Staff writer Michelle de Carion reports from La Paz, Bolivia.

I heard the sound of pounding hammers as I walked down into the shelter community in El Alto. A few men were making repairs on a roof while laughing children ran through the narrow spaces between the small wooden homes.

Samaritan’s Purse provided the funds to build 25 shelters here for families who lost homes during the landslide that devastated their community on February 27. Over 500 houses were destroyed, and thousands of people became displaced. We were able to build the shelters on a large playground nearby by partnering with the local municipality.

I was with photographer Paul Sherar, Deputy Country Director Gwen Snyder, and our driver, Adolfo. To our right, three women washed clothes over a long sink near the bathrooms. When we walked up, a young girl with long black hair ran away as Gwen asked if Paul could take photos.

The people who live in the highlands of Bolivia tend to be more reserved and shy because of the influence of the Aymara—stoic South American Indians who mainly live in the Altiplano.

Almost all of the men were gone either working or at a community meeting in town, but we were still able to meet with a family living in one of the shelters.

We stepped inside and saw three women and a 10-month-old baby. Stacks of clothing, bags, and other personal items like hats and shoes filled the corners. There were scraps of food on the floor—old bananas and pieces of beans. A small stove sat near the door providing a little kitchen area for cooking.




The oldest woman, Jana Jalanoka, was squatting off to the right-hand side of the room. When Gwen tried to talk to her, we found out she is Aymara. For the first time in my life, I needed two translators to do an interview.

Fortunately, Adolfo speaks Aymara and could translate her words into Spanish for Gwen, who then translated into English. Jana told us about the day the landslide destroyed her home.

Jana woke up at 5 a.m., just like any other day. She was sitting with her family having breakfast when the house suddenly slid down the mountain at 7:30.

“We had no warning,” she said. “We all ran out of the house, but we got separated. I was scared to death because I could not find my children or grandchildren.”

After an hour of searching, she was relieved to find her two daughters, Maggie and Susana, her son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. Jana then went down to the bottom of the hill and reached into the remains of her house to gather any remaining belongings.

For the next two and half months, all eight members of their family lived in a small tent. In March, the temperature dropped drastically, and they were freezing cold at night.

“It was a very uncomfortable situation,” Jana remembers. “We were hoping we could move into a house.”

On May 21, after Samaritan’s Purse volunteers built the shelters, Jana and her family moved into a transitional home.

“We were filled with complete joy when we heard we could move into a shelter,” she said.

Now Jana is living with Maggie, Susana, and baby Pricilla while her son and his family lives next door.

“Before we had no walls, no floors, and no roof,” Jana said. “I felt scared to leave my tent because I was worried people would steal my things. Now I have a lock on my door and more space to live in. Life is much better now.”

I continued to ask Jana how she is feeling now about the situation. As she answered, she burst into tears and covered her face with her weathered hands.

“At the beginning I cried and cried. I finally stopped crying, but I still can’t believe I lost everything. It is hard to believe this is my life now.”

It was incredibly hard for Jana to not only let us, foreign strangers, into her shelter, but even more difficult for her to talk about all of the pain she experienced from the disaster. I asked if we could pray for her.




Gwen and Adolfo led the prayers. Gwen asked God for blessing and protection on her family and encouraged her that God holds every tear she cries in His hands because He understands her deepest pain.

“I was absolutely shocked,” Gwen said later. “I have never seen an Aymara cry. These women are stoic. They never show emotion.”

Before we left, Paul took a few last shots of them in front of their shelter. Maggie and Susana gave us some big smiles right away, but Jana was more reluctant.

She picked up little Pricilla, and for a brief second, I saw her crack a wide grin.

Her tears were gone.

Samaritan's Purse , Bolivia , Wiping Away the Tears

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