Originally published at The Crux
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SÃO PAULO, Brazil – While the Venezuelan Church celebrated the national and international wave of solidarity and the donations received for the victims of the earthquakes that struck the South American nation in June, it still needs to rely on the generosity of donors in the face of the many challenges that lie ahead.
More than a month ago, on Jun. 24, two successive earthquakes struck northern Venezuela. A magnitude 7.2 foreshock had its epicenter in Veroes, a municipality in Yaracuy state, at 6:04 p.m. Thirty seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 mainshock rocked the coast of La Guaira state, causing widespread damage in Caracas.
The two earthquakes killed at least 6,125 people, according to the latest report released by the Venezuelan Congress. The World Bank estimated the financial losses caused by the destruction of public and private infrastructure at US$19.5 billion.
Since the beginning, the Church has worked nonstop to assist the victims.
“Caritas Venezuela immediately began accompanying the parishes in the affected areas, speaking with priests and monitoring the needs of the hardest-hit families,” Janeth Márquez, executive director of the organization, told Crux Now.
The next step was to organize a donation campaign by activating collection centers and
