Pontifical Mission Societies expand support for earthquake victims in Caracas shelters

The Pontifical Mission Societies in Venezuela (OMP Venezuela) have stepped up their support for families who were forced to leave their homes after the earthquakes of June 24. The program provides emotional and educational support to people staying in shelters in Caracas, with the aim of easing the impact of the crisis.

OMP Venezuela has organized sessions offering psycho-emotional, psychosocial and educational support, aimed primarily at children and adolescents. They are the most vulnerable to the effects of the disaster, which has upended daily life for their families.

The work has taken place in several buildings set up to house displaced people. They include the Unidad Educativa Nacional Armando Zuloaga school, the Nuevo Circo metro station, the Escuela Técnica Industrial Rafael Vega and the Unidad Educativa Luis Alberto Hurtado school in El Junquito, on the western edge of Caracas. In these places, OMP teams have set up spaces for listening, recreation and learning, responding to needs as they arise and working to create an atmosphere of safety and trust.

Safe spaces to talk and rebuild

The mission focuses on safe spaces built around active listening, recreation and education, reflecting the belief that caring for people in an emergency goes beyond meeting their material needs. Particular attention has gone to the youngest children, through activities that encourage expression, integration and stronger community ties.

OMP Venezuela's missionary volunteers have given their time and skills to those in the shelters. Their involvement has increased the organization's capacity to respond and allowed it to stay closer to needs as they emerge in the shelters.

For OMP Venezuela, the experience is a concrete sign of a Church that draws close to those who suffer, present even in a crisis and offering support, listening and education while helping to rebuild hope. The organization said it wants to give affected families the tools and support they need to get through the process, with particular emphasis on children and adolescents.

OMP Venezuela's response in the camps remains open to needs as they arise.