Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launches Venezuela Earthquake Appeal
Press conference: Wednesday 1 July, 14:30 (UK time)
One Moorgate Place, Chartered Accountants, London EC2R 6EA.
DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed will be joined by spokespeople and aid workers from member agencies on the ground in Venezuela.
Media are invited to join us in person or online on Zoom.
In London:
- Saleh Saeed, CEO of the DEC
- Madara Hettiarachchi, Director of Programmes & Accountability, DEC
- Ray Hasan, Director of Impact, Christian Aid
From Venezuela:
- Dunia de Barnola, Country Director, Action Against Hunger, Venezuela
- Mike Boomer, CESVI’s Head of Mission for Venezuela and Colombia, a local partner of Plan International
Contact: 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999 014 (out of hours) press1@dec.org.uk
* Hi-Res images for media use*
PRESS RELEASE
EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2026
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launches Venezuela Earthquake Appeal
Today (Wed 1 July) the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is launching an urgent appeal to raise funds to reach people affected by the catastrophic earthquakes in Venezuela, which have killed at least 1,700 people and left thousands more injured and in need of medical care.
The scale of the destruction is catastrophic. Buildings were reduced to rubble in minutes following two back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 which struck close to Venezuela’s capital city, Caracas just after 6pm local time on Wednesday 24 June.
The second earthquake was the strongest to hit the country in more than a century. Around 2,500 buildings are believed to have been destroyed. Venezuela’s authorities have declared a state of emergency and the UN estimates that millions of people have been affected, with more than two million in the worst impacted areas.
DEC charities and their local partners have been working in Venezuela for many years. They are providing emergency medical treatment, delivering meals and food baskets, and ensuring people have access to clean drinking water, but funds are urgently needed to reach more families.
Broadcast appeal films to support the response by DEC charities will air on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky later today (1 July). BBC and commercial radio appeals will also be broadcast throughout the day.
Every pound donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government through its UK Aid Match scheme, up to the value of £2 million.
Venezuela was facing a severe economic crisis before the earthquakes. Now homes and businesses in Caracas and across several states have been destroyed or damaged, with a particularly serious impact reported in the La Guaira and Greater Caracas areas.
Many survivors are sleeping in makeshift tents on the street and urgently need shelter, food and water. With road, power lines and critical infrastructure destroyed, families are cut off from essential services and supplies. The country’s hospitals are under extreme pressure treating those in need of medical care.
The DEC will hold a press conference today (1 July) at 2.30pm where DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed will be joined by spokespeople and aid workers on the ground.
The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas. Fourteen member charities are responding in Venezuela including British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children.
Saleh Saeed said: “Thousands of people in Venezuela have survived the unimaginable horror of two devastating earthquakes only to face the trauma of missing loved ones and finding their homes and neighborhoods destroyed.
“Right now, many of these families are sleeping in makeshift tents on the street. They urgently need shelter, food, water, and medical care.
“DEC charities are working around the clock with their local partners to reach people. The needs are overwhelming and the British public’s support could be a lifeline for families affected by this devastating disaster. Please donate now.”
Dunia de Barnola, Country Director for Action Against Hunger said: “We are making sense of the scale of what we will find in the struck areas. People are living on the streets and in improvised shelters and do not have access to basic services – life feels very fragile. We are attending to people’s basic health needs – including those taking part in the rescue missions. Our immediate focus is on distribution of safe drinking water and hygiene kits, and to establish emergency water and sanitation systems. We are particularly concerned that we have many older people who need help urgently. Donations will make a significant difference to the support we can give.”
International Rescue Committee (IRC) and its partners in Venezuela are working fast to get help to people affected by the devastating earthquakes. Rafael Garcia, IRC Emergency Response Team Leader said: “Families were already facing poverty and local hospitals were stretched thin before this disaster, which makes the impact even more devastating. We are focusing on health support and supplying hygiene kits to people who have lost even their most basic possessions, and on reuniting unaccompanied children with their families.
“Donations will make a huge difference in supporting our staff and partners who have been working night and day despite living through the crisis themselves.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The earthquakes in Venezuela last week have been devastating. Already we have sent our UK search and rescue team to help. But the people of Venezuela desperately need urgent humanitarian support from across the globe.
“That is why the UK Government are matching funding up to £2m of public donations to DEC’s appeal to provide urgent humanitarian assistance, as part of a wider package of support from the UK.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999 014 (out of hours)
Join the press conference here
Or for more information contact press1@dec.org.uk
Interview requests: Panellists will be available at the end of the press conference for individual interviews. For more information or to request interviews in advance please contact press1@dec.org.uk
A collection of images and video footage of the aftermath of the earthquake and DEC charities responding is available here.
About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.
Fourteen of the DEC’s 15 member charities are either responding or planning to respond in Venezuela and will receive funds from this appeal.
Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently in the Myanmar Earthquake Appeal, the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal and the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.
Enquiries about UK Aid Match and UK Government support for Venezuela should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Newsdesk. Please email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk.
How to donate:
Online: dec.org.uk
Phone: 0370 60 60 900
Text to give/SMS: text SUPPORT to 70150 to donate £10.
Donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque by post to: DEC Venezuela Earthquake Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.