ChildFund’s Venezuela earthquake response

                                                MEDIA ADVISORY 

Contact Information: 
Cheri Dahl 
CDahl@ChildFund.org 

  ChildFund’s Venezuela earthquake response:
Because children can’t wait.   

[Richmond, Virginia – June 26, 2026] ChildFund staff are already at work with Venezuelan community organizations in the areas hardest hit by the devastating earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela this week. Our highest priority is on the needs of children, who too often fall by the wayside in emergency responses. 

Children are at the greatest risk of all, says Radwa el Manssy, ChildFund’s director for Children in Crisis. “An earthquake this powerful destroys not only the built environment, but also the critical connections children depend on to keep them safe and healthy — homes, schools and safe spaces, even their families. And every moment without protection or support adds to their distress.” ChildFund is responding with a hyper-focus on children’s unique needs — especially for safety.

The response, co-led with local organizations, aims to reach 5,000 children and caregivers during its initial phase, and up to 30,000 people through scale-up interventions as additional funding becomes available.

Child protection anchors the response and includes emergency psychosocial support, dignity kits to support menstrual hygiene and reduce protection risks, and lifesaving medical care to address injuries, dehydration, heat-related illnesses, and other urgent health concerns. We are also providing critical water, sanitation and hygiene assistance to reduce health risks and promote safe and dignified living conditions, as well as emergency food assistance to help vulnerable households protect children’s nutritional well-being during this early phase. Rapid assessments are ongoing in tandem with humanitarian partners to ensure relevance to emerging needs and alignment with national response efforts.

Children in Venezuela can’t wait. Please consider adding ChildFund to any how-to-help information or lists your publication shares.

Radwa el Manssy is available for interviews and can provide up-to-date information on the response. 

Supporters can donate here.

About ChildFund 

ChildFund works throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas, including the United States, to connect children with what they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe — at home, in school, in community and online. During emergencies, ChildFund’s focus is always on children — on providing the things they most urgently need to survive and thrive after a disaster, including not just physical relief items but also psychological and emotional support. Learn more at ChildFund.org.