Doña Carmela's Sanctuary for Venezuelan Refugees
Donation protected
An Urgent Problem
Over the past year hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees have fled their homes into the country of Ecuador. Many of them travel with small children and face insurmountable odds, without money or a place to go. While the government struggles to deal with the massive influx, Doña Carmela of El Juncal, Ecuador has taken it upon herself to house, feed, clothe, and support thousands of refugees in her home free of cost. Every day Doña Carmela, her husband, their 8 sons, and a small live in staff welcome 20-70 refugees into their family home which has been converted into a hostal.
A Strong Woman With an Incredible Heart
Doña Carmela is 48 years old and lives in a small Afro-Ecuadorian community in the northernmost region of Ecuador. Her family sells vegetables on the Colombian boarder for a living, almost all of which is used in the service of others. She has been working with Venezuelan refugees for the past 12 months, during which her life has been converted into a never ending mission of compassion. When asked about why she spends so much of her life helping others she said (translated from Spanish):
"It is my hobby. Some people like to do various activities, I like to cook and clean and help people."
Here is a link to a video to learn more about her story
A Fund for Infrastructure and Support
Here is how we will use the donated funds:
- $500: Building another structure where people can sleep
- $1000: Buying clothes, feminine products, medicine, soap, kitchen necessities and other household goods
- $1000: Creating a small fund which Doña Carmela can draw from for purchasing food
How I got Involved:
4 years ago I lived with Doña Carmela and her family for 8 months through a program called Global Citizen Year. This was well before she had gotten involved with this noble pursuit. However, during that time, she cared for me as her own son. I watched as she spent her days taking care of her family, volunteering in church, and selling vegetables in Colombia at night. I am visiting and have become awestruck with the scale and difficulty of what her and her family have taken on. I hope that this campaign may be even a small figure of my appreciation and the support that she has from people on the other side of the world that she may never meet.
Thank you for your support
Over the past year hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees have fled their homes into the country of Ecuador. Many of them travel with small children and face insurmountable odds, without money or a place to go. While the government struggles to deal with the massive influx, Doña Carmela of El Juncal, Ecuador has taken it upon herself to house, feed, clothe, and support thousands of refugees in her home free of cost. Every day Doña Carmela, her husband, their 8 sons, and a small live in staff welcome 20-70 refugees into their family home which has been converted into a hostal.
A Strong Woman With an Incredible Heart
Doña Carmela is 48 years old and lives in a small Afro-Ecuadorian community in the northernmost region of Ecuador. Her family sells vegetables on the Colombian boarder for a living, almost all of which is used in the service of others. She has been working with Venezuelan refugees for the past 12 months, during which her life has been converted into a never ending mission of compassion. When asked about why she spends so much of her life helping others she said (translated from Spanish):
"It is my hobby. Some people like to do various activities, I like to cook and clean and help people."
Here is a link to a video to learn more about her story
A Fund for Infrastructure and Support
Here is how we will use the donated funds:
- $500: Building another structure where people can sleep
- $1000: Buying clothes, feminine products, medicine, soap, kitchen necessities and other household goods
- $1000: Creating a small fund which Doña Carmela can draw from for purchasing food
How I got Involved:
4 years ago I lived with Doña Carmela and her family for 8 months through a program called Global Citizen Year. This was well before she had gotten involved with this noble pursuit. However, during that time, she cared for me as her own son. I watched as she spent her days taking care of her family, volunteering in church, and selling vegetables in Colombia at night. I am visiting and have become awestruck with the scale and difficulty of what her and her family have taken on. I hope that this campaign may be even a small figure of my appreciation and the support that she has from people on the other side of the world that she may never meet.
Thank you for your support
Organizer
Bennett Quintard
Organizer
Thousand Oaks, CA
