I am Maria del Mar Barreto, and I am creating this fundraiser for myself and my daughter, Antonia Valdes.

On Monday, August 10th, a 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, and Cali, where we live, was one of the hardest-hit cities. In a matter of minutes, our lives changed completely.

My daughter and I were inside our four-level apartment building when the earthquake struck. We had to run down the stairs while the building was collapsing around us. Pieces of the building fell on us as we desperately tried to get out, and we were terrified that we would not make it alive. Gratefully, we survived.

After the earthquake, our building was declared uninhabitable because of severe damage to its foundations. The structure is no longer considered safe, and we have been prohibited from returning because of the serious risk of collapse. We were only able to remove a few personal belongings before it became too dangerous to go back inside. Everything else—our furniture, appliances, kitchen supplies, clothing, and many of the things we had spent years building our home with—had to be left behind. We had no choice but to walk away and leave our belongings there because returning to the building could put our lives at risk.

It is difficult to describe what it feels like to know that your home and everything you have worked for is still sitting inside a building that you cannot safely enter. We were fortunate to survive, but we now have to start over with almost nothing.

Right now, my daughter and I need help finding a safe place to live and replacing the basic necessities we no longer have. The funds raised will help us with housing and essential items such as food, kitchenware, silverware, pots and pans, clothing, appliances like a refrigerator and washing machine, and other everyday necessities.

I never imagined that something like this could happen to us. One moment, we had a home and our normal lives, and the next, we were running for our lives and being forced to leave almost everything behind.

As a mother, my greatest priority right now is making sure that my daughter and I have a safe place to live and the basic things we need to begin rebuilding our lives. We are incredibly grateful to the friends and family who have already supported us in every way they can. Their kindness has meant more to us than I can put into words.

If you are able to donate, any amount—no matter how small—will make a meaningful difference as we begin this difficult process of rebuilding. If you are unable to donate, sharing our fundraiser with others would also mean so much to us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading our story, for keeping us in your thoughts, and for helping us through this incredibly difficult time. We will never forget the kindness and generosity shown to us, and we hope that one day, when we are back on our feet, we can extend that same kindness to someone else in need.