Private humanitarian organizations and nonprofits are mobilizing a coordinated relief effort following two devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela Wednesday evening, as hundreds are confirmed dead and thousands remain missing across the northern region. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes collapsed buildings and displaced thousands, prompting an immediate response from established relief organizations with proven track records in disaster response.
Global Empowerment Mission, the Doral, Florida-based humanitarian relief organization, immediately began packing food, water, hygiene supplies, medical necessities and other emergency relief items for shipment Thursday to Caracas, where it has set up a distribution hub. The organization is collaborating with its long-term nonprofit partner the We Love Foundation, drawing on experience from previous Venezuela responses in 2018 and 2019.
Experienced Organizations Deploy Resources
Michael Capponi, president of Global Empowerment Mission, emphasized the complexity of the relief operation, noting that "no single organization can meet all the needs alone." He said collaboration across governments and NGOs is critical to ensuring efficient and swift coverage of all needs. Humanitarian organizations will face many challenges, including airport closures and the need for fast-tracked visas for aid workers, according to Capponi.
CORE, the humanitarian nonprofit founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake 16 years ago, is deploying personnel and partnering with The Wayuu Taya Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Indigenous Wayuu communities in Venezuela and Colombia and who have staff on the ground in Caracas. They aim to distribute cash support to impacted families as well as food, drinking water, hygiene kits and other critical resources.
Medical and Search-and-Rescue Operations
Direct Relief, the California-based medical humanitarian organization, is funding the deployment of a team from Spanish Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras to assist search-and-rescue efforts, and is poised to send medical supplies to local healthcare partners as needed. Direct Relief has responded to multiple earthquakes, including the 2023 disaster in Syria and Turkey 3 years ago.
Help is needed for search and rescue efforts, emergency shelter for displaced families and emergency health care, followed by safe water and sanitation, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Despite experiencing damage to its own national headquarters, the Venezuelan Red Cross' nationwide network of hospitals and clinics remains active and continues to deliver care, and rescue teams are supporting evacuation and search efforts as well as mobilizing prepositioned relief supplies.
Coordinated International Response
Red Cross Societies in Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Argentina — countries home to large Venezuelan communities — have activated services to restore family links and help people find news of their loved ones.
Airlink, the global humanitarian organization, helps facilitate transport and logistics for other nonprofits needing to send relief and personnel to disasters worldwide. It will mobilize airlines and logistics companies to send search-and-rescue teams, medical responders and aid like medicines, water filters and food to Venezuela.
World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit founded by Chef José Andrés, is mobilizing to serve hot meals to affected families and first responders as quickly as possible. WCK has led multiple responses in Venezuela, most recently in 2024 when families in the state of Sucre were displaced by Hurricane Beryl 2 years ago.
Catholic Relief Services, the international aid agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is working with local partner Caritas Venezuela to deliver emergency shelter, food, water and medical care to impacted families.
Global Impact, the philanthropy adviser and intermediary, has set up a Venezuela Earthquakes Response fund that will funnel aid to multiple vetted organizations, including UNICEF USA and Save the Children.
Why This Matters:
The swift mobilization of established private relief organizations demonstrates the critical role that experienced nonprofits and faith-based groups play in international disaster response. These organizations bring proven operational capacity, local partnerships, and efficient resource deployment that can reach affected populations quickly. The coordination between multiple private entities, each leveraging specific expertise in areas from medical care to logistics to food distribution, shows how market-tested humanitarian models can respond effectively to large-scale emergencies. The involvement of organizations with established track records in Venezuela and other disaster zones ensures accountability and efficient use of donated resources, while the activation of diaspora networks across multiple countries reflects the power of civil society and voluntary association in addressing humanitarian crises.