Two weeks after a devastating earthquake struck western Colombia, a couple who have spent 14 years supporting children in one of Buenaventura’s most vulnerable communities are now opening their doors to families who have lost their homes – while trying to help children cope with the trauma.
José Fernando and his wife María Teresa run Fundación Nueva Vida, through which they have spent more than a decade supporting children with food, health checks, and education. Since the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, their community center has become an emergency hub, providing meals and distributing food, mattresses, sheets, and other essentials to families whose homes have been destroyed or damaged. José says the earthquake is also having a profound impact on children’s ability to learn and feel safe:
“The children are finding it hard to concentrate due to the situation.”
Staff and tutors have been visiting children and their families regularly, while the organization continues to provide food and other support. Around 135 children supported by Fundación Nueva Vida are estimated to have had their homes completely destroyed, although the organization does not yet have comprehensive figures for the wider community. One child from the program was seriously injured when a wall fell on her and is now recovering.
For José and María Teresa, the response is an extension of the work they have been doing with children for years. Their program began around 14 years ago, when many of the children were just three, four, or five years old. Some have since finished secondary school, gone to university or entered vocational training. The organization’s original aim was to help children avoid being drawn into violence in an area that had previously experienced high levels of conflict. They dedicated Fundación Nueva Vida to combating generational poverty and youth vulnerability in Buenaventura’s most underserved neighborhoods. Through long-term community development, their core programs provided children with after-school tutoring, safe spaces away from street violence, and mentorship to guide teenagers toward higher education and vocational careers.
Jose said:
“The objective we had from the beginning was exactly that, making sure children were not going to be part of the groups that are causing violence in the city. This was one of the most violent areas of the city before, and it is one of the quietest, safest areas nowadays, so I think we have achieved something.”
Now, the couple is using the trust they have built over the years to identify families most in need. María Teresa keeps a list of families whose homes have been destroyed or badly damaged. They call people directly and ask them to come to the center to collect whatever assistance is available, prioritizing those who have lost their homes completely. José said:
“We don’t leave because a lot of people arrived here, because there is a lot of need. So we want them to be the priority.”
The earthquake has left many families staying with relatives, while others remain in severely damaged homes. For those from ActionAid who have lost everything, rebuilding is the top priority. José continued:
“What they all mostly say they need is to rebuild their houses.”
A community member told him she had received food and other basic supplies but needed materials to rebuild her home. She told Jose:
“I have food, I have a few things I have received, but I need to rebuild my house.”
The need is becoming increasingly urgent as the weeks pass. José described visiting one small house where 10 family members were living together with almost nothing. José said:
“I think, oh God, how long can these people live like this? If this is not solved quickly, this could have serious consequences.”
The earthquake has also compounded longstanding challenges in Buenaventura, where communities have faced poverty, conflict, unreliable access to water, and underinvestment in infrastructure for decades. José says that even before the earthquake, water shortages meant some families could go several days without a reliable supply. In the past two weeks, unusually high sea levels have also flooded streets and carried rubble from destroyed homes out to sea, adding to residents’ fears.
A spokesperson from ActionAid,who has spent five days in Buenaventura meeting affected families, said the psychological impact on children has been particularly striking.
“One of the most common things we’ve been hearing is that people, especially children, are really traumatized by what has happened. They’re not able to sleep, their mental health is suffering, and children keep asking their parents about what if there’s another earthquake and their house falls down.”
The trauma is particularly significant because many communities were already living with the effects of violence and displacement. She explained:
“This is on top of the fact that a lot of these communities have already experienced a lot of violence and conflict between armed groups; many people have been displaced by violence.”
ActionAid is supporting local organizations to provide psychosocial support, food, and essential supplies. In San Isidro, a remote community three to four hours from Buenaventura, through rainforest and areas controlled by armed groups, residents told ActionAid the team’s visit was the first external assistance they had received since the earthquake nearly two weeks earlier. The community’s school has also been damaged, leaving children without a place to attend classes.
An ActionAid spokesperson said:
“It’s really vital that rural communities get the support they need and aren’t left behind in the response to the earthquake.”
ActionAid is working with local organizations that have a longstanding presence in the affected communities and are responding to both immediate and longer-term needs. Current response activities include health support through Barco Hospital San Raffaele, a Colombian health organization providing healthcare and community health support to communities along the Pacific coast, and the distribution of essential items, personal care kits, and shelter supplies through civil society organizations EMAÚS Buenaventura, Fundación Huellas que Transforman (Footprints that Transform), and Fundación Vida (Life Foundation).
ActionAid is also supporting organizations including Fundación Nueva Vida, whose deep roots and longstanding relationships in communities are helping to identify families most in need and provide food, essential supplies, and support to children affected by the earthquake. Other local partners of ActionAid Colombia continue to conduct assessments as the response develops, including in harder-to-reach communities where assistance has arrived more slowly.
For José and María Teresa, the priority remains the children they have supported for years – and the wider community that now depends on them. Jose said:
“We have tried to stay close to them during this time.”
As Buenaventura navigates the long road to recovery, the presence of leaders like José and María Teresa offers a beacon of stability to the community they know and whose culture they understand. By expanding its mission from youth mentorship to vital community survival, with support, Fundación Nueva Vida is working to ensure that the neighborhood’s future and its children are not lost to the ruins.
Ends
Spokespeople are available for interviews. For media requests, please email christal.james@actionaid.org or call 7046659743.
Notes to editors
- The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia at 7:34am local time on 10 August 2026, with its epicenter near San José del Palmar in Chocó.
- Fundación Nueva Vida has worked with children in the community for approximately 14 years, providing food, health checks, and educational support.
- The organization estimates that around 135 children in its program have had their homes completely destroyed. This is not a comprehensive figure for all children or households affected in the wider community.
- One child from the program was seriously injured when a wall fell on her and is recovering.
- The organization has opened its dining hall to the wider community, providing breakfast and lunch and distributing food, mattresses, sheets, and other assistance.
- The most urgent needs identified by Fundación Nueva Vida include construction materials, food, mattresses, bed sheets, and mosquito nets, as well as psychological support.
- Many families are staying with relatives, while some remain in severely damaged homes.
- Video interview with José Fernando is available on request – includes time-coded English transcript
- More photos, audio, and videos of the earthquake are available on request
About ActionAid
ActionAid is an international network building a just, equitable, and sustainable world in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of poverty and injustice. ActionAid USA is the U.S. member of the ActionAid federation, based in Washington, D.C.