The head of International Relations for World Vision in Venezuela, Claudia González, warned this Friday that everything indicates that the country will face a long-term crisis after the strong earthquakes of June 24, which have so far left nearly 3,900 dead, and insisted that it is "an emergency within another emergency."
"This is very hard for the population of Venezuela. They have lost everything; schools, sources of funding to support their families, everything. I am very proud of the work of our organization. This is not an emergency that will end in the coming days but one that we will see unfold over time," González lamented at a virtual press conference from Caracas.
She further emphasized that it is essential for citizens to "understand that this emergency cannot be dealt with without the support of the entire world," and expressed her gratitude to the Latin community in Europe. "They have been donating through the NGO's offices in this global campaign to give back life and the world to more than 700,000 children who have been affected," she pointed out.
González stressed that children are the ones suffering the harshest consequences of the earthquakes, although she highlighted the work of World Vision teams, who continue on the ground attending to the most urgent needs of the population in the most damaged areas, especially in the La Guaira region, declared a disaster zone and currently militarized.
"We believe that children are the most affected by these earthquakes and we are taking care of those who have survived. We are caring for them, giving them shelter, and ensuring they have the life and respect they deserve. We hope that in the coming days we can develop new projects that allow them to move forward, because life goes on despite what has happened, life pushes you forward," she added.
On the other hand, the general director of World Vision in Venezuela, Peter Gape, explained that the NGO's staff "is keeping a record of those people and families to whom they provide assistance." "We have trained our partners, who manage community dining halls for families. We ensure that we provide them with the necessary training and continue to do so," he detailed.
Donations, food, and education
"We have provided them with kitchen facilities, such as stoves and refrigerators, because they have been receiving a lot of donations of perishable food. We make sure they can refrigerate them. That's what we've been doing for the last two weeks," Gape indicated, describing part of the logistical support offered.
He specified, however, that school activity remains paralyzed, especially in La Guaira and in the areas with the most damage. "We are willing to work with the authorities to understand what the plan is," he said, also underlining the organization's commitment to education.
"It is possible that we will, in fact, activate an educational emergency initiative together with other partner organizations to ensure that children who cannot return to school in the coming months receive the attention they need in the next school year," he pointed out.
Regarding reconstruction and preparation for future seismic events, Gape highlighted that "there are entities from other countries, such as Japan and Chile, that have already carried out initial assessments" on the ground. "I have seen that these experts affirm that yes, that areas like La Guaira, ground zero, and the most affected areas can be rebuilt," he commented.
"I think it's something the authorities will have to work on with the experts to ensure that what is built afterwards is more resistant. But well, I repeat, I am not an expert, and I grew up in a country with many earthquakes. I think something can be built, but after something of this magnitude... there is no 100% guarantee," he concluded.
Human Impact and Resilience
The executive director of World Vision in the United Kingdom, Fola Komolafe, in turn, stated that "one cannot fully know the dimension" of what happened after the earthquakes: "We have lived through very difficult times." "We have also lost people from our teams," she acknowledged.
"Yesterday I largely saw the resilience of the people but also the impact of our work on the ground," she recounted, before highlighting "the generosity of the families, who have donated food and supplies." "They were very generous, you know, and it was good to be able to do something while the communities queued up to receive food because they had lost everything," she continued.
He added that "people are asking for the most basic things: passports, identity documents... It's almost like trying to understand how to rebuild your life, even if you survived," referring to the most urgent needs of the affected population.
"I met an eleven-year-old girl who described her town as a cemetery. Then she said she hadn't been able to graduate on two occasions, first due to the coronavirus pandemic and now due to the earthquake," he concluded.
Venezuelan authorities have raised the number of deaths from the devastating earthquakes recorded on June 24 in the central coastal area of the country to nearly 3,890, while the number of injured remains at 16,740 people, according to the latest official reports.