Project profile
Aid for earthquake victims in Venezuela
On the evening of 24 June 2026, two severe earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 shook northern Venezuela within seconds of each other. The epicentres lay in the coastal region of Yaracuy state, around 170 kilometres west of Caracas. Because the quakes were so shallow, the extent of the destruction is particularly severe – it is the worst earthquake in Venezuela in more than 125 years. The government declared a state of emergency shortly after the disaster.
- Project type:
- Emergency aid for Venezuela
- Location:
- Venezuela
At least 3,600 people lost their lives, more than 16,000 were injured and thousands are still missing. At present (9 July 2026), 1.8 million people in the earthquake area depend on humanitarian assistance, among them 680,000 children. The earthquakes have hit a country that has been marked by a severe economic and political crisis for years. Even before the disaster, according to the UN, 7.9 million people in Venezuela relied on humanitarian aid. Now countless families have lost their homes and all their belongings. There is a lack of clean water, food, medical supplies, sleeping mats, hygiene items and psychosocial support.
How Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe provides support
Together with its local partner organisation Convite, Help provides emergency relief in El Junquito and Pericoco, two particularly badly affected places in the state of La Guaira. There we distribute food and hygiene packages so that families have the bare essentials. We also provide tools that allow those affected to clear rubble and take the first steps towards reconstruction. In La Guaira alone, more than 100 buildings have collapsed.
Our many years of experience after earthquakes have taught us that, alongside acute emergency relief, aid measures must be adapted again and again to the situation on the ground. That is why we support people not only immediately after the disaster, but also accompany them through the reconstruction.
Why this aid saves lives
After an earthquake, every hour counts. Fast assistance provides families who have lost everything with vital goods such as food, hygiene items and materials for the first clean-up work. In Venezuela in particular, where many people were already living in poverty before the disaster and the supply situation was strained, this support is crucial. 60 euros can finance a hygiene package for a family of four, 80 euros a food package and 192 euros a tool kit for clearing rubble. Every donation helps to support people in Venezuela quickly and effectively right now.