SOS Pacífico

International relief effort

SOS PacíficoLet's Rebuild Our Territories Together

An emergency coalition responding to the 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Chocó and Buenaventura. With New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, RICE, the Atlanta Black Chamber, and Manos Visibles, we're funding locally led recovery in the Colombian Pacific.

Register your giftSee the territory

Takes 20 seconds — then you give on the secure Afrus page (card or PSE).

Coalition partners

  • New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
  • RICE
  • Atlanta Black Chamber
  • Manos Visibles

Give with impact

Register Your Gift

You're making an international gift to communities in the Colombian Pacific — and we want every dollar to be traceable, accountable, and tied to this coalition's campaign. That's why we ask you to register first, then give on the secure platform our partner on the ground already trusts.

Why this takes two steps — and why that matters

  • Venmo
  • Cash App
  • PayPal
  • Zelle

Giving across borders is harder than tapping a peer-to-peer app — and we won't pretend otherwise. Tax law, anti-money-laundering rules, and international transfer requirements mean a Colombian nonprofit legally cannot receive donations through Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, or Zelle. Those apps simply aren't built for cross-border charitable giving. Afrus is the licensed platform Manos Visibles uses — it's legal, it's secure, and it issues you a receipt.

On the next screen you can pay by credit or debit card. If you have a Colombian bank account, PSE (débito bancario) is also available.

Transparency · Here's the honest part: many organizations send donors straight to Manos Visibles, and once a gift goes in, there's no way to tell which campaign it came from. By registering your email here first, we can link your gift to our coalition — confirm it arrived, follow up with you, and report back on exactly where the money went. That's the transparency we promised, and it's the whole reason this page exists.

  1. 1

    Register your support

    Takes 20 seconds. This is what links your gift to our coalition's campaign — so we can track it, thank you, and report back.

  2. 2

    Give on the secure Manos Visibles page

    You'll land directly on Afrus, choose your amount, and get an emailed receipt.

Two steps, about one minute total.

Payments are processed securely by Afrus on behalf of Manos Visibles.

Secure Afrus checkoutManos Visibles · Colombia

From the territory

Voices from the ground and from our diaspora community.

Who we are

A coalition of U.S. and Colombian partners has come together to move resources quickly and transparently.

Organizations Supporting This Effort

  • New Birth Missionary Baptist Church

    Mobilizing its congregation and serving as a confirmed drop-off site.

  • The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE)

    Building donation assets and coordinating stakeholder distribution.

  • The Atlanta Black Chamber

    Mobilizing the business community.

  • Manos Visibles

    Lead partner on the ground in Colombia, deploying resources through its SOS Pacífico Reconstruction Fund.

Coordinated By

This coalition is coordinated by Sandra Mosquera, working directly with Ricardo Berrís, Ana María Bermúdez Ríos, Jeff Johnson, Napoleón Garcia Garcia, Robert Asprilla DC, and Shakiri Murrain.

The situation

On August 10, 2026, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near San José del Palmar, Chocó, with widespread damage across western Colombia, including Buenaventura.

As of the most recent reporting, at least 288 people have died, and the toll is still rising.

Chocó and Buenaventura were already among the poorest, most under-resourced regions in the country before this earthquake. Chocó had the second-highest poverty rate of any Colombian department. This disaster deepened vulnerabilities that already existed.

Emergency response in Colombia has not reached every community at the same speed. Aid reaching Quibdó does not always reach outlying communities. Local organizations who already know the land and the people are essential to closing that gap.

This is not a rescue story from one community to another. It's one part of a shared community responding to another. Chocó and Buenaventura are home to some of the largest Afro-descendant populations in the Americas, and this is a call from diaspora to diaspora.

Rebuilding here matters more than the same dollar spent elsewhere, these communities have the least capacity to recover on their own.

Donate