Hola! Hello!

As most of you know, we are Mexican through our mother (as well as a few other things: German and American through our father, and Cuban through our mother too!), and we have been following what has been happening in the Caribbean, the United States and Mexico as a result of the different hurricanes and earthquakes very closely.

Our family -- grandparents, aunts and cousins -- as well as friends in Mexico are thankfully all well. But hundreds of thousands of people have been affected, and we have heard some heart-breaking stories about the devastation that has been caused: homes and schools that have collapsed, buildings that will need to be demolished, and people who have lost so much of what they had worked to build up. Our aunt Carolina, or Tía Caca as we call her, who is a journalist, has been able to speak with many of those who have suffered, and has shared their stories in a series of videos from different parts of the country.

What has been most moving through all these disasters is the kind of solidarity and support that people and communities have shown, doing everything they can to help neighbours and relatives and people they do not know. We here in London have also been very moved by all the different people who have reached out to us to ask things are all right.

So we have been thinking a lot about how we can best try to help, especially from far away.

We have been doing some research, and we have launched a fundraising effort so that those who are interested in helping out can do so. We have set up a "JustGiving" page to collect funds for two charities that have been at the forefront of relief efforts:

The American Red Cross (in relation to the hurricanes in the US and the Caribbean)

The Mexican Red Cross (in relation to the three earthquakes that Mexico has experienced)

We have also committed to match the first £100.00 raised with money we have saved from pocket money.

Thanks to all of you so much for your help and support. Every contribution will make a huge difference.

Con mucho cariño,

Teo (L3K) and Andrés (U1M) Rossbach