Ecuador, Myanmar, Japan, Tonga, Vanuatu, Guatemala, & the Philippines
What do these countries have in common?
All of them experienced earthquakes in a single week.
Yes, that’s right. In the span of just one week, earthquakes were felt (not just measured, but truly felt) by citizens in countries spread across the globe. Though the two earthquakes that struck Ecuador unfortunately caused the greatest devastation and loss of life, and is therefore plastered across news media outlets, Japan also dealt with the aftermath of not one, but three distinct tremors too. And although Myanmar, Tonga, Vanuatu, Guatemala, and the Philippines may not be organizing massive search and rescue missions and requesting international humanitarian support, their citizens remained shaken all the same.
This series of earthquakes, ranging from a magnitude of 6.0 to 7.8, that made their way around the Pacific Ring of Fire (though unrelated) in April 2016 sent a spark of anxiety, curiosity, fear, and anticipation around the world. With over 500 lives confirmed to have been taken by the earthquakes, hundreds missing, and thousands injured, the unknown reality of where the next one will strike has many nations on edge.
As families began to rebuild their lives and communities tried to recover from immense structural damage, the GoAbroad Foundation launched a fundraising campaign for survivors of the earthquakes. Through our connections with local organizations in many countries affected, we committed ourselves to sending financial support to survivors. 