Children face spiraling risks after Venezuela quake

                                                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information: 
Cheri Dahl 
CDahl@ChildFund.org 
804.756.2702

Children face spiraling risks after Venezuela quake

ChildFund partners with local organizations to protect them

[Richmond, Virginia – July 1, 2026] As rescuers continue the struggle to find survivors of Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes last week, the risks to children and adolescents are intensifying.

“The impact of the earthquake in Venezuela is truly devastating,” says Carolina Brea, ChildFund’s vice president for Program Resources and Institutional Learning, who hails from Venezuela. “After years of a socio-economic crisis, it caught the country at a time when public services, the healthcare system and emergency response capacities were already broken. Thousands have lost their lives, and at least 30,000 have been displaced from their homes and are living in tents and makeshift shelters.” 

Children who have been separated from their families are being left at hospitals. Hospitals are operating beyond capacity, which disrupts care for children and pregnant women. Thousands of children lack reliable access to safe water and sanitation, with damaged infrastructure and overcrowding in shelters intensifying the risk of disease outbreaks. Women and girls in displacement especially face grave risks of violence, neglect and exploitation. Continuing aftershocks amplify the acute distress children are already experiencing.

ChildFund, through trusted Venezuelan partner organizations AVESSOC, Fundana, Casa Hogar Bambi Venezuela and CECODAP, has been at work since day 1, delivering immediate lifesaving interventions for children’s protection. Together our focus is on safety, restoring some stability, and reuniting children with parents or family members, ensuring that they have mental health and other urgent support throughout the process. The response 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.

“As a Venezuelan, this is deeply personal to me,” says Brea. “Places I frequented as a child are now rubble, and many people I know have lost loved ones. I am proud that ChildFund's response will provide emergency services to children, keeping them safe and supported during this very difficult time.”

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

Carolina Brea 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.