This project recognizes that the damages of the earthquake in Tetela del Volcan are psychological, social, and physical, and that each one is important to address in the recovery process. For this reason, this project not only rebuilds permanent homes, but also provides post-traumatic stress workshops, reactivates local businesses, provides food and hygiene kits, and offers scholarships to students at risk of abandoning their studies due to the new financial burdens caused by the earthquake.
In Tetela del Volcan, Morelos 700 homes were damaged and 300 were total losses after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 19, 2017. In a town where 74% of the population lives in poverty and 28% in extreme poverty, the earthquake worsened the already dire situation of the families to cover their basic needs. 80% of the students at the School of Superior Studies are first-generation students, and are now at risk of abandoning their studies to start working to support their families.
This project will respond to the basic needs of families and also restore the social fabric and economic activity in the community. Permanent homes will allow families to return to normalcy and have a space to call their own again. Business reactivation will provide an steady income that allows families to move forward and feel empowered in the process. With their meals and bus tickets to school covered, students will be able to keep studying without being a financial burden on their parents.
After the last bricks are laid, families will not only have a safe house, but also the memory of a time when their community came together for the benefit of the most vulnerable. Families whose businesses are reactivated will have a steady income and provide necessary services and goods to their neighbors. At the end of the Amextra intervention, 38 young people will have been encouraged to continue their studies and will go on to work as professionals in their community.
