Help us help Colombia’s Earthquake Victims — Directly, Transparently, From the Ground

Thousands of families in Colombia are facing the unimaginable.

A devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck communitiesacross Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó and surrounding areas. Lives have been lost, homes and businesses destroyed, and entire families have seen everything they built disappear in a matter of moments.

And for those who survived, the emergency is only beginning.

Greek Reporter is launching this fundraiser to give Greeks, Greek Americans, members of the diaspora, and people everywhere that know what philotimo means, a secure, direct and transparent way to help families affected by the disaster.

What makes this effort different is simple:

We are on the ground.

Greek Reporter has people in Colombia who can identify families in genuine need, meet them personally and make sure the assistance reaches them directly.

Our commitment is that the funds raised will be distributed as direct financial assistance to families who have lost their homes and livelihoods via a check from our bank directly to their name.

We will publish the records, as we have done in the past last time for the fires in Greece.

We will show you via facebook live exactly where your money goes.

We intend to document the distribution of the funds, report publicly on the amounts delivered, and share the process with our audience. We will broadcast the effort from Colombia so donors can see the impact of their contributions for themselves.

Transparency is not an afterthought. It is part of the fundraiser.

Greek Reporter has stepped forward during major humanitarian crises before around the globe, including disasters in Greece, and has helped organizations all the way from the US to africa and India. Over the last 10 years we have contributed more than $1 million in financial support, services and assistance to charitable and humanitarian causes.

Now Colombia needs help.

A donation cannot rebuild an entire city. But it can help a family find temporary shelter. Replace essential belongings. Buy food and medicine. Give parents who have lost their home a little breathing room while they begin building again.

For the Greek community, there is a word that captures the spirit behind this effort: philotimo — the instinct to help another human being because it is simply the right thing to do.

This is philotimo with transparency.

If thousands of us give what we can -- you know who you are, we can put meaningful help directly into the hands of families whose lives have been shattered.

Please donate. Please share this fundraiser. And help us show the people of Colombia that they are not alone.

Thank you for your consideration to help us in this mission!

-The GR Team

Legal statement:

1. Who you are?

Anastasios Papapostolou, Greek Reporter's founder.

2. Where you're from?

Greece

3. Your relationship to the parties you're raising funds for

We have been reporting from some of the areas in Colombia most severely affected by the earthquake, where our team has met residents and witnessed the devastation firsthand. Through this work, we have identified individuals and families in urgent need who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and, in some cases, virtually everything they owned.

4. How the funds will be spent

The funds will be distributed directly to people in the affected areas. We will prioritize families who have suffered the greatest losses, particularly those whose homes were destroyed and who now need immediate support to begin rebuilding their lives.

The fundraiser is being led by Anastasios Papapostolou, founder of Greek Reporter, who has been reporting extensively from Colombia. Anastasios will be on the ground to personally oversee the distribution of the funds and ensure that assistance reaches the selected beneficiaries directly.

For maximum transparency, funds will be delivered through individual checks made out in each beneficiary’s name, and the distribution process will be documented and, where appropriate and with the beneficiaries’ consent, broadcast live.