Governments, nonprofits, and members of the Venezuelan diaspora globally are organizing responses following the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes that shook Venezuela on Wednesday evening. These powerful, back-to-back earthquakes caused building collapses, resulted in hundreds of deaths, and left thousands missing across the northern region of the country; more fatalities are feared.
The mobilization aims to locate those missing and provide medical care and humanitarian services to the thousands who were injured or displaced.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, assistance is required for search and rescue operations, emergency shelter for families displaced by the disaster, immediate healthcare, followed by provisions for safe water and sanitation.
Michael Capponi, president of Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), noted that humanitarian organizations will face obstacles such as airport closures and the necessity for expedited visas for aid workers. He stated, “No single organization can meet all the needs alone.” He added, “Collaboration across governments and NGOs is critical to ensuring we cover all ground efficiently and swiftly.”
Donors are advised by the nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator to avoid fraudulent fundraising campaigns by checking if an organization has experience with similar disasters in the affected region and if it is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Charity Navigator has also published its own list of vetted groups assisting Venezuela.
Responding organizations include:
* **Global Empowerment Mission:** This Doral, Florida-based relief organization partners with The We Love Foundation. GEM began packing emergency supplies—including food, water, hygiene items, and medical necessities—for shipment to Caracas on Thursday, where it has established a distribution hub. GEM has previously responded in Venezuela in 2018 and 2019. * **CORE:** This humanitarian nonprofit is deploying staff and collaborating with The Wayuu Taya Foundation, which supports Indigenous Wayuu communities in Venezuela and Colombia and maintains personnel on the ground in Caracas. CORE plans to distribute cash support alongside food, drinking water, hygiene kits, and other essential resources. CORE was established after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. * **Direct Relief:** The California-based medical humanitarian organization is funding a team from Spanish Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (BUSF) to aid search-and-rescue efforts and is ready to supply medical materials to local healthcare partners as required. Direct Relief has responded to previous earthquakes, including the 2023 disaster in Syria and Turkey. * **International Red Cross:** Despite damage to its national headquarters, the Venezuelan Red Cross's network of hospitals and clinics remains operational, continuing care delivery. Rescue teams are supporting evacuation and search efforts while mobilizing stored relief supplies. Red Cross Societies in Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Argentina—countries with large Venezuelan populations—have activated services to help people reconnect with family members. * **Airlink:** This global humanitarian organization assists other nonprofits by facilitating transport and logistics for sending personnel and aid to disasters globally. It will coordinate airlines and logistics firms to deliver search-and-rescue teams, medical responders, medicines, water filters, and food to Venezuela. * **World Central Kitchen:** Founded by Chef José Andrés, this nonprofit is mobilizing to provide hot meals to affected families and first responders as quickly as possible. WCK has managed multiple responses in Venezuela, most recently in 2024 when Hurricane Beryl displaced families in Sucre state. * **Catholic Relief Services:** The international aid agency of the U.S. Catholic Church is working with local partner Caritas Venezuela to provide emergency shelter, food, water, and medical care to impacted families. * **Global Impact:** This philanthropy adviser and intermediary has created a Venezuela Earthquakes Response fund intended to channel aid through several vetted organizations, including UNICEF USA and Save the Children.