Chile Remains An Area of Concern And Interest
By Brian McAfee
18 March, 2010
Countercurrents.org
The massive earthquake that struck Chile on February 27 continues to have a heavy impact on the nation's inhabitants. The 8.8 magnitude tremors and the subsequent tsunami have killed at least 497 people. Meanwhile, about 500 more remain missing.
Considering the numbers injured and rendered homeless from the initial event and the numerous aftershocks, Chileans will continue to need assistance for quite some time. On account, numerous countries and aid organizations have offered and are providing assorted kinds of ongoing relief.
Given the not too distant history in Chile of the Pinochet Dictatorship, the outpouring of help that originates from Cuba, Russia and Bolivia are particularly interesting. For example, Cuba flew in a team of doctors and a field hospital. Russia flew in rescue workers and humanitarian supplies. In Bolivia, president Evo Morales and his vice president Alvaro Garcia are donating half of their March salaries to earthquake victims in both Chile and Haiti.
While the actions of these Bolivian leaders are not hugely significant by themselves, they, certainly, are generous and beneficial. In relation, one can imagine the outcome were other politicians and business leaders to carry out similar gestures.
In doing so, they would be showing a degree of decency often in short supply amongst their colleagues. They would, also, set a fine example for yet others across the world!
In any event, one of the aid organizations working on behalf of the ongoing relief effort in Chile is SOS Children's Village, which has been active in that country since 1965. So it is well established and is characterized at www.childrensvillage.org.
Other ones outstanding like SOS Children’s Village are OXFAM and Red Cross, which are respectively described at www.oxfamamerica.org and www.redcross.org. This in mind, potential donors should feel free to contact any of these excellent agencies to support their efforts and should mention that funds given are specifically for Chilean earthquake relief.
Brian McAfee is an author living in Michigan. He has spent many years involved in human rights, environmental and social services efforts. He can be contacted at [email protected].
