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Please share this post and help make a difference for this affected by the Earthquake in Colombia. For additional information, visit: GEM.org
GEM Team Member, Spencer Taylor, @spencervybes reporting live from Pereira, Colombia, on @cnn as our teams continue assessing the impact of the devastating earthquake.
#GEM is now mobilizing for large-scale humanitarian aid distributions across earthquake-affected communities throughout #Colombia, delivering critical supplies and support directly to families in need. To learn more visit www.GEM.org
🇨🇴 COLOMBIA EARTHQUAKE | GEM RESPONSE
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, causing significant damage to buildings and infrastructure across the region, with injuries reported as authorities continue to assess the full extent of the impact.
Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) has already deployed ground teams en route to affected communities to assess immediate needs, coordinate with local partners and authorities, and determine where critical humanitarian assistance is needed most.
The earthquake was centered near San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó region, approximately 250 miles west of Bogotá. A 5.0 magnitude aftershock followed less than an hour later.
The force of the earthquake was felt across a wide area, prompting evacuations as far away as Bogotá. Strong shaking was also reported along Colombia’s Caribbean coast in Barranquilla and across the border in neighboring Ecuador.
As aftershocks continue and the full scale of the damage becomes clearer, GEM teams are mobilizing to support impacted individuals and families.
We will continue to provide updates from the ground as our teams reach affected communities and assessments are completed. www.GEM.org
Meet the Team | Alina Kurska Capponi | International Affairs Director & Ukraine Programs Director
International cooperation has shaped Alina’s journey, from diplomacy and international relations to humanitarian action. At GEM, she serves as International Affairs Director and Ukraine Programs Director, leading international engagement and strategic partnerships. Alina manages the portfolio of programs through GEM’s partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation across Ukraine.
Alina graduated magna cum laude from the Institute of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a master’s degree in International Relations, Social Communication, and Regional Studies.
She began her humanitarian journey as a student while volunteering with Amnesty International. After graduation, she joined Yalta European Strategy (YES) as International Projects Coordinator, contributing to high-level international events on security and Ukraine’s future.
From 2021–2023, Alina was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to serve as Ukrainian Youth Delegate to the @unitednations . In 2022, she addressed the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, calling for youth cooperation for peace.
At the onset of the war in Ukraine, Alina began leading the Relocation Project for former First Lady of Poland, Jolanta Kwaśniewska. In partnership with GEM, the project relocated more than 38,000 Ukrainians to over 40 countries. After the project concluded, Alina joined the GEM team.
In 2023, she completed the U.S. @statedept International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), on Regional Responses to Refugees and Migration. Today, Alina leads GEM’s cooperation with international governments, foundations, donors, and private sector partners.
She frequently participates in GEM’s humanitarian missions worldwide, including Ukraine, Türkiye, Haiti, Venezuela, Japan, Syria, Israel, Jamaica, Egypt, and other countries.
In 2024, Alina received the Youth Humanitarian Hero Award at AidEx Geneva. Alina believes that the true strength of international cooperation lies in trust and a shared commitment to a common purpose.
Three years ago today, the Maui wildfires changed our island forever.
In the days that followed, Global Empowerment Mission responded alongside the Maui community, and three years later, we are still here.
What began with emergency relief and the Westside Distribution Center grew into a long-term commitment to helping families rebuild their lives. Over the past three years, GEM has distributed critical supplies, helped hundreds of wildfire survivors secure housing through the Rental Assistance Program, provided housing placement and rental assistance services through the Maui Relief TANF Program, placed ADUs for families rebuilding on their land, and helped create a temporary campus for Sacred Hearts School so students could return to the classroom.
As recovery evolved, so did our role. GEM became the prime administrator of the Maui Wildfires Disaster Case Management Program, supporting survivors as they navigate the complex path toward long-term recovery.
And when the Kona Low storms brought devastating flooding to communities across Hawaiʻi earlier this year, the lessons, partnerships and systems built through Maui helped us respond again. Today, GEM is helping lead the expansion of disaster case management statewide, strengthening Hawaiʻi’s ability to support communities through this disaster and those that may come in the future.
None of this work happens alone.
We are deeply grateful to the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services for their trust and partnership throughout Maui’s recovery, and to @StableRoadFoundation and @MauiBrewingCo for standing beside us from the earliest days and continuing to invest in Maui’s families and communities.
Most importantly, we thank the survivors who trusted us, the community organizations that worked alongside us, our incredible staff and volunteers, and the people of Maui who have shown the world what resilience, compassion and aloha truly look like.
Three years later, the work continues.
We remember those we lost. We honor those still rebuilding. And we remain committed to standing with Maui for the long road ahead. To learn more, visit GEM.org #mauistrong #maui #hawaii #wildfires
WASHINGTON STATE WILDFIRES | Distribution Day 2 on the ground in Spokane, Washington.
Today, our GEM USA West team continued setting up operations at the Spokane Disaster Assistance Center (DAC), preparing resources and critical supplies to support individuals and families impacted by the devastating wildfires across the region.
Working alongside Emergency Management and local partners, GEM is helping create a coordinated response so displaced families and those who have lost homes can access the assistance they need as recovery begins.
With wildfires still burning across Washington and many communities facing significant loss, our team remains fully deployed and ready to serve.
For those impacted, the road ahead will take time. GEM will continue standing alongside these communities, not only through the immediate emergency, but throughout the recovery ahead.
More updates from the ground to come.
To support GEM’s disaster response efforts, visit GEM.org.
#GEMUSAWest #WashingtonWildfires #WildfireResponse #DisasterRelief #WashingtonState
WASHINGTON STATE WILDFIRES | GEM USA WEST RESPONSE
More than 840 structures destroyed. Tens of thousands forced to evacuate. Thousands of firefighters on the front lines.
GEM USA West is actively deployed in Washington, delivering critical humanitarian aid to individuals and families impacted by the devastating wildfires.
Working alongside Emergency Management, local communities, Tribal partners, and trusted organizations, our team is coordinating GEM resources through the Spokane Disaster Assistance Center (DAC), helping ensure aid reaches families who have lost their homes, been displaced, or otherwise affected.
The Spokane Complex fires, including the Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview fires, have burned more than 10,000 acres. And the threat is not over.
With multiple wildfires still burning across Washington, including on Tribal lands, Red Flag Warnings remain in place as gusty winds and low humidity could fuel further rapid fire spread.
For families who have lost homes, belongings, and a sense of security in a matter of hours, recovery is only beginning. GEM will remain on the ground, standing alongside Washington’s impacted communities through the immediate response and the recovery ahead.
To support GEM’s disaster response efforts, visit GEM.org.
#WashingtonWildfires #WashingtonFires #WildfireResponse #DisasterRelief #WashingtonState
Mission Empowered | A Full Circle Moment | Congratulations to our GEM Haiti Graduates
Today, we proudly celebrate three remarkable young people whose lives embody the very heart of Global Empowerment Mission’s purpose.
In January 2010, Haiti was forever changed. After the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, entire communities were reduced to rubble. Families who had lost everything sought refuge beneath tents, tarps, and makeshift shelters scattered across the soccer fields of Léogâne. What had once been a place of play became a place of survival.
It was there that GEM Founder Michael Capponi, alongside his mother Danoushka Capponi and founding Executive Board Member Felicia Marquez, met hundreds of young children camped out in tents.
Of the many, Bianca. Sylvania. Sébastien graduate today over 16 years later.
In the midst of unimaginable loss, they saw not only children in need, but lives filled with possibility. They made a simple promise: these children would not be forgotten.
When Global Empowerment Mission was formally established in Haiti in 2011, that promise became a long-term commitment. GEM ensured each of them had access to an education, encouragement, stability, and the opportunity to dream beyond the disaster that had defined their earliest memories.
Year after year, they persevered.
They studied, They grew, They refused to let tragedy determine their future.
Today, sixteen years later, that journey reaches a beautiful milestone. Bianca and Sylvania have earned their Certificates in Culinary Arts, equipping them with the skills to build meaningful careers and create opportunities for themselves and their families. Sébastien has graduated from high school and is preparing to pursue higher education in Accounting and Entrepreneurship, with dreams of building a successful future of his own. @danoushkannes @feliciamarquez #GEMHaiti #empowerment
Bianca Pierre
Certificate in Culinary Arts
Centre d’Art Ménagers Baptiste Eben Ezer de Jacmel
Sylvania Pierre
Certificate in Culinary Arts
Centre d’Art Ménagers Baptiste Eben Ezer de Jacmel (CAMBEJ)
Sébastien Philippe
High School Diploma
Future Major: Accounting & Entrepreneurship
Collège Hosanna
Director of Operations | Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) USA West
After rebuilding her own life following California’s devastating 2018 Camp Fire, Elizabeth C. Jernberg discovered that disaster recovery is more than a profession, it is her life’s calling.
As Executive Director of Operations for GEM USA West, Elizabeth leads disaster response and long-term recovery efforts across the western United States, overseeing humanitarian operations, logistics, strategic partnerships, and survivor-centered recovery programs that help communities rebuild stronger after disaster.
A proud member of the federally recognized Tachi Yokut Tribe, Elizabeth is passionate about serving Indigenous communities and advancing GEM’s Tribal Impact initiative through partnerships focused on preparedness, resilience, clean water access, and sustainable recovery. She believes that honoring culture, listening first, and building trust are essential to lasting change.
Elizabeth earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA), strengthening her expertise in executive leadership, organizational development, strategic planning, finance, marketing, and operations. With more than three decades of executive leadership experience spanning business, entrepreneurship, hospitality, education, and nonprofit management, Elizabeth brings a unique combination of operational expertise and lived experience to every mission.
Having lost her home, business, and nearly everything she owned in the Camp Fire, Elizabeth understands firsthand the emotional and practical challenges survivors face. That experience transformed personal tragedy into purpose and fuels her commitment to helping others recover with dignity, compassion, and hope.
Whether responding to wildfires, floods, or other disasters, Elizabeth believes recovery is about more than rebuilding homes, it’s about restoring hope, strengthening communities, and empowering people to move forward together.
“Leadership is not measured by the title we hold, but by the lives we impact, the hope we restore, and the communities we leave stronger than we found them.” ~Elizabeth C. Jernberg #GEMUSAWest
Spokane County, Washington is presently being affected by its largest natural disaster in history with the Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane Fires destroying thousands of acres of land. Over 700 structures have been lost to the fires, with hundreds of residents losing their homes, businesses, and schools. Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated, and the fires still continue to spread due to the dry conditions and winds. GEM’s USA West branch has deployed to Spokane County to provide those affected with immediate needs and assistance. To learn more, and to support: www.GEM.org #WashingtonState #Wildfires
Volunteer at Global Empowerment Mission:
GEM Caribbean is helping families and schools impacted by Hurricane Melissa rebuild stronger than before.
Together with our partners - American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), NCB Foundation, Ghetto Youths Foundation, Bob Marley Foundation, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) - we’re helping communities move beyond emergency relief toward long-term recovery and resilience.
To date, we’ve completed roof repairs on 458 homes and 28 schools, while also providing temporary classrooms across St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, and St. James, with more projects already underway.
Because recovery isn’t just about rebuilding what’s been lost. It’s about creating stronger, safer, and more resilient communities for the future. To learn more visit the link in our bio, or GEM.org @afjcares @ncbfoundation @ghettoyouthsfoundation @iom.jamaica @iom.caribbean @bobmarleyfoundation
Please share this post and help make a difference for this affected by the Earthquake in Colombia. For additional information, visit: GEM.org
GEM Team Member, Spencer Taylor, @spencervybes reporting live from Pereira, Colombia, on @cnn as our teams continue assessing the impact of the devastating earthquake.
#GEM is now mobilizing for large-scale humanitarian aid distributions across earthquake-affected communities throughout #Colombia, delivering critical supplies and support directly to families in need. To learn more visit www.GEM.org
🇨🇴 COLOMBIA EARTHQUAKE | GEM RESPONSE
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, causing significant damage to buildings and infrastructure across the region, with injuries reported as authorities continue to assess the full extent of the impact.
Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) has already deployed ground teams en route to affected communities to assess immediate needs, coordinate with local partners and authorities, and determine where critical humanitarian assistance is needed most.
The earthquake was centered near San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó region, approximately 250 miles west of Bogotá. A 5.0 magnitude aftershock followed less than an hour later.
The force of the earthquake was felt across a wide area, prompting evacuations as far away as Bogotá. Strong shaking was also reported along Colombia’s Caribbean coast in Barranquilla and across the border in neighboring Ecuador.
As aftershocks continue and the full scale of the damage becomes clearer, GEM teams are mobilizing to support impacted individuals and families.
We will continue to provide updates from the ground as our teams reach affected communities and assessments are completed. www.GEM.org
Meet the Team | Alina Kurska Capponi | International Affairs Director & Ukraine Programs Director
International cooperation has shaped Alina’s journey, from diplomacy and international relations to humanitarian action. At GEM, she serves as International Affairs Director and Ukraine Programs Director, leading international engagement and strategic partnerships. Alina manages the portfolio of programs through GEM’s partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation across Ukraine.
Alina graduated magna cum laude from the Institute of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a master’s degree in International Relations, Social Communication, and Regional Studies.
She began her humanitarian journey as a student while volunteering with Amnesty International. After graduation, she joined Yalta European Strategy (YES) as International Projects Coordinator, contributing to high-level international events on security and Ukraine’s future.
From 2021–2023, Alina was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to serve as Ukrainian Youth Delegate to the @unitednations . In 2022, she addressed the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, calling for youth cooperation for peace.
At the onset of the war in Ukraine, Alina began leading the Relocation Project for former First Lady of Poland, Jolanta Kwaśniewska. In partnership with GEM, the project relocated more than 38,000 Ukrainians to over 40 countries. After the project concluded, Alina joined the GEM team.
In 2023, she completed the U.S. @statedept International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), on Regional Responses to Refugees and Migration. Today, Alina leads GEM’s cooperation with international governments, foundations, donors, and private sector partners.
She frequently participates in GEM’s humanitarian missions worldwide, including Ukraine, Türkiye, Haiti, Venezuela, Japan, Syria, Israel, Jamaica, Egypt, and other countries.
In 2024, Alina received the Youth Humanitarian Hero Award at AidEx Geneva. Alina believes that the true strength of international cooperation lies in trust and a shared commitment to a common purpose.
Three years ago today, the Maui wildfires changed our island forever.
In the days that followed, Global Empowerment Mission responded alongside the Maui community, and three years later, we are still here.
What began with emergency relief and the Westside Distribution Center grew into a long-term commitment to helping families rebuild their lives. Over the past three years, GEM has distributed critical supplies, helped hundreds of wildfire survivors secure housing through the Rental Assistance Program, provided housing placement and rental assistance services through the Maui Relief TANF Program, placed ADUs for families rebuilding on their land, and helped create a temporary campus for Sacred Hearts School so students could return to the classroom.
As recovery evolved, so did our role. GEM became the prime administrator of the Maui Wildfires Disaster Case Management Program, supporting survivors as they navigate the complex path toward long-term recovery.
And when the Kona Low storms brought devastating flooding to communities across Hawaiʻi earlier this year, the lessons, partnerships and systems built through Maui helped us respond again. Today, GEM is helping lead the expansion of disaster case management statewide, strengthening Hawaiʻi’s ability to support communities through this disaster and those that may come in the future.
None of this work happens alone.
We are deeply grateful to the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services for their trust and partnership throughout Maui’s recovery, and to @StableRoadFoundation and @MauiBrewingCo for standing beside us from the earliest days and continuing to invest in Maui’s families and communities.
Most importantly, we thank the survivors who trusted us, the community organizations that worked alongside us, our incredible staff and volunteers, and the people of Maui who have shown the world what resilience, compassion and aloha truly look like.
Three years later, the work continues.
We remember those we lost. We honor those still rebuilding. And we remain committed to standing with Maui for the long road ahead. To learn more, visit GEM.org #mauistrong #maui #hawaii #wildfires
WASHINGTON STATE WILDFIRES | Distribution Day 2 on the ground in Spokane, Washington.
Today, our GEM USA West team continued setting up operations at the Spokane Disaster Assistance Center (DAC), preparing resources and critical supplies to support individuals and families impacted by the devastating wildfires across the region.
Working alongside Emergency Management and local partners, GEM is helping create a coordinated response so displaced families and those who have lost homes can access the assistance they need as recovery begins.
With wildfires still burning across Washington and many communities facing significant loss, our team remains fully deployed and ready to serve.
For those impacted, the road ahead will take time. GEM will continue standing alongside these communities, not only through the immediate emergency, but throughout the recovery ahead.
More updates from the ground to come.
To support GEM’s disaster response efforts, visit GEM.org.
#GEMUSAWest #WashingtonWildfires #WildfireResponse #DisasterRelief #WashingtonState
WASHINGTON STATE WILDFIRES | GEM USA WEST RESPONSE
More than 840 structures destroyed. Tens of thousands forced to evacuate. Thousands of firefighters on the front lines.
GEM USA West is actively deployed in Washington, delivering critical humanitarian aid to individuals and families impacted by the devastating wildfires.
Working alongside Emergency Management, local communities, Tribal partners, and trusted organizations, our team is coordinating GEM resources through the Spokane Disaster Assistance Center (DAC), helping ensure aid reaches families who have lost their homes, been displaced, or otherwise affected.
The Spokane Complex fires, including the Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview fires, have burned more than 10,000 acres. And the threat is not over.
With multiple wildfires still burning across Washington, including on Tribal lands, Red Flag Warnings remain in place as gusty winds and low humidity could fuel further rapid fire spread.
For families who have lost homes, belongings, and a sense of security in a matter of hours, recovery is only beginning. GEM will remain on the ground, standing alongside Washington’s impacted communities through the immediate response and the recovery ahead.
To support GEM’s disaster response efforts, visit GEM.org.
#WashingtonWildfires #WashingtonFires #WildfireResponse #DisasterRelief #WashingtonState
Mission Empowered | A Full Circle Moment | Congratulations to our GEM Haiti Graduates
Today, we proudly celebrate three remarkable young people whose lives embody the very heart of Global Empowerment Mission’s purpose.
In January 2010, Haiti was forever changed. After the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, entire communities were reduced to rubble. Families who had lost everything sought refuge beneath tents, tarps, and makeshift shelters scattered across the soccer fields of Léogâne. What had once been a place of play became a place of survival.
It was there that GEM Founder Michael Capponi, alongside his mother Danoushka Capponi and founding Executive Board Member Felicia Marquez, met hundreds of young children camped out in tents.
Of the many, Bianca. Sylvania. Sébastien graduate today over 16 years later.
In the midst of unimaginable loss, they saw not only children in need, but lives filled with possibility. They made a simple promise: these children would not be forgotten.
When Global Empowerment Mission was formally established in Haiti in 2011, that promise became a long-term commitment. GEM ensured each of them had access to an education, encouragement, stability, and the opportunity to dream beyond the disaster that had defined their earliest memories.
Year after year, they persevered.
They studied, They grew, They refused to let tragedy determine their future.
Today, sixteen years later, that journey reaches a beautiful milestone. Bianca and Sylvania have earned their Certificates in Culinary Arts, equipping them with the skills to build meaningful careers and create opportunities for themselves and their families. Sébastien has graduated from high school and is preparing to pursue higher education in Accounting and Entrepreneurship, with dreams of building a successful future of his own. @danoushkannes @feliciamarquez #GEMHaiti #empowerment
Bianca Pierre
Certificate in Culinary Arts
Centre d’Art Ménagers Baptiste Eben Ezer de Jacmel
Sylvania Pierre
Certificate in Culinary Arts
Centre d’Art Ménagers Baptiste Eben Ezer de Jacmel (CAMBEJ)
Sébastien Philippe
High School Diploma
Future Major: Accounting & Entrepreneurship
Collège Hosanna
Director of Operations | Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) USA West
After rebuilding her own life following California’s devastating 2018 Camp Fire, Elizabeth C. Jernberg discovered that disaster recovery is more than a profession, it is her life’s calling.
As Executive Director of Operations for GEM USA West, Elizabeth leads disaster response and long-term recovery efforts across the western United States, overseeing humanitarian operations, logistics, strategic partnerships, and survivor-centered recovery programs that help communities rebuild stronger after disaster.
A proud member of the federally recognized Tachi Yokut Tribe, Elizabeth is passionate about serving Indigenous communities and advancing GEM’s Tribal Impact initiative through partnerships focused on preparedness, resilience, clean water access, and sustainable recovery. She believes that honoring culture, listening first, and building trust are essential to lasting change.
Elizabeth earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA), strengthening her expertise in executive leadership, organizational development, strategic planning, finance, marketing, and operations. With more than three decades of executive leadership experience spanning business, entrepreneurship, hospitality, education, and nonprofit management, Elizabeth brings a unique combination of operational expertise and lived experience to every mission.
Having lost her home, business, and nearly everything she owned in the Camp Fire, Elizabeth understands firsthand the emotional and practical challenges survivors face. That experience transformed personal tragedy into purpose and fuels her commitment to helping others recover with dignity, compassion, and hope.
Whether responding to wildfires, floods, or other disasters, Elizabeth believes recovery is about more than rebuilding homes, it’s about restoring hope, strengthening communities, and empowering people to move forward together.
“Leadership is not measured by the title we hold, but by the lives we impact, the hope we restore, and the communities we leave stronger than we found them.” ~Elizabeth C. Jernberg #GEMUSAWest
Spokane County, Washington is presently being affected by its largest natural disaster in history with the Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane Fires destroying thousands of acres of land. Over 700 structures have been lost to the fires, with hundreds of residents losing their homes, businesses, and schools. Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated, and the fires still continue to spread due to the dry conditions and winds. GEM’s USA West branch has deployed to Spokane County to provide those affected with immediate needs and assistance. To learn more, and to support: www.GEM.org #WashingtonState #Wildfires
Volunteer at Global Empowerment Mission:
GEM Caribbean is helping families and schools impacted by Hurricane Melissa rebuild stronger than before.
Together with our partners - American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), NCB Foundation, Ghetto Youths Foundation, Bob Marley Foundation, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) - we’re helping communities move beyond emergency relief toward long-term recovery and resilience.
To date, we’ve completed roof repairs on 458 homes and 28 schools, while also providing temporary classrooms across St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, and St. James, with more projects already underway.
Because recovery isn’t just about rebuilding what’s been lost. It’s about creating stronger, safer, and more resilient communities for the future. To learn more visit the link in our bio, or GEM.org @afjcares @ncbfoundation @ghettoyouthsfoundation @iom.jamaica @iom.caribbean @bobmarleyfoundation
Our main objectives are to deliver the most amount of aid, to the most amount of people in need, in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of costs to our donors. This also applies to our rebuilding efforts.
Make checks payable and send them to:
Global Empowerment Mission
1850 NW 84TH AVE, SUITE 100 DORAL FL 33126
Please email: finance@
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Today, GEM has one of the highest dollar vs impact ratios across all disaster relief organizations, and is committed to disrupting disaster relief with a complete 180-degree response. We solve complex problems efficiently with innovative solutions, through smart partnerships, globally.
