How to help Colombia earthquake victims from Madrid

For those wishing to help from Madrid, the main recommendation is to use official channels only. The Consulate of Colombia in Madrid has circulated the Colombian Red Cross campaign and asked people to avoid private accounts or initiatives whose origin cannot be verified. Contributions can be made directly through the mechanisms enabled by the humanitarian organisation.

The Colombian Red Cross has search-and-rescue teams and healthcare staff deployed in the affected areas. A specialised team of 30 people has been mobilised towards Chocó, and personnel from Antioquia, Quindío and Caldas also remain activated. Priority needs include healthcare, water, sanitation, temporary accommodation and help for families who have been separated.

Another way to help from Madrid is through Médecins du Monde. The organisation, whose Spanish headquarters is at 15 Conde de Vilches Street, has permanent teams in Colombia and has already activated its response to the earthquake. Healthcare staff located near Quibdó are preparing a mobile clinic to bring medical care closer to communities near the epicentre, while another emergency team is ready to travel from Bogotá.

World Central Kitchen has also launched an operation in Colombia. The organisation is working with local teams and partners to provide meals to people affected in Chocó and in other areas hit by the earthquake, including Cali, Pereira and Manizales. Those in Madrid can support this response financially through the organisation’s official channels.

For the time being, the most useful option for anyone wishing to help from the Spanish capital is to give money to organisations already working on the ground instead of sending food, clothing or medicines individually. Transporting supplies from Spain requires logistics, sorting and additional costs, while financial donations make it possible to buy products near the affected areas and adapt them to the needs reported by emergency teams.

Madrid has also offered institutional assistance. The City Council has made Fire Brigade and Samur-Civil Protection personnel available to Colombia to take part in rescue and assistance operations if the Colombian authorities request their deployment. The measure adds to the international response that is beginning to be organised while the coming hours remain decisive for locating people trapped under the rubble.

The emergency is changing quickly and new collection points may also appear in Madrid over the coming days. Before handing over supplies or making a transfer, it is always advisable to check that the campaign has been circulated by the Consulate of Colombia, the Red Cross or another recognised humanitarian organisation: in the first hours after a catastrophe, false accounts and hard-to-verify requests for money also tend to proliferate.