The earth shook. Their schools fell. Let's build them again.
It was a school-day morning in Colombia. In a few seconds, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake destroyed more than 800 schools and left hundreds of thousands of children without a classroom.
On October 17, Rotary Districts 4271 and 4060, Public Safety Global Alliance Inc. and ASOCOEX invite you to a charity bingo. Every card you buy helps rebuild a school.
Bingo night starts in
Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 7:00 p.m. Colombia time (8:00 p.m. ET) time TBC
The morning Colombia will never forget
At 7:34 in the morning on Monday, August 10, 2026, the ground beneath western Colombia began to move. The earthquake started 103 kilometers underground, near San José del Palmar, in Chocó, and measured 7.4. It was the strongest earthquake in Colombia in a decade and one of the three strongest ever recorded in the country.
People said it felt like it would never end. It was felt in 15 departments and more than 470 municipalities. Buildings collapsed in Cali and Pereira. Roads broke apart, airports closed, and whole villages in Chocó, Valle del Cauca and the Coffee Region were left cut off.
Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. More than a hundred thousand families had to leave their homes. And in many towns, the building that was supposed to be the safest place for children, their school, was left in ruins.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes near San José del Palmar, Chocó.
Buildings collapse in Cali and Pereira. Communication with rural areas is lost.
Airports and roads are closed. Rescue teams search the rubble.
289 dead, 4,187 injured and 143 missing are reported.
The government confirms 811 schools totally destroyed.
- 289lives lost
- 4,187people injured
- 26,945homes destroyed
- 811schools completely destroyed
Official figures reported in August 2026 by Colombia's Geological Survey, national authorities and the Ministry of Education.
Classrooms turned to rubble
More than 3,100 schools and campuses were damaged. 811 of them collapsed completely. Chocó, where the earthquake began, was hit hardest, with almost 800 damaged schools. Caldas had more than 400. In Cali alone, more than 200 school buildings were damaged.
Many of these are small rural schools: a few classrooms, a single teacher, children who walk for an hour to get there. For them, school is not just where they learn. It is where they eat, where they are safe and where they dream of something more.
Today, many of these children study in tents, in borrowed rooms, or not at all. Every week without a classroom makes it more likely that a child will stop going to school for good.
Six students lost their lives when their schools collapsed in Calima El Darién and Yumbo, in Valle del Cauca. This bingo is also for them.
of school buildings in Colombia do not meet the country's earthquake-resistant building code. Rebuilding is not enough. We need to rebuild safe.
A child without a school is a future on hold.
We can't undo what the earthquake took. But together we can give these children back a safe place to learn.
Why your help matters now
Education can't wait
After emergency relief, attention moves on. But schools take months to rebuild, and children can't put their childhood on pause.
The most vulnerable were hit hardest
Chocó is one of Colombia's poorest regions. Its rural communities had very little before the earthquake and even less now.
Rebuild better, not just again
Every dollar helps build classrooms that meet earthquake-resistant standards, so the next earthquake doesn't take a school.
Organizations united for Colombia
This initiative brings together organizations from Colombia and the United States that believe the best way to respond to a tragedy is to act together.
Rotary · District 4271
Part of Rotary International, a global network of people of action who have served their communities for more than a century.
Rotary · District 4060
Rotarians joining forces with District 4271 to take this help across borders.
Public Safety Global Alliance Inc.
An alliance of public safety professionals who know firsthand what it means to respond when disaster strikes.
ASOCOEX
An organization committed to Colombia and its communities, bringing this cause closer to Colombians wherever they are.
GrowJolt LLC
Designs and develops the digital platform for the bingo.
A night to play, share and rebuild
On Saturday, October 17, we'll get together to play a charity bingo. Play with family and friends, from Colombia or from the United States, knowing that every ticket helps rebuild schools.
Win or not, you've already won something: helping a child go back to a safe classroom. Buy your cards, invite your family and share this cause.
Choose your country
Select United States or Colombia below.
Buy your tickets
The first one is $25 and each additional one is only $5.
Get your cards
You'll receive your bingo cards before the event.
Play on Oct 17
Join the bingo night and play for a cause.
| Tickets | Total |
|---|---|
| 1 | $25 USD |
| 2 | $30 USD |
| 5 | $45 USD |
| 10 | $70 USD |
More cards give you more chances to win and more help for the schools.
Where are you joining from?
Choose your country to get your tickets.
Bingo night starts in
Saturday, October 17, 2026 · 7:00 p.m. Colombia time (8:00 p.m. ET) time TBC
Can't play? Share.
One message to your family group can fill a classroom. Share this page.