You can donate to Habitat's recovery effort in Chile online at www.habitat.org or text “Chile” to 25383 via cell phone to make a $10 donation.

Habitat for Humanity Chile has provided more than 3,500 families with housing since 1998 and works in each of the five regions of the country. Because Chile’s location makes it so prone to earthquakes, the staff has received training in disaster mitigation and response techniques and recently began a project to respond to damage from an earthquake that occurred last year in the north of Chile. A large part of Habitat Chile’s work is helping families access government subsidies in order to construct their homes.

While details from the areas closest to the magnitude-8.8 quake in Chile remain incomplete, preliminary estimates put the number of homes destroyed or severely damaged at 500,000. Habitat Chile is a strong presence in the country and has been invited to be a part of the government’s assessment of housing needs created by the quake. The national organization (N.O.) will be doing its own preliminary assessment this week, to be followed next week with a broader assessment by a team that will include representatives of the N.O., the Latin America-Caribbean Area Office and the Disaster Response department from HFHI headquarters.