On Saturday, April 16th a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck coastal Ecuador. 272 individuals did not survive the natural disaster and over 2,500 people sustained injuries. The hardest-hit area was the coastal Manabi Province, where an estimated 200 people died, according to Ricardo Peñaherrera of Ecuador's national emergency management office. The cities of Manta, Portoviejo and Pedernales, a tourist destination, saw the most devastation of any other Ecuadorian region. All six coastal provinces - Guayas, Manabi, Santo Domingo, Los Rios, Esmeraldas and Galapagos - are in state of emergency.

As a Nourish Network committed to our friends and partners around the world,  our thoughts are with those individuals, families, and communities who experienced this disaster.

Over the weekend, NINO contacted all four current project partners in the country to make sure our partner communities in Ecuador were unharmed. We were relieved to hear that each of our partners - Triple Salto (Quito), Runa Foundation (Archidona), FEVI (San Antonio) and Arajuno Road Project (Puyo) - are safe. While FEVI does have a school in the Tonsupa community of Esmeralda, which was in the region affected by the earthquake, no injuries or damages have been reported to NINO thus far. We will continue to monitor the situation, specifically for those in affected regions, and keep in close contact with our Ecuadorian partners.

Ecuador

*Nourish partner locations are marked by the logo and labeled in white text*

Nourish students will be traveling to Puyo, Ecuador to collaborate with Arajuno Road Project this summer. The epicenter of the earthquake was Pedernales, approximately 271 miles (436km) from Puyo. While Puyo felt the earthquakes, as well as its aftershocks, it did not experience damage quite like coastal Ecuador. For our interns traveling abroad this summer, we encourage you to stay informed and aware of the risk of natural disasters in the region. The best way to prepare is to know what to do, where to go and who to contact in case of a crisis.

If you’d like to help communities rebuild, please visit CNN’s Impact Your World article about the earthquake. Through this link, you can donate to the Ecuador Red Cross, UNICEF, World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse to assist with relief efforts.

By: Sarah Daniels, Nourish International Program Intern