With Venezuela … through so much pain, providing support when it matters most
… we contacted a volunteer rescue worker who has asked for help. When she heard we would support them, she broke in tears, and we cried with her, she said “may God love you well”
… some of our volunteers have lost family and friends. The pain strikes us, we don't know how to comfort them, we are with them, with their families, praying that they find peace in these very difficult times, in which they and the whole country are in mourning.
The magnitude of the tragedy moves us deeply. So many stories of loss, uncertainty and pain, break our hearts and, at times, overwhelm us.
The pain of those that have lost everything is our pain and moves us to keep going. We continue to work, supporting and providing as much help as possible, knowing that in these dark times, solidarity has the power of providing relief, protection and a little bit of hope.
Thanks to everyone that is supporting us, volunteers, donors, allies, we are able to respond where it's most needed... we want to share with all of you some of what we have been doing:
... supporting first responders
We seek to support first responders by providing supplies and equipment to rescue and paramedic teams, such as the UCV Firefighters and Ángeles de las Vías (an NGO of paramedics that save lives). We provide for their needs with helmets, ropes and other essential supplies. We supply rescue workers and volunteers in Playa Grande with gloves, face masks, energy drinks and personal hygiene products, so they can carry out their work in safer conditions. We provide support to a rescue group that went from Mérida to La Guaira, so they were able to travel and work in the affected areas, giving them medical supplies, water, food and a tent that enabled their work. We supported a group from Spain, who specialise in disaster rescue work, enabling them to travel to Venezuela to help.
At the same time, though an alliance with a restaurant in Caracas and a group from San Juan de Los Morros, we have been taking and continue to take cooked meals to the rescue and health care workers who are in La Guaira every day.
... supporting hospitals
From various hospitals, doctors ask us for medicines and medical supplies. Supplies have been provided to 5 hospitals, in order to provide support through the current emergency. Together with the Augustinian sisters in Los Teques, we've provided cooked meals for the healthcare workers and patients in the hospital.
... working in refuge centres
80 indigenous families have been relocated to the Gran Colombia School, in Caracas, and we've supported them with medicines and personal hygiene products. We've supported the Augustinian sisters in preparing a space that will receive children that have been left without their families. We've had initial contact with another refuge centre to help children and women with both supplies and psychosocial support. People from La Guaira have started to be displaced to refuge centres in other states. In Guárico, our allies from Creo en Tí are preparing to receive 80 children, and we'll be right there with them. In Lagunillas and Barcelona our teams are in contact with refuge centres that are beginning to open to provide support.
... transporting humanitarian aid
Solidarity doesn't stop. With support from many volunteers and allied organisations, medicines, hygiene and medical supplies, food and other donations are being collected in Madrid. Thanks to the support of many people, companies and organisations we were able to send the first two tons of supplies. An additional 80 kg were sent through an offer from a shipping company in Madrid. A container is being filled with humanitarian aid which will go to Colombia, so it can be taken from there to the affected areas in Venezuela. Everything is distributed to the people most in need.
... supporting the affected communities
We have reached the earthquake affected areas in Carabobo: Morón, Palma Sola, La Granja, Río Abajo, Guarataro and Las Amazonas. We have spoken to the families to know how they are doing and learn of their needs. Some are rural areas where over 50% of the families have lost everything, but have seen no support yet. In Morón in the affected blocks, the families sleep outside. The are communities where the water pipes broke and so there is no running water.
We have provided water, food, personal hygiene products, blankets, other supplies and love. We have done nutrition evaluations and collected the necessary information to enable us to provide for their immediate needs, and as much as possible support them through the recovery.
In Río Abajo, a severely affected rural community, once we finished distributing what we had, they came to us to give us some of their harvests, chillies, avocados, pumpkins... we went there to give and they gave us what they had, we left moved by these generous hearts and so grateful, having received so much more that what we gave.
There is no way to give thanks for the support we have received and continue to receive, there are thousands of people that have joined a campaign that belongs to all of us, influencers, individual donors, companies, allied organisations …
The emergency won't stop when the headlines disappear. The recovery of the affected communities will be a long process that will require sustained support, commitment and solidarity. That is why, along with people, companies, and allied organisations that make this response possible, we will continue to be present, supporting those that most need it and working so that help continues to arrive where it's needed. Thank you for walking with us, through the pain, but filled with faith and hope.
In these difficult times, thank you for being there
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