Children impacted by the twin earthquakes in Venezuela a
month ago said they are missing their homes, schools and
loved ones and friends who were among the nearly
5,400 people that died in the disaster, said Save the
Children.
In emotive, personal testimonies, children
and their parents supported by Save the Children told the
aid agency of the risks and hardship of living in tents,
with parents worried about their children’s safety, while
dealing with their own grief and loss.
The magnitude
7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes on 24 June destroyed homes and
infrastructure across Venezuela with more than 16,700 people
injured [1], over 23,300 displaced in transitional camps and
thousands more sheltering in informal tented camps, where
regular clean water and toilets are very limited [2]
.
Heriberto-, 7, from La Guaira, was
displaced with his family and his dog Deimos the day of the
earthquake and said he worries that rebuilding what was lost
could take a long time.
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He recalls fearing for his
life the night of the earthquake. “It gave me a terrible
fright. Like, “Mom, Mom, I don’t want to die!”
“One
floor became the ground floor. I don’t know how that
happened. And when I saw everything, all of La Guaira, it
was like this, all chipped up, rubble. I think it takes
years to repair this. Like years, I don’t
know.”
Despite the upheaval, Heriberto said he is
focusing on the things that still bring him joy such as
playing with Lego, riding his bicycle and scooter, and
spending time with friends. He also holds onto his dreams
for his future and for a better world.
Heriberto said:
What I would love most is if we are all hungry, there would
be food”
” I would like to be a footballer…I’m also
going to be an airplane pilot.”
Alba-,
11, who was due to graduate from primary school on
30 June, says the earthquakes transformed her world in an
instant, putting the life she knew on hold. “I’ve never been
through anything like this. It feels very strange to be
here,” Alba said.
“This whole thing has been going by
slowly. I thought I was only going to be here for two
months, one month and that’s it, but no.”
She also
struggles to sleep. “Sometimes I need more sleep because I
get up early every day. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of
the night and stay awake.”
Marcela-,
33, who was displaced with her four-year-old
daughter Emma- said that one of the hardest parts of the
earthquakes has been watching the impact on
Emma.
“Before all this happened, my daughter was
always a little girl who watched her cartoons, went to
school, a truly calm little girl. Today, everyone who
approaches her, she would tell them ‘[my house] it
broke,’” said Marcela.
“You have to work three times
as hard to support them like before because unfortunately
they don’t have a bed, the same comfort as before. You are
adapting little by little to this reality because this
reality, it’s not a dream.”
Parents and humanitarian
agencies also report that children and adolescents living in
displacement face
increasing threats to their safety including a lack of
security, privacy and lighting at night, placing girls and
women at particular risk. [3]
Alba’s mother
Rosa Iciela-, 33, said that the crowded
conditions leave her constantly uneasy about her
daughter’s safety. She said that she tries to keep Alba in
sight, but it is difficult.
Rosa Iciela said: “At
night, people walk or walk, they pass by. You never know
who’s walking behind you. That’s tough, because they’re
still just girls and it’s hard to see because here there are
so many people, many men that we’ve never seen
before.”
“I think, for all mothers, the greatest fear
is that something might happen to their
children.”
Save the Children’s acting Country
Director in Venezuela, Maria Mercedes Liévano,
said:
“Children in Venezuela remain in limbo as their
sense of safety, routine and normality have been ripped away
by June’s earthquakes. Children are telling us that they
miss their homes, their schools and their loved ones, and
many of them are still carrying the trauma and grief of the
earthquake with them.
“One month on, the disaster may
not be making as many headlines, but now is not the time for
the world to look away from the children of Venezuela, who
continue to live through the earthquake’s impact day after
day, with children as young as seven telling us they are
worried about the future.
“The physical and emotional
wounds left by an earthquake of this scale cannot be healed
overnight, but children need both immediate and long-term
support to ensure that this devastating disaster does not
cause long lasting harm. Protection and psychosocial support
are urgent priorities, as well as support with healthcare,
water, nutrition and shelter.”
Save the Children is on
the ground in Venezuela running safe spaces where children
can access mental health support and continue learning while
schools remain closed, and where those with more significant
needs can be referred for individual support. Save the
Children is also working with authorities and local partners
providing primary healthcare through mobile clinics,
distributing hygiene kits, clean water and essential
supplies.
Save the Children has been working in
Venezuela since 2019. Since the humanitarian crisis started
to rapidly deteriorate a few years ago, Save the Children
has been scaling up its response through local partners to
support the increasing number of children in need. Save the
Children is delivering health, nutrition, education, child
protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene and food
security and livelihoods support.
In Aotearoa
New Zealand, Save the Children is raising much-needed
funds to support the response in Venezuela. To donate, go
to: Venezuela
Earthquakes
Appeal
Notes:
[1] https://reliefweb.int/report/venezuela-bolivarian-republic/earthquakes-venezuela-situation-report-30-23-july-2026-time-0900-pm
[2]
https://www.ifrc.org/press-release/ifrc-one-month-after-venezuelas-earthquakes-health-care-psychosocial-support-and-safe
[3]
https://globalprotectioncluster.org/latest/publications/venezuela-protection-situation-update-3-earthquake-response
