CADENA in Action: A Month of Global Relief
When two powerful earthquakes struck the Philippines on October 10, CADENA International mobilized immediately. As the humanitarian arm of the world’s Jewish communities, CADENA responds to disasters, crises, and emergencies worldwide, always with a community-centered approach that prioritizes delivering aid hand in hand.
Our work began twenty years ago in Mexico. What started as a grassroots mission has grown into a global organization that responds to disasters, crises, and humanitarian emergencies, always working directly with communities. Since 2005, CADENA has expanded internationally, and we now operate through 13 offices around the world. Throughout our history, we have benefited over five million people in 38 countries, both through immediate disaster response operations and long-term, resilience-building projects.
In recent weeks, an international team of seven CADENA volunteers has been working on recovery efforts in the Davao Oriental region in Phillipines, along with allied organizations such as World Jewish Relief, and in coordination with the governments of Tarragona, Manay, and Caraga. So far, they have installed water filtration systems in communities whose water sources were contaminated with E. coli and offered psychosocial support for affected children and families. In the coming days, they will continue assisting rebuilding efforts by providing tools and construction materials to accompany and strengthen community recovery processes.
Our current emergency response work does not stop there. In the wake of the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, we deployed our team to provide immediate humanitarian assistance. Right now, they are on the ground, working alongside local partners and authorities to deliver solar lamps, tools, building materials, and essential food supplies to the most affected families in Savanna-la-Mar.
Meanwhile, this past month, we have launched several humanitarian interventions across various Latin American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, addressing the effects of severe flooding caused by torrential rainfall in vulnerable communities.
Whenever disaster strikes, CADENA’s mission remains the same: to alleviate human suffering, foster resilience, and uphold Jewish communities worldwide by embodying Tikkun Olam, the responsibility to repair the world, through humanitarian action, offering hand in hand assistance to the most vulnerable people, regardless of their origin, creed, or religion.
