Carolin and myself were very fortunate to be able to participate in this.
We went to Peru Sept 21, 2007 to help with the earthquake relief.
Click here for the video of the relief work. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid901003934/bctid1231041932
If you want to donate please go to www.worldvision.com or http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/teams/relief/earthquake_relief.aspx
Peru Earthquake Response
The resilient people of Peru are determined to carve a new future from the rubble of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated their homes and communities.
Immediately following August’s crushing earthquake and its aftershocks – which killed over 500 people and destroyed over 35,000 homes – Samaritan’s Purse responded with aid, providing more than 700 families in and around the cities of Pisco and San Clemente with shelter materials, and thousands others with blankets and food. Samaritan’s Purse continues to operate over 150 soup kitchens.
“Peruvians are hardworking, resilient, and wanting to move forward – there is not a spirit of despair,” says Laurent Trabadello, Samaritan’s Purse Canada Project Manager, who helped lead the relief effort in Peru.
Peruvians have begun to pick through the destruction, building one-room shelters near or on the rubble of their homes, and those who didn’t lose their livelihoods have returned to working subsistence farms or cotton farming. The communities’ warm, heartfelt gratefulness for the assistance from Samaritan’s Purse is apparent.
“I have never seen people as thankful as the people of Peru – people have said ‘thank-you for not forgetting us’, written letters of thanks, and hand-made signs saying, ‘thank you Samaritan’s Purse,’” says Trabadello.
“May God bless you and give you a long life because you are helping us with our food,” wrote Gladys Reyes, a woman in San Clemente whose family received help from Samaritan’s Purse. “We are all very grateful and give you many thanks.”
Utilizing a community-based approach, Samaritan’s Purse worked directly with partners, churches, and municipal and civil defense authorities to provide and support relief efforts.
“The authorities looked to us for guidance because they had no experience with a disaster on this scale,” says Trabadello. “We were able to be of good counsel and build a lot of great relationships.”
In addition to ongoing work through local partners, Samaritan’s Purse relief work in Peru will be continued by volunteer Relief Teams, who will travel to the earthquake zone to assist with clean up and rebuilding. The first team departs in late September.
To help: https://secure.samaritan.ca/donate/donation_form/default.aspx?pc=013310
---------------------UPDATE----------------------
The earth buckling and the house swaying, 13-year-old Nicole ran from her home amid the deafening noise of the earthquake, the roof caving in behind her. She could hear the cries of her neighbors, trapped under piles of rocks and rubble. They were yelling for help but no one came, says Nicole, and by the next day, their cries had ceased.
Young Nicole is one of thousands impacted by the deadly earthquake that struck Peru in August. Hundreds were killed and thousands left homeless and without resources. Samaritan’s Purse responded with emergency aid, including shelter materials, blankets, food and other vital supplies, working directly with partners, the local Church, and municipal and civil defence authorities.
As Peruvians moved from a relief to a recovery stage, Samaritan’s Purse deployed three Relief Teams of hard-working, compassionate volunteers. The teams traveled to Peru in groups of 15, helping clean rubble of schools and churches, and showing gentle compassion to those coping with fresh memories of the disaster.
Little Nicole shared her tragic story with Relief Team member Darryl Elliott as they sat on a bench in the devastated community of San Clemente. “She just wanted someone to talk to and someone to hear what happened to her,” explained Darryl. “I never asked her about the earthquake.”
The conversation was an epiphany for Darryl. “I realized why we (were in Peru). . . Not to move rubble or to tear down walls rather to listen and show the people of San Clemente that there is someone who cares.”
Agents of Action
Brent Davis, Samaritan’s Purse Teams Coordinator, says each Relief Team played an important role in the communities they visited. “Our major role was as a catalyst – Peruvians are industrious, hard-working people, but the clean-up work is overwhelming – tiring and depressing,” said Brent. “We were able to infuse energy into the community as we were working and getting dirty beside them.
“It was incredible how our teams were able to be agents of action for the community – we’d be working and be joined by 20 or so people. We were inspiring them to continue to clean up and rebuild.”
As the Relief Teams worked, they experienced the warm, heartfelt gratitude of the Peruvian community – not only for the much-needed emergency relief, but also the continued clean-up work of the volunteer Teams. It was humbling for the team.
“Everywhere we went in the community, people had signs hung on their homes or above their doors, saying “Gracias, Samaritan’s Purse.”
More at http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/teams/relief/DRU-feature_002.aspx
some video links of our trip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_JmHHy3fY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1NmPtBhh3Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ZO2YFsxyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWkpWz1AIr4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezoUEHk7Hq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiyraCfuQBU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1NmPtBhh3Q