On August 10, 2026, at 7:34 a.m., a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó. The earthquake was felt across much of the country and caused especially severe damage in Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, and Quindío.

As of August 22, the official toll is devastating: 329 people died, 4,600 were injured, 247 remain missing, and 364 people have been rescued. More than 314,000 people from 154,000 families have been affected across 481 municipalities.

The destruction has also been enormous: more than 31,000 homes have been destroyed and over 171,000 damaged, along with hundreds of collapsed buildings and thousands of schools, health centers, community centers, roads, bridges, and other essential infrastructure.

We are Spanishland School, a Spanish school based in Colombia, and we want to use our community to help 10 rural families in a municipality located approximately 167 kilometers from Cali.

In the days since the earthquake, we have been incredibly encouraged to see so many people and organizations providing emergency assistance—food, medicine, hygiene supplies, clothing, and other essential items. This immediate help is incredibly important, and we are grateful to everyone who has stepped in. But for many families, especially those living in rural areas, the road to recovery will be much longer.

Through a trusted contact in the area, we are already learning about families whose homes and belongings were seriously affected by the earthquake. Some need to rebuild damaged walls. Others need materials to reinforce parts of their homes, repair or replace roofs, or make their houses safe to live in again. Some families lost important household items that they may not have the financial resources to replace on their own.

That is why our goal is to raise $10,000 USD to support 10 families, providing approximately $1,000 in assistance to each family.

Rather than focusing on smaller emergency supplies—which many wonderful organizations are already providing—we want to help each family with one or more significant needs that can make a lasting difference in their recovery.

Depending on each family's situation, that could mean:

Every family's situation is different, so we want to work directly with the families and our local contact to determine where the $1,000 can have the greatest impact for each household.

For many of these rural families, replacing a roof, rebuilding a wall, buying beds, or purchasing construction materials is an expense they simply cannot afford right now. What may seem like a relatively small contribution to us can become part of something life-changing for them.

Our goal is simple: 10 families. $1,000 of support for each family. $10,000 to help them rebuild.

We also recognize that $1,000 per family is not enough to completely rebuild a home or replace everything that has been lost. But it can still make a meaningful difference. It could help a family rebuild a wall, replace a damaged roof, purchase construction materials, buy beds or essential appliances, or take another important step toward making their home livable again.

Our initial goal is to raise at least $10,000 so that we can provide $1,000 to each of these 10 families, but if we are fortunate enough to raise more than $10,000, we will be able to do even more. Every additional dollar will allow us to provide greater support to these families as they face the long and difficult process of rebuilding their homes and their lives.

If you are able to give $10, $25, $50, $100, or any amount at all, your contribution will bring us one step closer to helping these families recover.

And if you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser is another meaningful way to help.

From all of us at Spanishland School, thank you for standing with these Colombian families during such a difficult time. Your generosity can help them move beyond the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and begin the much harder process of rebuilding their homes and their lives.

Thank you for being part of this. ❤️