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STORY: UNFPA / VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE
TRT: 05:04
SOURCE: UNFPA
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNFPA ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 JUNE 2026 - 02 JULY 2026, LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA
29 JUNE 2026, LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA
1. Wide shot, a busy street lined with destroyed buildings in Caribe
2. Wide shot, displaced people gathering at a displacement site
3. Various shots, tents where displaced people are staying in Catia la Mar
4. Wide shot, children playing football at José María Vargas Sports Complex
02 JULY 2026, LA GUAIRA, VENEZUELA
5. Various shots, damaged buildings as seen from a UN convoy in Playa Grande
6. Various shots, recovery efforts at the site of a collapsed building in Catia la Mar
7. Various shots, Eugenia Sekler, UNFPA National Representative for Venezuela, speaking with impacted women at the site of a collapsed building in Catia la Mar
8. Various shots, damaged buildings and cars in a residential area in Catia la Mar
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Eugenia Sekler, National Representative for Venezuela, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“We are here in the areas most affected by the earthquake, supporting the families, the people who have lost everything. But women, adolescents, and girls face a double impact, a double burden; women are still pregnant, women still need a clean and safe delivery. Women still need menstrual hygiene products and unfortunately, in these emergency situations where vulnerability increases, there are more cases of gender-based violence, including sexual violence.”
10. Various shots, UNFPA teams working at the displacement site at José María Vargas Sports Complex
11. Various shots, aid organizations and displaced people setting up in a tented shelter at José María Vargas Sports Complex
12. Various shots, UNFPA teams meeting at the tented shelter at José María Vargas Sports Complex
13. Close up, a UNFPA dignity kit
14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Eugenia Sekler, National Representative for Venezuela, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA):
“We have been supporting the response from the very first moment; we are helping so that women have a clean and safe delivery, so that they have a clean delivery kit, a dignity kit, and a menstrual hygiene kit. Also, so that they have access to supplies to prevent everything related to the consequences of sexual violence. Likewise, providing specialized protection, prevention, and above all, response services for gender-based violence. But needs are growing, needs remain, and we cannot leave these women alone. From the Population Fund, we commit to continuing this permanent support tailored to the response of those most in need.”
15. Various shots, UNFPA safe space where psychosocial support and women’s healthcare are available at José María Vargas Sports Complex
The devastating consecutive earthquakes that struck Venezuela's central-northern region are having a severe impact on women and girls across the country.
Following the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on 24 June, which triggered nearly 1,000 aftershocks, a major humanitarian emergency has emerged, with more than 3,500 registered fatalities so far, with the number mounting daily; thousands more injured and tens of thousands rendered homeless.
The disaster has severely impacted critical infrastructure across the Capital District, La Guaira, Miranda, Carabobo, and Yaracuy states, destroying or seriously damaging hundreds of buildings and suspending vital medical, transport, electricity, and water services.
Speaking from the ground, Eugenia Sekler, the UNFPA National Representative for Venezuela, said the agency is "in the areas most affected by the earthquake, supporting the families, the people who have lost everything." Sekler warned: "women, adolescents, and girls face a double impact, a double burden; [many] women are still pregnant, women still need a clean and safe delivery. Women still need menstrual hygiene products and unfortunately, in these emergency situations where vulnerability increases, there are more cases of gender-based violence, including sexual violence."
Temporary shelters have been established in schools and other buildings for the displaced, but much more is needed. Overcrowded shelters, limited privacy, and separation of families have increased the protection risks for women and girls.
UNFPA has stepped up its emergency response, providing clean delivery kits to midwives and health clinics; setting up safe spaces for women and girls; and distributing menstrual hygiene supplies.
UNFPA has allocated US $500,000 from its internal Emergency and Humanitarian Thematic Funds to ship essential supplies and equipment to the affected zones. However, to fully scale up the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for sexual and reproductive health and expand GBV prevention and response programmes over the next three months, UNFPA has appealed for US $10 million from international donors.
