00:00Repair work carried out on the Great Mission Venezuela Rises aims to restore the residential
00:06areas most affected by the double earthquakes.
00:08In San Bernardino, Caracas, some of these projects have now been underway for 12 days and have
00:14allowed residents to begin moving back into their homes.
00:17Belén de los Santos brings us a story.
00:21San Bernardino has been one of the areas of Caracas hardest hit by the June 24th double
00:26earthquake.
00:27Sandra and Edgar have been married for 33 years and have lived in the Corazon de Jesus
00:32building for more than 35.
00:34Today they are sleeping in the apartment again, following the repairs carried out as part of
00:40the Venezuela Rises Again project.
00:43Coming back here, on the one hand, we're happy because, thank God, although the building was
00:49damaged on the ground floor, the structure and the columns were not damaged, thank God.
00:54But it's a mix of joy and sadness.
00:57Why?
00:57Because, you know, this had to happen.
00:59It's a very ironic mix of feelings right now.
01:03From the very first moment of the tragedy, the entire community mobilized.
01:07The collapse of two buildings in the area brought everyone together to help.
01:12The first thing was to get out, to open the doors so we wouldn't be trapped inside.
01:16The response from the neighbor across the street, from everyone, was to try to help those in
01:21the collapsed building.
01:23Food, medicine, everyone contributed whatever they had.
01:27Take all of that.
01:28We won't be needing it.
01:30Days later, repair work begun.
01:32Today, the building has a new look, and its residents are living there once again, aware
01:37of the collective effort that has made this process possible.
01:42Every day, I feel calmer because I see there's a lot of solidarity, both from the neighbors
01:49and from the people working here.
01:52And I feel safe.
01:54Now I feel much calmer.
01:55I feel good because I know we're going to have our building back.
01:58You already took pictures of it, right?
02:01The work turned out beautifully, and we're very grateful.
02:04For the neighbors, Venezuela Rises again represents a second chance and a renewed commitment to
02:10their community.
02:11So, I believe we have a new rebirth, just like the idea behind these repairs.
02:18The purpose of this work is to be better people, to help more, to contribute more.
02:24We're trying to get back to normal and to overcome the emotional side of this, because
02:30those traces of what happened are still there.
02:34But we move forward.
02:36We keep going.
02:37That's it.
02:41On camera, Marcos Da Silva, Belen de los Santos, for Telesur English, from Caracas, Venezuela.
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