Emergency relief for survivors of fires in Chile

Dear friends and family,

The people of Chile’s Valparaíso region need our help. A week ago, they were hit with the most tragic fires in all of Chilean history. These fires had many different source points, making them extremely difficult to control. Over 15,000 houses have been destroyed, leaving thousands of families homeless. More than 150 people have died, and hundreds more are missing, with some of the fires still burning.

Specifically, the fires destroyed huge swaths of the coastal city of Viña del Mar, overwhelming the emergency infrastructure. The most concentrated devastation, tragically, was in the poverty-stricken hill neighborhoods which ring the city, which are some of the poorest settlements in the country. (These fires should also be recognized as a climate disaster, exacerbated by an especially hot and dry summer.)

This tragedy hits home for me. You see, for the better part of last year, I lived in Viña del Mar, while I studied at a university in neighboring Valparaíso. Viña became my second home, as I encountered incredible hospitality from my own wonderful host family, the families of friends, and, most dear to my heart, the family of my boyfriend.

I found that, across the board, the Chilean people were some of the most open-hearted, boisterous, united, and generous I had ever encountered. From older sisters and mothers, to distant relatives, to strangers who I crossed paths with in the street, I was made to feel truly welcome. Though I was over 5,000 miles from home, they put me completely at ease, graciously embracing me, such that I now consider them all my chosen family. This, I believe, comes from the unique Chilean spirit of togetherness. It gets you laughing, singing along, sharing lots and lots of bread and tea, and promising you’ll be back as soon as you can.

Sadly, in the U.S. media, Chile’s struggles typically are ignored. The country and its people are treated as irrelevant. Tragedies from the Global South rarely make a splash in our collective consciousness. This breaks my heart. I would like to bring attention to the communities which took me in and nurtured me when I was a stranger to them, so that they may get their deserved attention and care.

Unfortunately GoFundMe does not work directly with Chile. So I will be transferring these funds directly to my boyfriend’s family (who thankfully are safe and remain personally unaffected), who will distribute the funds to Colegio de Niños, a school in the Viña neighborhood of Achupallas. This wonderful local school for children is leading one of the most active volunteer campaigns on the ground. They are working tirelessly, handing out emergency kits, helping homeowners clear their properties of debris, and searching for lost and buried family members. They are also providing financial assistance to 50 individual families within the community, helping these families get back on their feet after having lost everything overnight.

Please read this testimony from Antonio Quijanes (taken from second video shown below), a resident of the Achupallas neighborhood, where these funds will go:

“My name is Antonio Quijanes. I live on Ayahuasco Street. There are many cases, not just mine. I speak for many families. The neighbor right in front of us is dead. Her body has not been removed. Same with eight or ten other bodies. I had to bring down my sister's body, along with my father's body, which were lying on the hill. I brought them because dogs were eating their bodies. The PDI (Civil Investigations Police of Chile) arrived and they wrote down on their service sheets what was going on, but they didn't really do anything. The dogs kept eating the bodies. I had to carry them and fight with the whole system. The system as it is, the system is horrible brother, because if we weren't poor it would be another situation, another reality. They don't care because we're the poor people, and they take advantage of us. If you want, I'll show you the bodies. I'll show you brother.”

Your donations will help Colegio de Niños in its dedicated work, supporting families with the least resources, like Antonio’s, who are desperately seeking help. Please consider donating whatever you can. And please share this campaign among your own circles, to support the people of Viña del Mar in beginning their lives anew during such a tragic time. Thank you so much for your consideration and contribution. Your compassion and generosity are what keeps us united as people. May we all lift each other up, and may our hearts never close.