Venezuela Earthquake Emergency: Help Children and Families Now

Two powerful earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela on June 24, causing widespread devastation across Caracas and surrounding areas. Homes, schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed –  leaving children and families struggling to access basic services.

UNICEF estimates that 1.8 million people, including 680,000 children, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, with these figures expected to evolve as rescue efforts continue.

The Situation in numbers

• 6.76 million people affected by the earthquake
• 1.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance
• 650 thousand people to be reached by UNICEF
• 680 thousand children in need of humanitarian assistance
• 234 thousand children to be reached by UNICEF

How is UNICEF responding?

UNICEF has activated a large-scale emergency response to support affected children and families with lifesaving assistance across health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection and education.

With the help of our donors and partners, we have:

• Deployed additional staff and mobilized supplies to reach an estimated 650,000 people, including 234,000 children.  
• Organized emergency shipments of medical supplies, water and sanitation items, and tents to support more than 100,000 people.
• UNICEF will continue to support with providing emergency healthcare, safe water and hygiene services, psychosocial support, and safe spaces for children.

“Hospitals are operating beyond capacity, thousands of children don’t have reliable access to safe water, and many schools have been damaged. UNICEF is working with the Government of Venezuela and partners to scale up support ... continued funding will be critical to sustaining that response in the weeks ahead.”

Manuel Rodriguez Pumarol, UNICEF Representative, Venezuela

We need your help to reach more children and families in Venezuela

The need for children and communities remains great. The earthquakes severely disrupted major water, health and education services:

• Disruption to water and sanitation services has left children and families without access to safe drinking water. 
• Damage to hospitals has severely constrained health services for children and families, with many facilities now at critical capacity – this disruption will increase existing vulnerabilities in child nutrition and maternal health, escalating the risk of disease outbreaks.  
• Schools and other educational infrastructure have been damaged, forcing school closures and disrupting learning, especially in the most affected areas. 
• The earthquake has put many children and adolescents at heightened risk of family separation, violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and child labour. Overcrowding in shelters, lack of privacy, and the use of open spaces increase exposure to gender-based violence and psychosocial distress.