SOS Venezuela sends financial aid and coordinates humanitarian help in Venezuela

(Photos/Courtesy of SOS Venezuela Denver)

THEY HAVE EXECUTED SIX MICRO-PROJECTS IN AREAS AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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The Venezuelan community in Colorado demonstrated that distance is no barrier when acting with surgical precision. In Denver, through the account of a non-profit organization, thousands of Venezuelans and people of other nationalities donated urgent monetary aid, understanding that, in the first hours of chaos, cash was the only way to guarantee immediate relief.

Through the organization SOS Venezuela Denver, and in a direct alliance with Cáritas Venezuela, they have managed to raise and send around 20,000 dollars in record time. They bypassed logistical collapse and commercial airport closures by sending resources to be used directly on Venezuelan soil to purchase supplies in a supervised and effective manner.

Help from Colorado arrived in less than 72 hours

“In less than 72 hours after the tragedy occurred, three hundred victims in La Guaira, El Junquito, and San Bernardino—three of the most affected areas—already had help in their hands,” informs Sue Montoya, president of SOS Venezuela Denver. Montoya is very satisfied with the positive response in Colorado toward providing monetary support to those affected by the earthquake.

“The first donations we received expressed the shock felt by Venezuelans, Latinos, and Anglo-Americans here upon learning about the natural tragedy shaking Venezuela. The response has been something wonderful. People have stepped up,” shares Montoya, who suffered a terrible loss. Her sister Lida, a resident of La Guaira—the epicenter of the tragedy—was declared missing and later deceased.

Emergency kits and equipment to support rescuers

The funds sent from Colorado were immediately transformed, through local contractors, into survival kits containing water, non-perishable food, diapers, blankets, and basic hygiene items. In addition to the kits, the money sent made it possible to furnish temporary shelters with new mattresses and supply critical tools such as shovels and pickaxes to support volunteer rescuers working to clear rubble.

Dr. Janeth Márquez, executive director of Cáritas Venezuela, comments on their current mission. “While the State is handling the clearing of rubble and seeing how to save lives, we are then responding to humanitarian aid issues, providing food, water, and hygiene, and assisting with everything related to accompaniment during this first week.”

A coordinated, transparent, and swift response from the state of Colorado confirms that solidarity and direct financial support are powerful tools for saving lives in the most critical hours of an emergency. Dr. Márquez concludes, “The best way right now is first through prayer, and second through the monetary aid that needs to be given through the different tools we have available.”

To make a donation, visit SOS VENEZUELA DENVER

https://sosvenezueladenver.org

SOS Venezuela sends financial aid and coordinates humanitarian help in Venezuela

With partners on the ground

The humanitarian response in affected communities shifted strategies after the delivery of the first emergency supplies. The alliance between SOS Venezuela Denver and Cáritas Venezuela gave way to the execution of six micro-projects designed to address specific needs in the hardest-hit sectors.

This coordinated operation relies on the 14 years of experience that this Colorado non-profit organization has in managing international aid. Instead of just sending resources, the organization works directly with local contractors and procurement companies to ensure that the money turns into immediate solutions.

Since last Friday, June 26, work has been focused on equipping and maintaining temporary shelters for families who were left homeless. With the funds raised in Colorado, beds, pillows, blankets, and personal hygiene items were purchased for the victims, including the 400 families housed at the Hotel Ávila in San Bernardino.

Care for orphaned children

In addition, the organization covers the cost of daily lunches for Cáritas’s team of 100 volunteers, who distribute food across four shelters located in areas that still lack electricity and gas. This assistance network also focuses on protecting children and caring for the mental health of the victims.

In the La Pastora sector, resources sent from Denver were used to furnish a temporary shelter run by the Discalced Carmelite sisters with food and new mattresses, where they care for 60 orphaned children affected by the disaster. In this space, the minors receive daily nourishment and emergency psychological care to help them process the trauma caused by the earthquakes.