Going home to help
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on May 4, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/PHYLLIS MOORE
From left, Andrea Freile looks at a scrapbook of photos taken when she was growing up in Ecuador with her father, Jaime Freile, and 12-year-old daughter, Isabella Sardina.
Andrea Freile has fond memories of growing up in Ecuador.
"Childhood in Ecuador is a happy childhood," she said. "You've got the Andes Mountains surrounding you. Not far away you've got the beautiful coast, the tropical rain forest. You can go on field trips to the Galapagos Islands.
"Growing up (there), for me it was just happiness, paradise."
Her grandparents still live there, in the central part of the country.
"We're from a little town, Quito, in the middle of the world," says her father, Jaime Freile.
Literally.
"Scientists have measured," he said with a smile.
"Latitude is 000," Andrea explained.
It's closer to Goldsboro than people may think, she said -- a few hours by plane, with tickets a fraction of what it could cost to fly across the U.S.
In many respects, the small country in northwestern South America is not unlike Wayne County, where the family has made its home since 2005. They had first moved to America in 1995, when Andrea was 16. They lived near Orlando, Florida, for 10 years before relocating when Andrea's then-husband was stationed here with the Air Force.
"We kind of fell in love with this area," she said. "Although it's not Ecuador, it's close in that there's a sense of community. We don't feel alone here."
The move was not without some adjustments, though. Her father, who owned his own business in Ecuador, now drives a truck.
The language barrier and other obstacles were trade-offs Freile made for his family.
"Ninety-five percent come to America for the American dream," he said. "I don't. I come for education for my daughters."
"You don't just leave. Papi didn't just leave the country," explained Andrea, a communications instructor at Wayne Community College. "He left guitars and music.
"Our country may be third world but it's a happy country. There's not as much stress as there is here."
That all changed April 16, when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador, around 100 miles west of Quito. Ripples of the devastation sent shockwaves all the way to Goldsboro.
"My country bleeds," Andrea said, the emotion still fresh all these weeks later.
She has followed news reports avidly, rattling off statistics of the earthquake that has left 655 dead, 29,000 homeless and 15,000 children either orphaned or missing a parent.
She says she can't simply sit idly by and watch such suffering without taking action.
"I'm flying to Florida as soon as the semester ends to help Ecuadorian brothers and sisters organize efforts to help Ecuador," she said.
But first, she says, she hopes to increase community awareness about the plight.
In a climate where the news about singer Prince's death consumes news reports, the earthquake in Ecuador, and a subsequent one in Japan, have gotten eclipsed. Many have expressed concern about the situation, yet just as many have been confused about the location.
Isabella Sardina, Ms. Freile's 12-year-old daughter, saw this firsthand when she told classmates she was being interviewed for a story about the situation.
"They asked, 'What's going on in Ecuador?' They didn't know," she said.
Andrea said she is trying to do her part to educate and generate support.
"We're all getting together in Florida to continue to help the efforts. The very next day after graduation (at WCC) I'm flying to Miami," she said. "The United Nations is putting together a spectacular concert of Latino singers.
"That's the first official 'Let's Help Ecuador' movement so we're flying in every direction."
She said she is "part of the chain," the core group working to bring awareness as well as donations to those suffering in her homeland.
"We're just kind of a large network of friends here and in Ecuador," she said. "For example, every financial donation I have received, I'll purchase from items on Amazon and I mail it directly to Florida.
"I'm going to go to the concert but will also be spending time helping the donation center, will help in whatever aspect they need me."
This past week has been consumed with talking -- to the American Red Cross, to organizers and performers in the May 11 concert.
"I'm overwhelmed by how many other artists are in it, musicians from all genres," Andrea said. "The biggest name, Franco de Vita, is from Venezuela, a most beloved artist. My dad's favorite artist and my favorite artist, Ricardo Perotti, he's from Ecuador.
"There will be salsa singers, very well-known bands, they keep adding. And you don't put together a concert of this magnitude but it's come together."
The hope is that churches and organizations, as well as individuals, that are constantly looking for places to invest their time and effort, will respond to the needs in Ecuador.
"Whether it's to make hygiene kits for the babies, to donate food for the children or get flip flops for the people that need them -- 29,000 people don't have homes, they're looking for the basic necessities," she said. "We need people to fly down to Ecuador. Nineteen thousand people who are injured, they need help. There are 54 people that are not accounted for yet."
Isabella, a seventh-grader at Wayne School of Engineering, says she would like to volunteer.
"I wish I was able to be one of those people. I'm just 12 and going to school," she said. "I wish I was there right now and (believe) more people can make a difference for those children and those families."
The work is just beginning, but Andrea and her father are confident in the strength and the spirit of their comrades in Ecuador.
"We'll recover from this but it will take decades," Andrea said.
"Ecuador is a small country in South America but we've got a big heart," Freile says.
For more information on how and where to make donations, visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-help-ecuador-earthquake_us_5714fe94e4b0060ccda3ba99