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The Xochimilco neighborhood in Mexico City was one of the most affected by last year’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake . A year has passed since the natural disaster struck the capital and some streets still show bumps, cracks, and other signs of damage.
Ana Brenda Contreras
knew that many people in the area needed help. “Back in those days, many people had my number and we were able to send help to many locations, though we had some trouble getting all the way there,” told the actress.
But help came and was used instantly. The star of Mexican soap operas such as “Corazón indomable” (Indomitable Heart) bought all sorts of supplies: Tools, medicine, food, and water. She documented her aid in her social networks and, in an act of transparency, she opened an account called “ Ayuda México Ana Brenda ” on Instagram.
On her account, she showed people receiving the supplies in several places. One of these places was a school in the San Luis Tlaxialtemalco village in Xochimilco. The pictures showed a raised floor structure and debris in the middle of a classroom. Ana Brenda does not recall the name of the “little school,” but she accounted for the use of construction materials and other donations through the photograph.
However, a year after the incident, not a single school has acknowledged to appear in the photos. Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education informed that not a single of their public school buildings in the area reported damages following the telluric movement. During a tour through the education institutions, no one was able to identify the photos that appeared in the Instagram profile, no one recalls the raised floor structure, debris, or new material arriving in sealed boxes.
Ana Brenda Contreras was one of the first celebrities to react following the earthquake. The actress requested for help through social media and later gathered 173,000 dollars worth of donations through a website called Gofundme .
However, the actress’ call for help was answered immediately. “Most of the supplies were for first-hand needs. The rest was donated for the reconstruction. We were able to rebuild three houses in Oaxaca, in Unión Hidalgo, near Juchitlán . We sent the rest to LoveArmy . I haven’t had the time to go and deliver one of these personally, but I hope to do it soon,” said the actress.
Internet celebrity Juanpa Zurita
explained why the houses had taken so long to be delivered to the victims. He and his team were obliged to deliver houses made just the way the families had demanded. “This is not only a matter of reconstruction of houses, we also need to reconstruct the social tissue. Through this project, we have gone beyond housing projects and we have received a lot of support from the community, even though this is a very ambitious project. We want to provide decent houses for these people; someplace where they can be happy for the rest of their lives and not just a temporary shelter they can use for a few months,” he expressed.
Other celebrities decided to undertake reconstruction and humanitarian works. Ana de la Reguera, Olga Segura, Karla Souza, and Kate del Castillo have promoted the Los Ángeles en México association, funded mainly in the United States through the sale of t-shirts. Ana commented that they had managed to raise 81,000 dollars (nearly 1,700,000 pesos) , which has already been used to build five houses and will be used to build another 13 in the near future.
The Mexican TV show “Mira quién baila” (Look Who’s Dancing) will also give 14 houses to the victims of last September’s earthquakes as part of the humanitarian movement, with donations from the Televisa and Hábitat foundations .
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