The role of faith-based organisations in community recovery two years since the end of the 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruption (La Palma).
Written by Rosie Rice, PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge, VolcanoStories Collaborator.
A God that is ‘with us’ may seem a long way off amid volcanic crises, and yet, the work of one charity ‘Caritas’, has been an extraordinary example of working with the local community during disasters and the subsequent recovery, and a light within the darkness. In La Palma, Cáritas Diocesana de Tenerife, a charity that works throughout Catholic dioceses across the world to ‘end poverty, promote justice and restore dignity’, has helped over 3,000 people affected by the eruption by stepping in where government assistance has been felt to be insufficient. This article will explore the work of Caritas within community recovery from the 2021 eruption, and the role of the faith-based organisations within disasters, before questioning what we can learn.