Imagine more than 13,000 kilometres of ocean and land exists between where you live and where you’re from.
Wonder what it would feel like to hear of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 that tore through entire cities in your home country.
Photographs show piles of rubble scattered where houses once stood.
News outlets feed you updates of rising death tolls.
What would you do?
Six months on from the earthquake that shook Ecuador to its core and Latrobe Valley mother Viviana Rodriguez refuses to stop helping.
“There are so many stories,” Ms Rodriguez said.
“And in my heart, I want to help just one family, because I know we cannot do more than that, but at least to impact just one family.”
Ms Rodriguez is sending her two sons, aged 13 and 17, to visit their home country and support families rocked by the natural disaster.
Before they leave, Ms Rodriguez is hoping to raise as much money as possible in the Valley, which her boys can take to the country to help.
“One of my things I was thinking, and I hope to God we can have that opportunity, is just for example to give someone… a tool,” Ms Rodriguez said.
“It’s just an idea; if someone loses everything and she used to sew or something like that, to buy something that she can use again instead of giving them money, because at the end it’s money or food, but I want to give a tool so the people can do something to help again.
“That part in our country is really poor where the earthquake happened, the people don’t have anything, but they can have a tool they can start to use.”
Ms Rodriguez has organised six hours of fundraising activities in Traralgon, including a car boot sale, face painting, a cartoonist and plenty of food.
She is inviting the broader community to either sell goods on the day or go along and take part in what’s on offer.
The event will take place at Now Church Traralgon on Saturday, 5 November with all proceeds raised to go directly to families in Ecuador.
Once Ms Rodriguez’s sons arrive in Ecuador during the summer school holidays, a pastor will take them to Pedernales, one of the areas
devastated by the earthquake.
Her sons haven’t returned to Ecuador for about nine years, and Ms Rodriguez hopes they learn “so many things” about their home country, including compassion.
“What I always say to them is you’re in a very lucky, blessed country,” Ms Rodriguez said.
“What you’re going to see right now is just a different country that I had before.
“It’s not only the poverty or the style of life over there, but to see what happened, to be very close to the people who have (lost everything).
“We’re here, you know, when you hear the news you feel sorry, but it’s not the same when you feel the pain of the people… of course they’re (my boys are) going to learn a lot.”
What: Ecuador earthquake relief fundraiser
Featuring:
– Car boot sale, $10 per vehicle
– South American and Spanish cooking demonstrations with food for sale
– Face painting, $5 per face
– Photos with the Bagley Bears
– Cartoonist
When: Saturday, 5 November from 10am until 4pm
Where: Now Church Traralgon, 80 Henry Street
Contact: Phone Viviana Rodriguez on 0423 169 825 for more information
