‘The Hospitals are Overwhelmed’: Religions for Peace Issues Urgent Appeal to Support Victims of Earthquakes in Venezuela

On June 24, two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela within seconds of each other—the most powerful the country has seen in more than 125 years. To date, the devastating earthquakes are known to have caused the deaths of more than 3,500 people, injured thousands — with more than 50,000 missing and feared dead.

The earthquakes destroyed tens of thousands of buildings and rendered uninhabitable many more. Hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless as a result, and nearly 680,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

“My wife and I managed to grab the youngest of our children, while the other three children were able to run out on their own,” recounted Brayan Gómez, a resident of Estado La Guira, one of the areas hardest hit. “The adults were heading out right behind them, and thank God, nothing serious happened to them, nor did any type of debris fall on top of them during the escape.”

But for survivors, the recovery will take months, years. An immense humanitarian response is needed and to support religious leaders’ efforts, Religions for Peace has launched an urgent appeal for donations through its Multi-Religious Humanitarian Fund.

“A crisis of this magnitude surpasses the capabilities of a single faith community,” said Deepika Singh, Deputy Secretary General of Religions for Peace and Director of Programmes. “It requires shared solidarity and collective effort from Venezuela’s faith communities to help restore hope and dignity to those who have lost everything.”

The Religions for Peace Multi-Religious Humanitarian Fund exists to mobilize multifaith humanitarian interventions for disasters like this, and to support recovery efforts. Donations will help guarantee the swift delivery emergency assistance.

“Humanitarian aid must reach those who have lost everything,” said Singh. “Every contribution is vital to guarantee emergency assistance and help victims to recover. We are grateful for the spirit of service and love for our neighbor that animates the Religions for Peace movement worldwide now responding to this urgent appeal.”

Donations are needed to support efforts implemented by interreligious actors in the affected areas, said Rev. Jose Piñero, Coordinator of Interreligious Cooperation in Venezuela, an affiliate of Religions for Peace.

Specifically, he said, funds raised would support the purchase of food and medicines; provide psychosocial support to children and families traumatized by the disaster; and build the capacity of religious leaders in responding to their communities’ needs.

In recent months, Rev. Piñero had been establishing a cluster of religious organizations and institutions to collaborate on various initiatives. The disaster has accelerated that work, he said – and the appeal is directly aimed at supporting it.

But immediate needs are pressing and require intensive effort.

“There are many people without homes,” Rev. Piñero said. “They need to move to some sort of refugee camps or temporary housing. After shelter, food, water and sanitation, and psychosocial support are the most pressing needs.

“The psychosocial support is particularly critical as many lost their families,” he added. “Children particularly will need a lot of support.”

Health needs are particularly acute.

“The hospitals are overwhelmed,” he said. “They cannot treat all of the people needing care and they have run out of space for dead bodies.”

According to the United Nations, seven million people are affected by the earthquake. The scale of the destruction is visible from space, with satellite photos showing piles of rubble that were once the homes of thousands of families like the Gómezes.

“Everyone is currently forced to sleep out in the open street – on the sidewalk and in the parking lot,” said Bryan Gómez. “We stay in that spot through the nights to watch over and make sure no one breaks in to loot the little that still remains in the building, while we wait for aid to finally arrive so we can deal with the emergency.”