Tents: a blessing for quake-affected children in Chile
March 11, 2010
Photos and story by Heidi Isaza, World Vision U.S.
"We didn't have a tent. We were sleeping outside, under the stars. We have a mattress, but we were wet from the frost in the mornings," said Ana Maria Flores, mother of two, as she pointed to a mattress leaning against the fence outside of the home they share with her in-laws.
Ana Maria and her two children, Luis, 6, and Manuel, 4, were not camping for fun, but because their house suffered serious structural damage after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 27 in southern Chile. "[Our house] is bad. We can't live in it," she said.
'As a mother, I was desperate'
Ana Maria's house was built on stilts on uneven ground that moved out from under it, leaving the whole house leaning down the hill. "It's dangerous to be inside. We could be flattened because the aftershocks are so strong," she said.
"As a mother, I was desperate. I was praying that nothing would happen to my children, because as a mother you worry about your children," she said.
Ana Maria is not alone. Nearly 5,000 houses were destroyed or suffered structural damages that made them unusable. About 1,000 of these houses belong to sponsored children, says Lina Rodriguez, World Vision's area development manager for the area. With winter just a couple of months away, people were beginning to worry.
"The rainy season is about to start; that is our biggest concern. Where are these families going to live?" asked Lina.
'This is a blessing from God'
This week, World Vision distributed the first 300 tents, thanks to a generous donation from DFID, to the sponsored children most affected by the earthquake. "To be able to have these 300 tents will improve the critical conditions in which these children are living," Lina said.
Ana Maria was one of the first recipients of the tents. "I never expected that it would be today. Thank God it is already here and set up. I am really excited. I thought it would be a small tent, but it looks like it is immense. Our whole family will fit," she said with a smile, admiring the 12-by-12-foot tent.
"This is a blessing from God and a surprise for the kids," she added.
For Ana Maria, this is a first step in their recovery. "The most important thing is that we have somewhere to sleep now," she said. "Thank you to everyone who helped us be able to have this."
Learn more
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Three ways you can help
Please pray that World Vision's Child-Friendly Spaces in Chile will help bring a sense of normalcy, safety, and stability in the midst of an environment where they have experienced extreme trauma. Pray that the efforts of our staff members there will help begin the process of emotional healing for children in greatest need.
Donate now to World Vision's Chile Earthquake Relief Fund. Your gift will help our teams deliver assistance to quake survivors in desperate need, including emergency food, clean water, and family survival kits.
Sponsor a child in Chile. Your love and support for a child in need will provide basic essentials and help him or her be better equipped to cope with present and future disasters, like the recent quake.