Ottawa’s Colombian Community Rallies to Send Aid After Deadly Earthquake

Volunteers spent the weekend packing boxes of food, clothing, baby supplies and other essentials behind Encanto Cafe in Manotick, part of a wider mobilization by Ottawa’s Colombian community following the earthquake that struck western Colombia earlier this month.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake, which hit August 10 near San Jose del Palmar, has killed more than 280 people, injured thousands and left hundreds still missing, with more than twelve thousand homes destroyed and roughly seventy four thousand more damaged, according to Colombian disaster management officials. Encanto Cafe put out a call for donations earlier in the week, and volunteer Ricardo Henriquez said the need on the ground remains acute. There are people sleeping on the streets, sleeping on the floor, babies with no toys, no diapers, he said, adding that they need everything right now.

Juanita Botero, whose family owns the cafe, said the response from the region has been significant. We are very happy because the community in Manotick, Gatineau and Ottawa has been amazing, she said. Botero has family in some of the hardest hit areas and said the earthquake also damaged Salento, the colourful Colombian town that inspired the cafe’s name. Some small towns in our city and in other cities are very difficult to get to because they do not have roads to go there, she said, describing where the donations are headed.

With support from a Toronto based foundation, the donations packed in Manotick were expected to be flown to Colombia this week. The local effort mirrors similar fundraising drives by Colombian communities in Toronto and Edmonton, where residents have organized GoFundMe campaigns and community events to support recovery in the affected regions, which include Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, Choco and Caldas.

For Ottawa’s broader Colombian community, the past two weeks have combined anxious efforts to reach family members with the practical work of organizing donations, reflecting a pattern seen in the capital before after earthquakes and other disasters abroad affecting residents with ties to the affected countries. Organizers say the need for support is expected to continue well beyond the immediate emergency response, as affected communities move into a longer recovery and rebuilding phase.