Venezuela: AVSI continues to stand alongside communities affected by the earthquake

On June 24, 2026, two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, causing widespread damage and severely affecting communities in La Guaira State, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster. Thousands of people lost their homes, while essential services were disrupted and access to food, safe drinking water, medicines and other basic necessities became increasingly difficult.

AVSI responded immediately. The local team began assessing the impact of the earthquake and the most urgent needs of the communities where AVSI works. To strengthen the response, three emergency response specialists joined AVSI’s local team in Venezuela, working alongside colleagues on the ground and contributing their expertise to the technical coordination of the humanitarian response.

This combination of local presence and emergency expertise has enabled AVSI to stay close to affected communities and adapt the response as their needs have evolved.

A response supported by solidarity worldwide

Following the earthquake, AVSI launched a fundraising campaign to support the emergency response in Venezuela. The campaign received a strong response from private donors, raising more than $600,000 to date.

The funds are helping AVSI continue its work alongside communities in La Guaira, as the response moves from meeting immediate needs towards protection and recovery.
 

Together with the World Food Programme, local partners and thanks to the generosity of donors, AVSI reached 30,000 people in the La Guaira area, including 1,500 people living in the Cesar Nieves displacement camp.

The emergency response included the distribution of:

• 52,000 hot meals
• 320 tonnes of food
• safe drinking water
• essential relief items

These figures tell the story of an emergency response focused on people: families who received food during the most difficult days, people who found essential supplies, and communities that could count on the presence of humanitarian workers.

A response that evolves with communities’ needs

As the weeks have passed, the situation has changed. For many families, the immediate emergency has given way to a longer period of uncertainty and recovery.

AVSI is therefore developing a new phase of its response, focused on protection and recovery, while continuing to monitor the needs of affected communities and work with partners on the ground.

Children are a key priority in this phase. After experiencing an earthquake and the disruption that followed, they need safe places where they can play, meet other children and gradually regain a sense of routine.

AVSI has established four Child Friendly Spaces, one in each of the communities where the organisation is working. So far, 160 children have taken part in recreational and psychosocial support activities.

These spaces offer children a safe environment where they can spend time together, express themselves through play and activities, and regain moments of normality after the earthquake.

Staying alongside communities

The earthquake has profoundly affected the lives of thousands of people in Venezuela. Its consequences will continue to be felt by families and communities long after the first emergency has passed.

Today, as the response moves towards protection and recovery, AVSI continues to stand alongside the people of La Guaira, adapting its work as needs evolve and accompanying communities as they begin to rebuild their everyday lives.

Anna Tramonti, Corporate communication and philanthropy specialist at AVSI Foundation.