SOS Children’s Villages provides emergency aid in Venezuela

A safe home, clean water, a journey to school that begins the same way every morning: for many children in Venezuela, this was taken for granted until recently. Within a matter of hours, everything changed dramatically when, on 24 June 2026, two severe earthquakes struck the north of the country. Around 700 aftershocks followed in the days that followed.

Destroyed shelters and towns

Seven states are particularly affected, with massive damage to homes, hospitals, schools and utility networks. So far, there have been at least 3,300 fatalities, more than 11,000 injured and nearly 13,000 displaced. Over 2,500 infrastructure facilities have been damaged, including the international airport and a major seaport near Caracas. This is making the delivery of aid even more difficult.

Around 1.8 million people are in immediate need of humanitarian aid, including 680,000 children. A total of 6.8 million people are considered to be at risk. Children bear the heaviest burden: protective structures have been destroyed, and many are experiencing violence, neglect and psychological distress. Some have been separated from their families, in a country where the humanitarian situation was already precarious before the disaster.

Protection, solidarity, a path back to everyday life

SOS Children’s Villages is setting up shelters, reuniting separated families and distributing emergency kits containing food, hygiene items and water. Medical care, temporary learning spaces and psychosocial group support help children regain a sense of stability. Where possible, start-up aid packages and training programmes support families in rebuilding their lives.

This is made possible by a long-standing presence on the ground: SOS Children’s Villages has been active in Venezuela since 1978, running three SOS Children’s Villages and two family strengthening programmes in Caracas, through which it regularly reaches around 2,000 children and their families. This strong local presence enables the organisation to respond swiftly to the current crisis.

The project will run for 24 months and will reach 7,680 children, young people and adults. Support is needed to ensure that protection, food and education remain available for affected children in Venezuela.