CARE International UK | Venezuela Earthquake Response |

Image © Federico Parra / AFP / Getty Images

Two catastrophic earthquakes hit Venezuela in June.

Buildings were reduced to rubble in minutes. Thousands of people lost their homes. Survivors urgently need shelter, water, food, and medical care.

What is happening in Venezuela?

A group of rescue workers working through the rubble of a collapsed building. A group of onlookers are in the street in the foreground — Rescue efforts in Caracas, Venezuela © Maureen Riveros/Tinta Violeta/CARE

The scale of destruction caused by the Venezuela earthquakes is huge:

Thousands of people have been killed, and thousands more injured. The death toll continues to rise, and the country’s hospitals are under extreme pressure.
The UN estimates that millions of people have been affected, with more than two million in the worst impacted areas.
Women and their families are sleeping in makeshift tents on the street, with little protection from the heat and rain. Power lines and roads have been destroyed, and people are cut off from essential supplies.
Women and girls face increasing risks. They urgently need safe shelter, menstrual and hygiene supplies, reproductive healthcare, and protection from the heightened threat of gender-based violence and exploitation that often follows disasters like this.

Venezuela was already facing a severe economic crisis before the earthquakes. The needs are now overwhelming.

How you can help

You can help provide a lifeline for women and their families who are affected by devastating crises like the Venezuela earthquakes.

Please donate to CARE to that we can continue to be there for communities when disaster strikes.

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A CARE team member talks with a young girl inside a tent

A CARE team member talks with an earthquake survivor in Caracas © Andrés Sarmiento / CARE

How CARE is responding to the Venezuela earthquakes

A woman in a CARE vest talks with a group of aid workers and earthquake survivors. Temporary shelters are visible in the background — Aid workers talk with displaced people in Caracas © Andrés Sarmiento / CARE

CARE is coordinating directly with local partners including Tinta Violeta, Uniandes and CESAP/CAFI Network in Venezuela to provide life-saving support to women and their communities. They are best-placed to respond to this tragedy and tell us what is needed right now.

Priorities include:

Emergency supplies for families who have lost everything.
Emotional support for people recovering from trauma.
Specialist support and advice for women and girls at risk of violence and exploitation.
Distribution of essential kits for meet everyday needs, including items like toiletries, period products, torches and clothing.
Community kitchens, helplines and access to trusted local support networks.

Our response is prioritising those most at risk in the aftermath of the earthquakes, especially women and girls.