In the early morning hours of June 24, Venezuela was struck by a major earthquake (magnitude 7.2 and 7.5) that has left a devastating scene in several regions of the country’s center; the epicenter was in the northwest of the municipality of Montalbán, in the Venezuelan state of Carabobo. The result has been collapsed buildings, damaged infrastructure, and thousands of people left without homes or basic services. Authorities and emergency teams continue to work to rescue those still trapped, while hospitals and shelters are overwhelmed. There are hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injured; the numbers are rising by the minute.
Amid the emergency, the Venezuelan diaspora and the international community are organizing to send urgent humanitarian aid and support the organizations already on the ground. From cities like Madrid, many people are looking for ways to do their part to alleviate the impact of this tragedy and stand by those who have lost everything.
Where to donate in Madrid
One of the main collection points will be open this Saturday and Sunday at Sambil Madrid, on the ground floor, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; the aid collected will be sent to Venezuela, where it will be received by the NGO Toneladas de Alegría and distributed by the Bandazul Foundation.
Refugees Without Borders and Diaspora in Motion have also set up a collection center at 26 Matilde Landa Street, which will accept donations on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The relief effort is expanding to other municipalities: in Villanueva del Pardillo, Pardillo Center and the Civil Association of Venezuelans in Spain (VENESP) have opened another collection point at Avenida de Madrid, 4, Local 1, where they are accepting non-perishable food, personal hygiene products, clothing, blankets, flashlights, batteries, first-aid kits, kitchen utensils, and bottled water, in addition to accepting financial donations to facilitate the purchase, transportation, and distribution of aid.
NGOs and official channels from Spain
NGOs and foundations have set up specific funds for the earthquake in Venezuela, such as We Love Venezuela (with a GoFundMe campaign) and platforms like GlobalGiving through its Venezuela Earthquake Relief Fund, which channel resources to verified local organizations.
The Spanish Red Cross has set up donation channels for Venezuela through its website and Bizum (code 33512), and other humanitarian organizations with experience in emergencies, such as the Cadena network and World Central Kitchen, have opened specific donation channels from Spain.
The Venezuelan Embassy in Madrid and the country’s consulates in Spain have activated their support channels for citizens who need information or assistance in locating family members; the diplomatic mission is keeping its doors open to support Venezuelans residing in Spain who are experiencing distress over the situation of their loved ones. The contact numbers provided are +34 915 981 200 for the Venezuelan Embassy in Spain and +34 650 817 137 for the Venezuelan Consulate in Madrid.
Best Practices for Providing Assistance
Fundación Lealtad reminds us that the most effective way to help in emergencies is usually to make a financial donation to NGOs with experience in the area, because this allows them to purchase exactly what is needed there and prevents logistics from becoming overwhelmed by shipments of non-essential items.
They also recommend always verifying the organization’s transparency (for example, by looking for seals such as “Dona con Confianza”), avoiding personal initiatives or viral campaigns not backed by registered NGOs, and confirming through official sources and reliable media outlets that the fundraising efforts are actually linked to the earthquake in Venezuela.
