April 16th is the anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Ecuador. In Friends in Foreign Places: An Expat Anthology, thirty-five writers, most living as expatriates all over the world, share forty-five stories about expat friendships and being friends with expats in their own countries. Read how we found friends in the most unlikely ways: buried in earthquake rubble, a heroine aboard a speeding motorbike, a high heeled clad architect with plumbing skills and many more.
Proyecto Saman – the project that all the proceeds from this anthology go to – is still very active. They have recently secured land and are about to beginning rebuilding homes for the families living at Saman. These homes will be constructed from bamboo which will provide more earthquake resistance for the future. But beyond that, Saman has focused on education and job training for the residents and they are all working very hard to change their realities both now and for the futures of their families. They still need our help.
Consider, not only treating yourself with a great read – the variety of writers and stories is a treat – but also, by your purchase, contributing to the quality of living down on the coast where so many lost everything. You’ll find the book on Amazon.
If you would like to contribute directly to Proyecto Saman, you can do so here.
May we all continue to extend the hand of friendship wherever we can.
What a great way to give back to Ecuador, writers unite! Thanks for sharing and I enjoyed your post today!
Heidi visiting from the A to Z Challenge at, Decibel Memos (Perspectives absent of sound)
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Thank you! Writers are a great bunch of peeps!
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I’m so glad to see you featured “Friends in Foreign Places” anthology for your A-Z blog entry today. This is such a beautiful writing project, bringing together Ecuadorians, immigrants to Ecuador, and friends around the world to show our support for the people working hard to recover from the devastating quake. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of the anthology go to Proyecto Saman and ongoing recovery projects. Folks, if you don’t already have a copy, please consider picking one up. It’s a bargain, a much-needed and meaningful contribution to ongoing earthquake recovery and, as a bonus, it also happens to be a good read. I love seeing Proyecto Saman’s positive updates on the progress they’ve been making on so many fronts (housing, drinking water, health, education, training community service, etc), and am continually inspired by the residents’ and volunteers’ strong spirits and smiles. Kudos to Scarlett Braden for masterminding and carrying out the Friends anthology as a way to give back to this beautiful country and community that has welcomed us. And muchas gracias to all the FFP contributors, and to the folks down at the coast with feet on the ground.
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Thank you Sandra, for all that you do and for this great addition to my post.
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Thanks for sharing Joss.
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It is wonderful that so many came together to help the earthquake recovery and rebuilding. Projects like this book can allow people anywhere to help. Thank you for sharing!
Emily | AtoZ | My Life In Ecuador
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