The death toll of earthquakes in Venezuela has now passed 4,000, as church volunteers continue to work with Christian charities in responding to the scale of devastation and need.
Around 1.3 million people require urgent aid, according to the United Nations, two weeks on from the double quakes.
World Vision has reached more than 45,000 people through its work with local church partners, providing emergency food, hygiene and water kits; providing child protection and recreational activities.
“As I walked across the streets, you could smell the atmosphere: the flies, the personal belongings of people who lived in the buildings, the photos of families”, Fola Komolafe, UK chief executive officer at the Christian charity, told Premier Christian News, having visited witnessed the “scale of the devastation” where the earthquakes hit.
“People are still in shock. In spite of that, there’s a huge effort by churches, volunteers, family members doing their best to see if there’s anybody alive”, she explained, sharing stories of how rescuers had found a mother and her three children alive, and then of 16 people who were trapped in a basement, “so in the midst of all of that, people are still hopeful that they may still find their relatives alive.”
As rescue efforts turn to a focus on aid and rebuilding, World Vision is working with 2,000 church partners in Venezuela to reach affected families. Child-Friendly Spaces have been set up in communities to distribute supplies and provide activities for the kids.
“It's about protection, is about their psychosocial well-being, is about getting them out of the trauma that they're in. They’re colouring and playing, but they’re also able to express how they’re seeing what is going on”, Komolafe said.
One 11 year-old girl described the scene in her port city of Catia La Mar as a “cemetery”. A six year-old girl explained how she was texting her father about what was happening but received no response, without realising he had been killed. Komolafe shared these examples of the shock and psychological impact that children were going through.
More than 680 schools have been destroyed and there are fears that disease may spread with poor sanitation and a lack of clean water.
World Vision is part of the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, which has raised more than £7million so far. Komolafe thanked the charity’s supporters, having seen the impact aid has made on the ground.
“We know that Christ is part of how we cope with situations like this,” she told Premier, asking for Christians to pray for opportunities that people may “discover that Christ is there to support them.”
Komolafe also urged prayers for victims’ emotional well-being, for the churches responding, and for humanitarian staff “who haven’t been able to grieve” relatives who have died or the destruction of their communities.