Chile Earthquake Relief Effort
.::UPDATE::. Chile has suffered two more earthquakes since February 27th: one on March 11th and one on March 26th. Chile needs your support now more than ever. We have extended the timeframe for collecting donations to April 30th.
My name is Barbara Gerner de Garcia and I am a professor at Gallaudet University. I am working with GRO to raise funds to help the Jorge Otte School for the Deaf in Santiago, Chile after the earthquake of February 27th. The Jorge Otte School is very special to me because it is one of only a few schools for the deaf in Chile that provides bilingual education and uses Chilean Sign Language. The director of the school, Lucia Rojas, and I have been friends for many years, and she is an alumna of Gallaudet. I was very fortunate to visit the school in 1999 and 2008.
The school is unique in many ways. All of the teachers and staff are fluent in Chilean Sign Language, and there are many Deaf adults working in the school. The school serves children regardless of the family's ability to pay and many of the students are from poor and working class families. The earthquake did some damage to the school, but fortunately, all of the classroom areas are unaffected. Some of the children couldn't be located immediately after the earthquake and it was assumed that they and their families were in the street as many of the poor neighborhoods experienced the most damage. Donations will help the school make the necessary repairs and also those children who need help after the earthquake. The Jorge Otte School is a school with a modest budget and our donations will enable them to continue educating their students without interruption.
If you are interested in making a donation, please stop by Fowler Hall, room 404A. If you have any questions, please contact barbara.gerner.de.garcia@gallaudet.edu
Click here to visit the school website
(Read the letter below to Barbara from Veronicia de la Paz following the earthquake.)
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Dear Barbara,
Thank you very much for your concern and affection. We are all fine and without personal misfortunes. We have been fortunate in relation to those living in Regions VII and VIII (these are the Regions where the cities of Talca (VII) and Concepcion (VIII) are located). In relation to our students, we have not yet managed to locate them all, we know that some lost their houses and are in the street. We are organizing ourselves to help them and to welcome them back to school. The school only had damage in the walls of the children's patio (playground), for now we are finishing up with cleaning in order to be able to receive the children as rapidly as possible. Later, we will see what we can do to repair it. We want to open the school on the 8th, since for many of our students, it is better if they are in school. I send a hug again to you and thank you very much. It is comforting to know that there are people who worry about us and send their spirit to us.
Veronica de la Paz