Appeal for support for displaced and affected families in Colombia
26 August 2026
On 10 August 2026, at 7:34 a.m., a magnitude 7.4 earthquake with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó, struck Colombia. It is the most powerful seismic event recorded in the country this century.
According to official UNGRD figures, more than 290 people have died, more than 3,900 have been injured, and more than 300 remain missing. The emergency reaches more than 440 municipalities across 15 departments, has affected more than 115,000 people, and has destroyed more than 14,000 homes. Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia remain under red alert.
YMCA Colombia verified the status of all 9 local YMCAs and activated three fronts at once: communication, mental health, and humanitarian relief.Today its teams are still on the ground in Risaralda, Quindío, and Cali.
With the funds raised, local YMCAs will scale up the supply of the priority items identified in the field: tents, blankets, mattresses, water, food, and medicines. They will also create safe spaces for children while schools remain closed, and provide the equipment needed by the volunteers leading the response. They will also recover the damaged YMCA spaces, including the YMCA Cali site that communities rely on, from which the entire response is coordinated.
And then they stay. Over the next 12 to 18 months, YMCA Risaralda, YMCA Quindío, and YMCA Cali will accompany their communities withpsychological care, socioemotional support, and the rebuilding of community ties.
Because rebuilding a house takes months, and rebuilding trust takes longer. We stay for both.
All funds raised go to the response led by the YMCAs of Colombia, shaped by them according to what they identify in their own territories.