6:58 pm, April 16, 2016. The “ring of fire”, a 25,000 mile-long hot bed of seismic activity, generated a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the coastal region of Muisne in Ecuador, immediately killing hundreds of people and injuring thousands more. Countless people were stranded in the rubble, devastated and hopeless. Private individuals and aid agencies alike began rescue and relief efforts days after the earthquake. For the local citizens, charity began immediately. For the citizens abroad, they had to scramble for what they could and send help back home. The latter contingent mobilized pop-up fundraising ventures to raise funds in order to help as many people as they could back home. This was the case for the Ecuadorian students Rigoberto Carvallo and Andrea Cevallo in the Latin American and Caribbean Forum at KDI School.
 With the help of the Latin American and Caribbean Forum, a South American Forum at KDI School with a membership of over 20 students, Rigoberto and Andrea quickly embarked on fundraising campaigns. The Forum employed both on and offline means to raise funds, first using donations boxes on campus and posting bank account information for donations on bulletin boards. Thanks to these efforts, they were able to raise roughly KRW 900,000.

Soon after, Facebook became the face of the Forum’s online efforts while the flea market became another great place to carry out some face-to-face fundraising activities. In recognition of the Latin & Caribbean Forum’s humanitarian objectives, the Sejong City Government and Sing-Sing market which hosted the flea market event agreed to waive any participation fees for the Forum and helped members promote their campaign. At the end of the day, the Forum was able to raise about KRW 480,000 which was donated to the Ecuadorian Embassy in Seoul.
In the true sense of unity and community, the Latin and Caribbean community at KDI School, with help from students from non-Latin/Caribbean countries, prepared desserts and sold traditional souvenirs to help raise funds for the earthquake victims. According to the facilitators, the most memorable aspect of the event was the sense of community and how students from over 70 different countries were able to come together to help a country in crisis. “This is an example of a good of family, community and friendship in its true form,” and “a friendship that stretches beyond borders” they recounted.
With the positive feedback and coordination received, the Forum indicates that it is always willing to continue its fund-raising efforts to provide relief for not only Ecuadorian earthquake victims, but also other areas around the world hit by natural disasters. Through the joining of hands from different continents to help the victims of a country in crisis, one realizes working together leads to success and that is the beauty of KDI School.

By Chiindi CHIPUTA (2015 MDP, Zambia)