Two months from the earthquakes… we are still here

 safe water ...

The communities lack water or it is dark, dirty. The pipes broke with the earthquakes, they have cracks that contaminate the water. The doctors that come for our health clinics are worried, "that water is yellow, it should not be drunk" "yes, they reply, since the earthquakes water does not get to us or arrives like that".

We have provided water filters to 735 families in communities in Carabobo and Vargas, and in Mérida to families displaced from La Guaira. Over 2500 people now have safe water, so important for hygiene, health, life. "This filter is excellent, it filters really clear water, with good taste. We are filtering ours and for our neighbors. I am so, so grateful" says Bety from Río Abajo, in Morón, where 54 families were affected.

As supply is irregular, it is important to have good deposits to store water. We have provided multifamily water tanks, benefitting over 2000 people. 

health clinics ...

A large number of people in these communities suffer from affected lungs, diarrhea, hypertension... the cement dust, the water quality, and the distress from what they have gone through have affected so many. People with chronic illnesses have lost access to their treatments.

We have delivered health clinics covering pediatrics, general medicine, gynecology and nutrition in areas of La Guaira, Maiquetía, Carayaca and Morón. Over 1300 people have received medical or nutritional support in these mobile clinics and through house visits, getting medicines and supplies when needed. We have also supported health centers and refuges in Caracas and La Guaria, providing them with medicines and medical supplies.

Rescue workers and volunteers ...

Men and women, rescue workers and volunteers, continue to try to give answers, respite, peace and dignified closure to those who have lost friends and family. Many work without the supplies, tools, food and medicine they need to do this very difficult work.

We have been able to provide work gloves, flashlights, batteries, helmets, hi-vis jackets, safety goggles, first aid supplies, supporting over 500 people working in different areas in La Guaira. We are so grateful for the work they are doing.

emotional support ...

After the earthquakes, many children were left full of fear, they are afraid of the wind, have nightmares, don't want to be alone, they feel anger, cry and don't know why ... some have lost family members, pets, homes, their things, their safe place, and they don't know how to express what is happening. We have started to support them, creating safe spaces in which they can express themselves, through games, drawings, individually, in groups. Helping them understand what they feel, giving it a name, is also helping them recover a sense of safety, little by little.

We have delivered workshops with groups of women in each community, allowing them to share what they are feeling, supporting each other. In these spaces there are testimonies, silences, tears, laughter. A listening environment is being built, filled with company and respect. "We had never done something like this here, it was needed", they tell us. They open up to each other, knowing they are there for support. The shared pain makes it a little lighter. "I feel so much peace" says one woman as she leaves. "Last night, says someone else later, was the first night I've been able to sleep properly" "we need more of these spaces, you have to come back".

And we will be back, supporting them, for as long as it's needed.

with the displaced families ...

Many families who lost their homes in La Guaira have moved to other parts of the country, where they have family to take them in, or where refuge centers have opened. In the areas where we have established programs, we are there to support them. We consider their needs and have taken them clothes, food, hygiene and medical supplies ... and, above all, company. We want them to know they are not alone, that there is a community that takes them in, and make sure that whilst they are there, or if they decide to fully settle, they feel that they also have a home there.

There is so much more that we have done in this second month to try to respond to the emergency generated by the earthquakes, like buying a stretcher for an ambulance; sending medicines to doctors that need them; home visits to those in great need; treatment of malnutrition for the cases we've found; provision of supplies, cooking implements, mosquito nets ... There is still so much to be done. There are people sleeping under trees, in tents, or next to their homes, because they lost their houses or the cracks don't allow them to sleep inside. Many have lost their jobs. The support needs to go on.

At the same time, our programs carry on across the rest of the country; with children protected through our Community Homes, taking part in summer activities, receiving extracurricular support and food; rural women planting and harvesting; our Estela program delivering information and supplies for periods with dignity; mobile clinics providing healthcare for vulnerable communities and malnutrition treatment and support provided to children and pregnant and lactating women who need it ...

Once more, thank you for the support. If we get tired, we get back up, thanks to the solidarity and joint work, as the country will rise up to carry on, with the certainty that we have each other.