rescue experts as possible reach them.
In light of these circumstance, the International Alliance of Inhabitants calls for international solidarity to support the people of Ecuador in reconstructing the communities, towns and cities affected by the earthquake. Furthermore, the IAI will promote collection points in our respective countries to receive humanitarian aid such as water, tinned and non-perishable food, batteries, candles, clothes (preferably already sorted according to age and gender), nappies, sanitary towels, first-aid kits, bed sheets and towels (without forgetting dog and cat food). All aid will be handed over to the Ecuadorian Embassies in our respective countries in order for it to be sent to the affected towns.
In accordance with the social organisations that are promoting the People’s Social Forum against Habitat III, the IAI offers the experience and knowledge it has acquired through people’s organisations that promote reconstruction in other countries, to avoid human rights violations such as the evictions and speculation on which post-disaster government policies are so often based.
The people of Ecuador need our solidarity and the people of the world will be generous in providing it. Solidarity will be the key in reconstructing the towns and cities of Ecuador.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF ECUADOR
Georeferences
The Volunteer translator for housing rights without frontiers of IAI who has collaborated on the translation of this text was:
Fe.De.Vi. Argentina se solidariza y envía ayuda a l@s herman@s de ECUADOR
Saturday 23 April 2016 9:41:30 pm
Cristina Reynals