‘We are devastated’: United Front community and relief organizations support Venezuela after earthquake

When two magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 27, Daniela Lambert spent all night anxiously awaiting news of her family’s survival.

“We are devastated,” said Lambert, a 20-year-old Venezuelan-American and sophomore animal sciences student at Santa Fe College. “My mother was up all night trying to contact my family members.”

Her relatives survived, but the earthquakes left permanent damage. Her cousins’ house was damaged, the family lost their dog and the dental practice lost approximately 80% of its clients.

Lambert said her family is now seeking financial and medical donations via social media to rebuild their home, restore their business and find new housing. So far, the family has raised $541, while seven relatives still live together at her aunt’s house.

The devastation also sparked a wave of relief efforts across Florida.

Members of UF’s Venezuelan Student Association, also known as VENSA, are organizing donation drives, recruiting volunteers and partnering with local businesses to send humanitarian aid to those affected.

“There are many different ways in which earthquakes can be affected in Venezuela,” said Valentina Jedlicka, a psychology major at the University of Florida and vice president of community service at VENSA.

VENSA began by promoting existing food drives and connecting volunteers with organizations that collect aid, Jedlicka said. The student organization teamed up with Tinker, a Venezuelan restaurant in Gainesville, to expand relief efforts.

The organization has continued to fundraise, organize community campaigns and promote relief efforts through social media, said Maria Carrero Jimenez, a sophomore nursing student at the University of Florida and an 18-year-old VENSA community manager.

Carrero Jimenez said overcrowding, lack of preparedness and lack of medical equipment have severely affected Venezuelan hospitals. One of VENSA’s current priorities is collecting first aid kits and medical supplies.

As relief efforts continue, she said she has seen a rise in volunteer work.

“It’s been so amazing to see how many people have reached out to us and people who are not from Venezuela,” she said. “To the people who volunteer, I can’t say thank you enough.”

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Supporters included people from Colombia, Brazil and the Middle East, she said, showing how the disaster united communities outside Venezuela.

“Even though we are not there personally to help in Venezuela, I think it is very wonderful that so many people are stepping up to help despite the distance,” she said.

She added that Carrero Jimenez encourages people to continue volunteering and providing assistance.

“This is something that won’t end tomorrow,” she said. “It will continue to affect a lot of people in the days and perhaps years to come.”

The organization is collecting donations at the Marston Science Library and will host a World Cup viewing party on July 11, with proceeds used to purchase supplies for families affected by the quakes, said Valeria Cadaveco, a UF Marine Sciences student and 21-year-old president of VENSA. Whole Foods on Archer Road also donated boxes of food to be shipped to Venezuela, she added.

Despite the tragedy, she said the outpouring of support has given hope.

“There are a lot of people coming forward who have no connection to the case, and it makes us happy to know that we have that support at a time like this,” Cadavico said.

The student-led initiatives are part of a broader humanitarian response unfolding across Florida.

Ruben Jiménez is the general manager of Centro Comunitario Amor, Fe y Esperanza, a disaster relief organization in South Florida. He said volunteers have worked almost every day since the quakes, collecting food, hygiene products, medical supplies and other essential items. The organization partnered with Bambi, a Venezuelan non-profit organization serving children across Venezuela, to distribute aid directly to affected communities.

“We have worked almost every day since the accident to promote donation efforts through radio, social media and television to encourage people to provide aid,” Jimenez said.

He added that the organization includes an average of between 30 and 40 volunteers daily, as the volunteers sort donations, organize supplies, and load trucks. On one of the busiest days, more than 100 people arrived to help. He said that the organization has already sent more than 40 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid.

“I’ve helped with hurricane crises, but I’ve never seen an aid movement in South Florida for Venezuela like this,” Jimenez said. “People have arrived in the midst of emotional crisis and tears just to work.”

Despite the devastation, he said he remains optimistic about Venezuela’s future.

He added: “Although what happened in Venezuela may seem like just a disaster, it also represents an opportunity for reconstruction.” “Help can be as great as the pain.”

Contact Kathia Montenegro at [email protected].

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