the nation, Ecuador was hit by a colossal earthquake of magnitude 7.8. The severity of the disaster reverberated throughout the entire country, leaving at least 500 dead and 27,500 injured. Moved by the plight of Ecuadorians, T.B. Joshua - Founder of Emmanuel TV - sent a relief team to Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador and dispatched a Boeing 727 Cargo Plane, which contained 20 tons of relief hygiene materials, perishable, and non-perishable food stuff.
Upon arrival, the relief and aid supplies were received by representatives of the Minister of Defense on behalf of the people of Ecuador. The Armed Forces of Ecuador loaded the aid into army trucks and transported to the Emmanuel TV Operations Center, situated close to Esmeraldas City. The supplies were offloaded, repackaged, and distributed to various shelter camps in the Esmeraldas Province.
The Emmanuel TV Team also extended its relief efforts to a remote village, Chachi de San Salvador, which had also been gravely affected by the quake in the areas of access to clean water and the destruction of its local school. In response to this particular community's needs, the Team supplied the community with equipment that converts river and unclean water into potable water. The Team is also undergoing a school construction project - at a cost ofUS$262,000 - to rebuild the entire school complex that was destroyed. The reconstructed school will provide learning facilities for 350 students.
The people of Ecuador, as well as its Government, continue to express their gratitude for the Emmanuel TV Ecuador Relief efforts. A grateful beneficiary, from the Chachi community, said: "This is the first aid we have received from another country". The relief efforts have aided over 5,000 Ecuadorians, totaling over half a million US Dollars.