Canada’s leading aid groups have launched an appeal for victims of the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela.
The appeal has been issued through the Humanitarian Coalition, which brings together 12 Canadian aid organizations to respond to disasters in the Global South.
The earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit a minute apart in the country of 28 million people. As of June 26, the president of Venezuela estimated almost 600 people had been killed and around 3,000 injured.
Humanitarian Coalition members are already working with partners on the ground to provide life-saving aid, said executive director Tiffany Baggetta.
“The level of destruction is devastating and heartbreaking,” she said of reports coming from the country. “We want to get them the supplies they need, things such as shelter, water, health and hygiene supplies and food.”
The response is complicated given that over eight million people in Venezuela were already in need of humanitarian assistance.
“The context was already challenging before the earthquakes hit,” Baggetta said. The coalition is only asking for financial donations so members can procure emergency aid items in Venezuela or nearby countries, she said.
“Cash is the best way to help,” she said, adding that the appeal will run until July 13 to give the coalition’s faith-based members three weekends to reach out to their supporters at worship services.
One coalition member that is responding is Canadian Lutheran World Relief.
“We have a long history of relationships with partners in Venezuela,” said David Turner, who directs CLWR’s communications and donor relations. “We know them, what it is like for people there, their struggles to get by . . . this is an unimaginable tragedy.”
CLWR is focusing on providing emergency shelter, food and water, he said.
Another coalition member that is responding is Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
“This disaster comes at a time when many families in Venezuela were already struggling to afford enough food,” said senior humanitarian manager Stefan Epp-Koop.
“It’s a crisis on top of a crisis, a devastating reality for those who were already living on the edge.”
Epp-Koop worries that the earthquakes will push them “even deeper into hunger” due to loss of shelter, income and access to markets.
“Without timely support, more families will be forced to go without the food they need,” he said.
The Canadian government has announced it will provide an initial $5 million in humanitarian assistance to support emergency relief efforts in response to the earthquakes.
This emergency response is in addition to the almost $4.5 million in ongoing humanitarian assistance funding allocated earlier this year in response to needs in Venezuela.
Through Global Affairs Canada, the government will continue to monitor the situation to assess the evolving needs in the country.
Individuals interested in making a donation can do so by visiting the Humanitarian Coalition’s website.
