Children in Venezuela urgently need your help
On June 24, 2026, two powerful earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela, causing widespread devastation near Caracas, killing over 6,500 people, and impacting thousands of families. The earthquakes destroyed and damaged homes, schools, health facilities, and critical infrastructure, leaving communities in urgent need of shelter, access to clean water, food assistance, medical care, and safe places for children.
While the emergency phase has passed, recovery is expected to take months, and in some communities, years. World Vision and local church partners continue to support affected communities, providing food aid, relief supplies, child protection services, recovery programs, and more.
On August 10, 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia near San José del Palmar, in the same region of northern South America as Venezuela. The quake was felt widely across the country, and authorities are assessing damage and needs of affected communities.
How your donation helps
Imagine being a child as the ground shook and buildings collapsed. That was the frightening reality for children across Venezuela. When the shaking stopped, homes were destroyed or left badly damaged, forcing families to sleep out on the streets.
We have been working in Venezuela since 2019. We're already on the ground, assessing the damage, identifying the children and families who need help most urgently.
But we can't reach everyone without your support.
Children urgently need shelter, food and clean water. And someone to tell them it’s going to be ok. Your donation could put emergency supplies into the hands of families who’ve lost everything. It could reach children sleeping outside, too afraid to go home. And it means our teams can keep going further, faster, to get help to those who need it.
Your donation today could help provide emergency food, clean water, safe shelter, and vital support for children's well-being as they face the trauma of what's happened.
Please give what you can today.
We pray for every child and family facing fear and uncertainty today. Our team is on the ground assessing how to support the communities hardest hit.
Peter Gape, National Director, World Vision Venezuela
What you can provide
What is the latest update on the Venezuela earthquakes?
While large-scale emergency search-and-rescue operations have ended, many families are facing the long-term impacts of the disaster. Many people are living in temporary shelters or in homes damaged by the earthquakes. People are trying to rebuild their lives after losing loved ones, homes, and livelihoods.
In Venezuela, children continue to face significant challenges as impacted communities try to recover. Beyond the need to rebuild homes, schools, healthcare centres, and other essential infrastructure, families will need ongoing access to clean water, food, healthcare, child protection services, and emotional support to help children heal from the trauma caused by the earthquakes. Following the Aug. 10, 2026, Colombia earthquake, families in affected communities may also face ongoing needs as the full extent of the damage and impact becomes clear.
World Vision and local church partners are actively working alongside devastated communities, delivering emergency assistance while also supporting long-term recovery efforts, enabling children and families to rebuild their lives with hope and dignity.
Where did the earthquakes occur?
The earthquakes were centred near the coastal city of Morón, about 100 miles west of the capital city of Caracas. Residents felt strong shaking across the capital and several neighbouring states. Severe damage has been reported in Caracas, La Guaira, and other nearby communities.
How much damage did the Venezuela earthquakes cause?
The earthquakes caused widespread damage across north-central Venezuela. Residential buildings, hospitals, schools, roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure sustained significant damage. Thousands of families were displaced, and homes became unsafe or collapsed entirely.
“We are deeply shaken and frightened,” said María Andreína Pernalete, a resident of Caracas and communications manager for World Vision in Venezuela. “I was with my 2-year-old baby, my mother, and my husband. I received an alert just a few seconds before everything started shaking, and we gathered under a column.”
Like many families in Caracas, Maria and her loved ones were unable to return home because of safety concerns and had to find safety at a nearby convent. “We are very shaken by what happened. We hope the number of affected people is minimal; we are praying for the families who are suffering.”
How many people have died in the Venezuela earthquakes?
According to recent reports, the death toll has exceeded 6,500 people. More than 16,740 others have been injured, and thousands remain missing. Emergency responders and civil protection authorities worked frantically to find survivors, inspecting damaged structures, conducting rescue operations, and assessing the impact on affected communities.
What are the most urgent needs?
Families affected by the earthquakes continue to need:
- Safe, durable shelter
- Safe drinking water
- Food assistance
- Health care and rehabilitation services
- Hygiene supplies
- Child protection and psychosocial support
- Education support and temporary learning spaces for children
- Livelihood recovery
Needs are expected to evolve from immediate relief to longer-term recovery.
How is World Vision responding?
Since the earthquakes, World Vision has worked alongside more than 2,000 local church partners through our Hope Without Borders program to support children and families affected by the disaster. To date, World Vision has reached over 101, 292 people across La Guaira, Caracas, and Miranda with emergency food aid, hygiene and water kits, recreational kits, child protection activities, and other essential items. As communities begin to recover, World Vision continues to support children and families through Child-Friendly Spaces in affected communities in Caracas. These safe spaces offer structured play, psychosocial support, and caring adult supervision to help children recover from trauma and reduce their risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse.
How long has World Vision been serving in Venezuela?
World Vision has served vulnerable children and families in Venezuela since 2019, while supporting Venezuelan migrants and refugees across Latin America. Through the Hope Without Borders and partnerships with local churches, World Vision has delivered more than 2.65 million services to children and families affected by displacement and crisis.