Yolotli

A year ago Mexico City experienced one of the saddest and most scary moments in its history.  A new catastrophe shook the city exactly 32 years after the earthquake of 1985. Statistically the material losses and the number of people affected in 2017 are the highest ever recorded in the country. The response of the mexican citizens was immediate, people left aside the ideas that divide them (economic statute, social class, educational level) and without fear or time to spare they set out to rescue those who layed under the rubble, to organize brigades, to spread relevant information , to collect supplies and distribute them. Such response was working on social media under #Fuerzamexico. Whenever there is an emergency, all the states of the Mexican Republic come together under one common mission: to support each other. A year after the earthquake, thousands of people remain homeless and still need the strength, the beating hearts of all those who have the fortune to have a roof and a bed to sleep in every night. These people are struggling to build their lives again and they don’t deserve to be forgotten. The Federal Government stated that it is the responsibility of the Local governments to support these homeless victims in their territories. In reality a lot of funds were not delivered to the people who need it the most and one year later, with the actual administration coming to an end, both the Federal and Local governments are closing the chapter leaving the people behind.

How can you really help?

There are a couple of civil associations that are still working to rebuild homes in the most affected and poorest communities that were devastated by the earthquake, these communities are located mainly in the states of Morelos and Puebla surrounding the volcanoes. VIEM Association was formed by young mexican students after September 19th. They are currently building eco-homes made from PET in the communities. To support this association and its great work you can donate in PET in the collection centers of Mexico City or donate your time and talent as a volunteer, or donate money through its website: https://viemmx.org AMAUNI, A.C. is another civil initiative that with 14 years of experience developed a project called “Direct support to towns of the volcanoes”, in this project they committed to get funding, architectonical projects for the houses that are both sustainable and take into consideration the needs and the cultural heritage of these communities and to get professional supervision and direction for the actual construction of the homes. To learn all about this project and to support it you can visit their website: https://amauni.org/reconstruccioacuten-19s.html Let us not forget the feeling we experience when we learn about natural disasters worldwide, there are schools, buildings, hospitals and houses collapsing in seconds, not to mention all the people whose lives are destroyed. For Mexico to progress we just need to get out of our individualistic bubble and clean up the rubble. With your help we can. #Fuerzamexico -Cristina GS