On Saturday 16th April, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake ripped through Ecuador causing incalculable devastation. Over the next few days, I will be publishing personal accounts of the event contributed by friends in the Guayaquil community. You can help to alleviate the suffering of the Ecuadorian people by sharing their stories and donating to the rescue efforts.
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Jessica Párraga, 31
(Flor de Bastión, Guayaquil)
It makes me so sad to see how the places where my family lived are destroyed. It hurts to see our Ecuadorian brothers and sisters injured, dead, homeless, starving. It’s horrible. I only ask God to help us move forward … And above all, I ask the living to help those who need it.
What I want to say to the world is, firstly, that we need help, please. We’re only a small country, and maybe you didn’t even know we existed, but we need everyone’s help now.
We’re united as a country. We’re all working together as one in order to help our beloved Ecuador move forward. I’m proud to be Ecuadorian and to see how people have been offering their help to the needy. I know that together we’ll pull through.
Ecuador is one heart. Thank you so much to everyone who is helping us.
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Jessica’s words above were translated from the original Spanish:
Me da mucha tristeza ver esos lugares en los cuales tengo familia destruido, pena de ver a nuestros hermanos ecuatorianos heridos, muertos, sin un hogar, sin alimentacion. Es terrible. Solo pido a Dios que nos ayude a seguir adelante … y sobre todo, a los que seguimos aqui con vida, ayudar a los que nos necesitan.
Lo que puedo decirle al mundo es primero, necesitamos ayuda, por favor, que somos un pais pequeño, que a lo mejor ni sabian que existimos, pero que necesitamos de todos.
Somos un pais unido. Estamos trabajando juntos en un solo puño para sacar a nuestro querido Ecuador adelante. Estoy orgullosa de ser ecuatoriana y de ver como la gente brinda su ayuda a los que necesitan. Sé que juntos vamos a salir adelante.
Ecuador es un solo corazon. Mil gracias a todos los que nos estan ayundo.
260° West 