Venezuela earthquake response

How are women and girls affected?

Among those bearing the brunt of this chaos are women and girls, as the destruction in Venezuela highlights a global reality where displacement and the loss of stable housing expose them to disproportionate safety risks. To address these unique challenges, they require targeted support — including protection services and safe shelters, dignity and hygiene kits, specialized health services, and psychosocial interventions.

The urgency in the affected areas cannot be overstated: CARE’s partners have already identified more than 37 cases of sexual violence in shelters since the response began. These incidents are directly fueled by dark, unlit common areas, unsecure sanitation facilities, and a lack of safe reporting channels — painfully underscoring the immediate dangers women and girls face the moment they lose their homes.

How CARE is responding to the Venezuela earthquakes

In partnership with local organizations including Tinta Violeta, Uniandes A.C., Grupo Social CESAP, and Humanity & Inclusion (HI), CARE is responding in La Guaira and Caracas with urgent support for affected communities.

This comprehensive response focuses heavily on immediate safety and well-being, providing psychosocial first aid, child protection, and specialized case management to prevent violence against women and girls. Concurrently, teams are delivering essential survival aid — including hot meals through community kitchens, emergency shelter supplies, non-food items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support.

To anchor these operations, a specialized CARE team from neighboring Colombia has arrived in Venezuela to coordinate response efforts. The team visited informal shelters in Caracas hosting families from both the capital and La Guaira to understand people’s immediate needs related to shelter, sanitation, health and protection. Moving forward, CARE Colombia is providing strict financial, technical, and supply chain oversight to guarantee that every dollar raised is spent for maximum impact with the highest program quality.

How to help Venezuela

CARE and partners need urgent funding

Even before the ground shook on June 24, Venezuela’s humanitarian needs were severe with 7.9 million people — nearly 28% of the population — requiring assistance. Yet, the country’s Humanitarian Response Plan was only 23.2% funded. With estimated economic losses from this earthquake threatening to swallow up a sizable chunk of Venezuela’s GDP, localized, sustainable funding is an absolute necessity to prevent a secondary humanitarian catastrophe.

To meet this need, CARE partners are seeking funding to establish safe spaces for women and girls at displacement sites, distribute hygiene, dignity, and emergency CARE PACKAGE kits; provide clean water and psychosocial support, distribute tents, tarpaulins, and blankets, supply hot meals; and offer targeted health services.

“At moments like this, the immediate priority is saving lives, supporting those who have been injured, and ensuring affected communities have access to the assistance they need,” said CARE’s Mendez. “CARE is working with our existing partners in Venezuela, who are already responding to the earthquake, to determine how best to enhance their efforts.”