Chile Earthquake Relief Effort

Dear friends and family:

As many of you know, I am currently living and working in Chile and was here during the earthquake that rattled the country on February 27th. Last week, I helped deliver supplies to the coastal towns of Duao and Iloca, which were gravely affected by the tsunami that followed the quake. The images the world saw certainly convey the level of damage, but seeing it first-hand made the reality more powerful and difficult to witness. As we walked through the ruble to take pictures, the urge to help in some way was overwhelming. Basic supplies such and food, water, diapers, etc. have been delivered in massive quantities, so now it is time to turn to what it will take to get these communities back on their feet.
Many of you have asked how to help the people of Chile…

The artisanal fishing fleets in these towns are the lifeblood of the community as they fuel the entire economy. Everything revolves around the fishermen bringing in seafood for the restaurants and surrounding region. However, as you can see in the pictures below, the tsunami wreaked havoc on their boats, motors, and nets. Therefore, we have joined the campaign of Felipe Cubillos, a leading national sailor, who is working with groups like ours to raise funds to get the fishermen the equipment they need, allowing them to generate incomes that will help rebuild their homes and communities.

We invite you to participate in this effort to help. All the capital raised amongst several groups will be used to purchase fishing equipment and deliver it to the coastal towns. We are committed to making sure that the money raised will be used appropriately. Therefore, a committee has been created (listed below) that will manage the purchase, delivery, and distribution of this equipment.

If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please send me an email. We are asking for commitments to be made by Friday, March 19th so the committee knows its budget. I will transfer every penny you commit into the fund in Chile. To make a payment, you can use a Paypal account I have set up or mail me a check to my US address. I will email more details to those that would like to make a commitment.

Thank you for your support and please feel free to send this to others or email me with any questions/concerns.

Relief Committee:
• Financing: Rufino Melero: rmelero@adsl.tie.cl
• Purchase of motors: Gerardo Jofre: jgjofrem@manquehue.net
• Analysis of the needs of each fisherman: askaanwz@gmail.com
• Boat repair:
o Daniel Bravo: danielbravosilva@gmail.com
o Alejandro Botto: botto@telsur.cl

Much love,
Judd Rogers