Lanzarote creates 'Canary Islands Embrace Colombia Today' to send aid to those affected by the earthquake

Citizens, professionals, businessmen and institutional representatives have constituted in Lanzarote the working group Canarias Abraza Hoy a Colombia, an initiative created to organize and coordinate the solidarity response with the populations affected by the earthquake that struck Colombia on August 10.

The magnitude of the emergency reaches 450 municipalities in 15 departments. According to the latest report from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), communicated by the Presidency of Colombia, the earthquake has left 289 people dead, more than 4,100 injured and 143 missing, while more than 120,000 families have been registered as affected. 

Material damage extends to more than 26,000 destroyed homes and 127,000 damaged ones. The official report also registers damage to 285 health centers and more than 2,800 educational establishments, as well as to hundreds of roads, bridges and essential infrastructure.

Liliana Bohórquez, head of the Asociación Acciones Unidas, thanked "the expressions of solidarity, affection and closeness that we have received from the citizens of Lanzarote, La Graciosa and the whole of the Canary Islands". "Now we need all that willingness to help to be translated into an organized response that addresses the real needs of the affected communities," she pointed out.

The first session of the working group, held this Tuesday, August 18, at the Municipal Archive of Arrecife, agreed to start by identifying and prioritizing existing needs. Its members will gather information on the affected areas and communities, possible social, educational or community projects, and reliable entities and interlocutors in Colombia.

The meeting was attended by Maite Corujo, councilor for Social Welfare of the Arrecife City Council, and Abigail González Guillén, head of Culture and Education. Institutional support also extends to Echedey Eugenio, deputy mayor of Arrecife, and Oswaldo Betancort, president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, who, despite not being able to attend this first meeting due to agenda commitments, sent their support for the initiative and their willingness to collaborate with the work carried out by the working group.

Corujo and González jointly expressed their solidarity with the victims, their families, and the affected communities, as well as their support for the Colombian population residing in Arrecife and throughout Lanzarote. Both councilwomen supported the creation of this coordination space and the actions that may be promoted to respond to the identified needs.

Entrepreneurs, professionals, representatives from different fields, and citizens participated in this first call, including people of Lanzarote, Colombian, Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Salvadoran origin.

The table agreed that any action must start from a previously identified need, have a verifiable destination, and have monitoring mechanisms. For this reason, public economic appeals will not be made until the fundraising channel and guarantees for knowing the destination of the aid are jointly established.

The group will now work on an initial diagnosis and an order of needs in Colombia that will serve as a basis for defining its action plan. It will also develop a Code of Ethics and Good Practices, establish its organizational structure, and develop a system of transparency, monitoring, and accountability.

Although the table is born as a response to the earthquake, its members agreed to maintain this space beyond the current emergency to facilitate coordination for future needs, social initiatives, or collective actions.