Who Gets Left Waiting
Marc Anthony, Luis Fonsi, Chayanne, Feid, Jay Wheeler and many more will perform at an international benefit concert livestreamed from Miami on Aug. 16 to raise money for people affected by earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia. The show, called “Unidos por Los Nuestros,” or “United for Our Own,” will take place at 6 p.m. ET at Miami’s Kaseya Center and will be shown live on Univision, ViX, WAPA and TelevisaUnivision radio stations, iHeartLatino and Venevision Play in Venezuela. The machinery of celebrity, media and nonprofit branding is moving fast. The people on the ground are still digging through the wreckage.
Proceeds from online donations and ticket sales will address immediate and longterm needs, including rebuilding homes, repairing schools and community spaces, supporting children and providing mental health support, among other initiatives. Anthony said, “Uniting for a common cause — taking action and helping fellow human beings facing hardship — is a duty we all share.” He said his nonprofit Maestro Cares Foundation will administer the funds along with the Univision Foundation. The money will pass through institutions before it reaches the people who need it. That’s the route aid often takes when power sits in the middle.
What the Fundraiser Says It Will Do
The proceeds will support All Hands and Hearts, CARE, Global Empowerment Mission, Techo and World Central Kitchen. The concert was initially created to benefit Venezuela after 7.2- and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes rocked northern areas of the country just 39 seconds apart on June 24, killing at least 6,300 people. Those plans changed Monday, when western parts of Colombia also experienced a deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake, prompting organizers to include Colombia. One disaster after another, and the response still has to be assembled through a concert ticket and a livestream.
Authorities and residents in Colombia were still beginning to understand the devastation there, where at least 181 people were killed and more than 2,500 injured, and researchers called it the country’s worst quake this century. For Venezuela, the fundraiser comes at a crucial time as public and media attention fades on a humanitarian crisis that will last years, said Rodner Figueroa, co-founder and vice president of the I Love Venezuela Foundation, which channels resources to nonprofits working in Venezuela and is a Global Empowerment Mission partner. Figueroa said, “The biggest challenge right now is to keep the moment alive,” and added, “The need in Venezuela continues to be at a scale that is unbelievable.”
Tens of thousands of displaced survivors in Venezuela need housing, clean water and sanitation, and ongoing medical attention. More than six weeks later, people are still searching for missing friends and relatives, often without any official help. That line says plenty on its own. When the state’s help is missing, the burden drops to the displaced, the grieving and whoever can organize outside the usual channels.
Celebrities, Foundations and the Aid Pipeline
Dozens of Latin television personalities, journalists and other celebrities will help host the event, including Don Francisco, longtime host of the TV show “Sábado Gigante,” and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres. Additional music acts include Piso 21, Gente de Zona, Elena Rose, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Ricardo Montaner, Mau y Ricky, Olga Tañón and others. The performers span Latin genres, from salsa and reggaeton to pop, and join from across Latin America, including Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Anthony said, “We have all witnessed the devastation that has affected our communities at some point — we have seen it happen time and again in many of our countries and across the globe. The need is immense.” He also said he advocated and raised funds after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. The same cycle keeps repeating: catastrophe, attention, fundraising, then another round of people trying to survive what institutions couldn’t prevent or quickly fix.
Some Colombian artists committed to the fundraiser well before they knew an earthquake would soon affect their own homeland. The Urbano Latino musician Feid, born in Medellín, has been reaching out to his more than 14 million Instagram followers this week to support aid groups there. Latin music also shares a special connection with Cali, Colombia, one of the hardest-hit cities and a globally recognized hub for Salsa music and dance.
“Unidos por Los Nuestros” is being organized by Cárdenas Marketing Network, Maestro Cares Foundation, TelevisaUnivision and PIMIENTO Entertainment. Other musicians are also mobilizing relief efforts. The Venezuelan band Rawayana founded Fundación El After shortly following the disaster to support impacted young people. Shakira and other Colombian musicians, including Karol G, Ryan Castro and J. Balvin, rallied support for Colombia on Monday through social media. Metallica’s foundation donated $100,000 for Venezuela to humanitarian organization Direct Relief.
What Power Looks Like Here
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel will host a benefit concert for earthquake recovery Aug. 23 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, his last performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic before he joins the New York Philharmonic. Proceeds from Dudamel’s “A Concert for Venezuela” will benefit recovery funds of the United Nations Development Programme and the CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Beck, Natalia Lafourcade and Carlos Vives will join Dudamel. The aid network keeps widening, but the people facing the damage are still waiting for homes, water, sanitation and medical attention. The institutions are ready. The need is still there.