The Government of the Canary Islands has incorporated 3,988 more people into the aid program for the purchase of food and medicine aimed at the Canary community residing in Venezuela, as part of the response following the earthquakes registered in the country last June.
A month after the earthquakes, the Vice-Ministry of External Action concluded the selection process for 8,356 beneficiaries of food cards and 5,711 of medicine cards, also addressing the needs of those who were most affected, as the regional department has recalled in a statement.
The General Director of Emigration, José Téllez, who is currently in Venezuela to hold meetings with entities and with the Canarians residing in the country, along with the Government delegate in Venezuela, Dayana Morales, has already delivered 3,213 new food cards and 2,543 medicine cards to 2,760 people residing in the states of Carabobo, Aragua, Yaracuy, Mérida, Guárico, Barinas, Portuguesa, and La Guaira.
In the coming days, the distribution of new cards to 1,228 beneficiaries residing in the states of Caracas and Anzoátegui is planned, thus completing this distribution phase.
For José Téllez, this was a "necessary" visit to convey "the affection and help" of the Government of the Canary Islands in these moments that the country and the Canary community are going through. Taking advantage of his stay, the director intends to analyze on the ground the current situation of the Canary entities and outline a support plan focused, above all, on those centers and infrastructures where social programs, medical consultations, or day centers were developed.
Reinforcement of aid after the earthquakes
The call for these aids, processed by the General Directorate of Emigration, received 8,539 applications since its opening last February.
Initially, the forecast was to select 6,291 beneficiaries of food cards and 4,033 of medicine. These figures were increased after the Government of the Canary Islands approved the reinforcement of both programs as part of the response to the emergency arising from the earthquakes, expanding the coverage aimed at Canarians and descendants in Venezuela "by 44.7% compared to 2025."
The autonomous Executive raised the funds allocated to food and medicine cards to 1,272,622 euros, in order to reach all applicants who met the requirements set in the call. Of that total, 812,322 euros are assigned to the food program and 460,300 euros to the medicine program.