Helping Children Heal After Venezuela’s Earthquakes: A Simple Guide

What Happened in Venezuela?

Imagine the ground suddenly shaking like a wobbly jelly, so hard that houses fall down. That’s what happened when powerful twin earthquakes hit parts of Venezuela around late June (including a date called June 24). The shaking destroyed homes in coastal towns like Caraballeda and areas like La Guaira and Caracas.

• Many families lost their houses.
• Some people lost their lives, including parents.
• Thousands of children had their lives turned upside down.

Meet Maria and Damian

Ten‑year‑old Maria and her brother Damian, 13, lost their mom when the earthquakes destroyed their home. Their aunt, Mercedes Osul, took them in. She also has two daughters of her own, so now she cares for four kids.

They live in a temporary shelter—think of it as a big camp with beds and food where people stay until they can go home.

How Kids Cope Differently

Every child feels big sadness (we call it grief) in their own way:

• Maria keeps saying, “My mom was there,” and finds comfort in eating candy.
• Damian doesn’t talk much about it. He spends his days playing soccer on a makeshift field with other kids who also lost homes.

Important Point: There is no single “right” way to cope. Some kids talk, some play, some eat sweets. All are okay ways to handle a scary event.

Child Friendly Spaces: A Safe Place to Play

Experts say kids need safe spots to feel normal again. Groups like UNICEF (a children’s help organization) and World Vision (a charity) set up what they call Child Friendly Spaces inside shelters.

In these spaces, children can:

• Play board games, card games, and sports
• Do arts and crafts
• Join group activities
• Talk to a psychologist (a grown‑up helper for feelings) if they want

Why These Spaces Matter

Manuel Rodríguez Pumarol, who works for UNICEF in Venezuela, says the goal isn’t to make kids talk right away. It’s to give them a safe place where, through play, they can:

1. Express themselves
2. Let go of stress and scary feelings
3. Feel secure again

World Vision has about 8–10 of these movable spaces in Caracas and La Guaira (the hardest‑hit areas).

Help for the Grown‑Ups Too

Adults like Aunt Mercedes are also sad—she lost her sister. She needs support so she can be strong for the kids.

• The shelter’s psychologist told her not to force Damian to talk about his mom.
• They said, “Let him vent” through soccer.
• These spaces also help adults process their own grief.

Keeping Shelters Safe

A big challenge is making sure only people who truly need help enter the shelters.

• Andrea Lasso from World Vision says some people who aren’t affected try to sneak in to harm children.
• Aid groups must control access to protect kids.

Callout – Important: Children must be kept safe from anyone who might hurt them. Shelters should be protected spaces.

How Many Children Need Help?

UNICEF estimates that about 650,000 people need assistance after the earthquakes. Out of those:

• Around 234,000 are children
• This includes kids who lost homes or relatives, plus those whose water, doctors, or vaccines were interrupted

Rodríguez Pumarol says: “The earthquake has taken so much from those boys and girls, and our role is to ensure it does not take away their future.”

Going Back to School and Routine

Some shelters are set up inside schools, but they need to be emptied before the next school year starts. Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, shared other helpers:

• A music group (Simon Bolivar Orchestra) teaches kids instruments
• Toys are given out
• Soccer fields are built by the Football Federation
• Camps are split into family units

But fears don’t vanish. Many children stay up playing late because they’re scared something might happen while they sleep.

Pictures from the shelters show kids playing soccer at a baseball stadium on July 8, drawing on July 6, and sitting on bunk beds on July 3—small glimpses of normal life.

What If a Child Has No Parents?

For kids separated from parents whose fate is unknown, family‑law specialist Jeslia Vergara explains the steps Venezuela’s system follows:

1. Find relatives – Look for grandparents, uncles, or older siblings who can temporarily care for the child while authorities figure out what happened to the parents.
2. Confirm no family – If both parents are proven gone and no relative can care, the State may declare the child “adoptable.”
3. Foster program – The child can join a foster family (a new family that cares for them).
4. Safety checks – Even in emergencies, families wanting to foster must be evaluated to ensure they can provide a safe home.
5. Last resort – Institutional care or adoption only happens if no other option works.

Important: These steps cannot be skipped, even when everything is urgent, because child safety comes first.

The Wish of a Family

Aunt Mercedes says the shelter helped her niece and nephew with food, play, and psychology support. Her own daughter loves drawing; Damian loves soccer.

But her biggest need is simple:

“A house. Everything else comes afterward.”

Until they have a home, Maria, Damian, and thousands of kids like them hold on to candy, sports, and play for any bit of comfort during the biggest tragedy of their young lives.

Summary

• Strong earthquakes shook Venezuela, destroying homes and separating families.
• Kids like Maria (candy) and Damian (soccer) cope in different ways.
• Child Friendly Spaces give safe play and counseling to help them heal.
• Grown‑ups also get support so they can care for children.
• About 234,000 children need help; shelters must be kept safe from harm.
• Efforts are underway to return to school and routine, but fears remain.
• Parentless children are first placed with relatives; foster care is a last step.
• The most urgent hope for many families is simply a new home.

FAQ

Q1: What is a Child Friendly Space?
A: It’s a safe area in a shelter where kids can play games, do crafts, and talk to feeling‑helpers if they want, so they can feel better after a disaster.

Q2: Why does Damian play soccer instead of talking about his mom?
A: Everyone copes differently. Experts say play helps release stress. His aunt was told to let soccer be his way to feel better.

Q3: How many children were affected by the earthquakes?
A: UNICEF says about 234,000 children need help, out of 650,000 total people affected.

Q4: What happens to kids who lost both parents?
A: First, relatives are searched for. If none can care for them, they may join a foster family after safety checks. Adoption is only a last resort.

Q5: Are the shelters safe for children?
A: Aid groups try hard to control who enters and keep bad people out, but it remains a constant challenge to protect kids from those who might exploit the crisis.