Venezuela earthquake appeal: How you can continue Scotland's proud tradition of standing with those in need
Amid fears about the spread of disease, people in the earthquake zone need food, shelter, clean water, sanitation facilities and hygiene items. Text HOPE to 70150 to send £10
As the extent of the devastation caused by last week’s earthquakes in Venezuela has become clear, the world has been shocked by the scale of the destruction. In just minutes, the back-to-back quakes reduced buildings to rubble and left thousands of people dead or injured.
Distressing as these scenes are, they mirror countless past disasters where lives and communities have been shattered. But over the course of my career, I’ve seen how kindness, support and solidarity can help those who’ve suffered terrible loss to recover.
In the aftermath of this disaster, the humanitarian needs are vast and complex. Families have been left homeless. Survivors have spent agonising days digging through wreckage searching for loved ones. Roads, power lines, hospitals and telecommunications systems have been damaged or destroyed, making for an incredibly challenging situation for emergency responders on the ground.
Injured while searching for those buried under rubble
The United Nations estimates that millions of people have been affected. But beyond the raw casualty figures, the damage assessments and the harrowing pictures emerging from the worst-hit areas, there are innumerable tales of personal loss.
At a Red Cross field hospital in Caracas, many of those receiving treatment have been people injured not in the earthquakes themselves, but while searching desperately for friends, family and neighbours buried under the rubble. Countless people within Venezuela and in sizeable Venezuelan emigrant communities in neighbouring countries are anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.
In the face of this carnage, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an appeal to provide support and hope to the people and communities caught up in the crisis.
When the earthquakes struck, responders in Venezuela sprang into action immediately, conducting search-and-rescue operations, rushing the injured to hospital and providing life-saving medical treatment. Sadly, the likelihood of finding anyone else alive under the rubble is falling, but the response to this disaster will continue over the weeks, months and years to come.
Survivors’ immediate needs include food, clean water and shelter for those who have been displaced from their homes – either because they have been destroyed, or because the fear of aftershocks and further collapses has left families sleeping exposed to the elements in streets and open spaces.
There is also a pressing need for sanitation facilities and hygiene items to prevent the spread of disease. The thousands who have lost their lives require safe and dignified burial, and people who have endured almost unimaginable trauma – first in the earthquakes themselves, then in the crisis left in their wake – will require ongoing mental health support.
The DEC has launched its Venezuela Earthquake Appeal to meet these critical needs. It brings together leading British charities specialising in emergency response, with the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Save the Children and Tearfund leading the response in Scotland, and eight other charities participating in the appeal across the UK.
Sixty years of DEC appeals
DEC charities and their local partners have been working in Venezuela for many years, including the Venezuelan Red Cross Society. Within minutes of the earthquakes, their responders had mobilised to help in the search for survivors. The society has also set up a field hospital and first aid posts to treat the injured and has collaborated with neighbouring Red Cross National Societies to help people trying to trace missing family members.
Working with local organisations, our charity partners are providing meals, drinking water and safe shelter. They are protecting the welfare of especially vulnerable groups, including children.
Together, the DEC partner organisations have unparalleled experience responding to major disasters. This year marks 60 years since the committee’s first emergency appeal, responding to the 1966 Türkiye earthquake. In the subsequent decades, it has launched 80 appeals during humanitarian crises, from hurricanes in the Caribbean to famine in Ethiopia, and the 2004 Asian tsunami to floods in Pakistan. It has supported people impacted by conflicts around the world, including in Gaza and Ukraine.
Acting in partnership lets us respond rapidly and effectively to emergencies of all kinds, whenever and wherever they strike. Now, we are asking for the Scottish public’s support to help us be there for people in Venezuela.
A proud tradition
Scotland has a proud tradition of standing with people in their time of need. The Scottish government has already agreed to provide £250,000 to the relief effort, a contribution which will help to get much-needed support to the communities where it is most needed. The UK government has pledged to match public donations up to the value of £2 million.
But the situation in Venezuela is desperate, and people there will require support for years to come, not only to recover from this disaster, but to prepare and build resilience in the face of future threats. That’s why we are asking people in Scotland to donate to the DEC Venezuela Earthquake Appeal, and to ensure that we can provide vital support for the people whose lives have been so devastatingly affected.
Every pound raised will make a difference to people in Venezuela. A donation of £10 could provide essential hygiene supplies to a family to prevent illness; £25 could help provide emergency food support to a family for a week; £50 could provide shelter kits for three families whose homes have been destroyed. Whatever you can contribute, it will go towards saving lives, alleviating suffering and preserving human dignity.
The DEC partner charities are at the heart of the response to this crisis. With your help, we will continue our work for as long as we are needed. If you can, please support the appeal today.
You can donate online at dec.org.uk, or by phone on 0370 60 60 900. You can also donate £10 by texting HOPE to 70150.
Rob Murray is director for Scotland of the British Red Cross
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