WFP reaches more than 100,000 people with assistance since Venezuela earthquakes
Within 72 hours of the emergency, WFP launched a series of assessments that have now been completed across more than 80 communities in seven affected states. These have helped shape WFP’s response based on indicators involving access to food, market functionality, and supply chains and protection risks., These efforts have been undertaken in close coordination with the Government of Venezuela and humanitarian partners.
“No two affected families are living through this catastrophe the same way, and assistance must move as fast as conditions on the ground change,” said Stephanie Hochstetter, WFP Representative in Venezuela. “We were here before the earthquakes, and we will stay with Venezuelans, and alongside the local authorities and partners, for as long as it takes for families to get back on their feet”.
A response built around real, changing conditions
WFP is tailoring its support to each community’s specific circumstances and needs:
- Hot meals for people in shelters and community kitchens: Full meals with protein, vegetables, and water, prepared on site as part of a coordinated multi-partner effort.
- Ready-to-eat rations for people without the means to cook: For those still on the move or sheltering wherever they feel safe. These rations require no preparation and cover three days of food needs per person.
- Family food baskets for households whose homes remain habitable, but whose livelihoods and access to markets have been disrupted: this takes the form of dry staples covering 75 percent of a family's monthly food needs.
- Pre-paid electronic vouchers in areas where markets are functioning: this enables families to prioritize their most urgent needs while supporting local economic recovery.
Scaling the emergency response while continuing to address pre-existing needs across the country
WFP aims to reach up to 500,000 people over the response's first three months. The agency is also serving as the logistics backbone of the humanitarian response; moving relief supplies into hard-to-reach communities in support of the wider humanitarian community. WFP's logistics services have supported NGOs and UN agencies, with 261 metric tons transported and over 1,300 m³ stored — spanning shelter, health, protection, early recovery, and WASH supplies.
Assistance is being delivered in coordination with, and as a complement to, the Government of Venezuela's response and alongside humanitarian and civil-society partners on the ground.
Funding gap
WFP is appealing for USD 80 million to sustain and scale its response. Without timely donor contributions, the pace of expansion and the ability to continue tailoring assistance to evolving needs will be constrained.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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