South America
Chile – Providing Access To Clean Water Amidst The Flames
Over the last 3 weeks a devastating series of wildfires have struck Chile, with over 430,000 hectares of land aflame, causing a national emergency to be declared. This occurred during the country’s biggest drought for over a thousand years and as a part of a significant heatwave with temperatures exceeding 100f. More than 400 individual wildfires have occurred, with a massive impact on wildlife, national parks, and regional habitats with long-term effects on biodiversity for the region.
The local population has been irreversibly impacted. Entire communities have been evacuated, crop harvests have been decimated, thousands of homes have been destroyed and there have been 24 deaths so far.
As thousands of firefighters continue to battle against the fires to try and contain the fires, non-profits such as Malteser International act to support those in need in defiance against this devastation.
The national Association of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Chile is helping in the region of La Araucanía, in a rural area called Ercilla. Local government supports the region by bringing water in trucks to distribute to people’s water tanks, however many of them have been destroyed due to the recent fires, putting many in a precarious position with limited access to water.
To assist the recovery of the region and their long-term access to water, we are supporting a campaign to buy water tanks for a family of 6 ($505 each) and a new water delivery truck ($57,000) that will support 200 families with access to clean water.
MI Americas supports the purchase of 20 water tanks for families in the region with $10,100 in assistance. If you’d like to support this campaign, you can do so here. Thank you for your continued support!
