Toronto, 30 June 2026 – Save the Children together with the Humanitarian Coalition—Canada’s 12 leading aid organizations—welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement that it will match, dollar-for-dollar, donations to its Venezuela Earthquake Response appeal up to a maximum of $2 million. Donations made to the Humanitarian Coalition and its 12 member organizations will be matched retroactively to June 25, 2026, until July 14, 2026.
Back-to-back earthquakes struck in north-central Venezuela on June 24, causing extensive damage in a densely populated area. At least 1,450 people have been killed, 3,200 injured, and tens of thousands are still missing—with numbers rising by the hour.
To address mounting humanitarian needs, Humanitarian Coalition members are quickly scaling up their response by providing food, emergency shelter, safe water and sanitation support, health services and psychosocial support to affected families.
The disaster comes at a time when Venezuela was already facing major humanitarian challenges. Before the earthquakes, nearly 8 million people were in need of humanitarian support, driven by economic stagnation, inflation and strained public services.
Danny Glenwright, President and CEO, Save the Children Canada said:
“Fear, stress and overwhelming sadness are everywhere as children are pulled from the rubble while tens of thousands of people remain missing. For children who have survived these devastating earthquakes, the nightmare is far from over. Many are sleeping on the streets or in overcrowded shelters, separated from their families and unsure what tomorrow will bring.
The Government of Canada’s decision to match donations through the Humanitarian Coalition comes at a pivotal moment. It gives Canadians the chance to double their impact when children need it most.
Save the Children began responding within 24 hours of the earthquakes with our teams and local partners working around the clock to reunite children with their families. We are also providing emotional and mental health support, mobile safe spaces for children, and emergency items like tents and hygiene kits.
The next few days are critical. Every matched donation will help us reach more children, faster. We urge Canadians to give today—because no child should face this disaster alone.”
Tiffany Baggetta, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Coalition, says:
“Today’s announcement by the Government of Canada will double the life-saving work of our member organizations during this critical time. The stories we are hearing from Venezuela are simply heartbreaking as destruction is everywhere, and many families have no choice other than to sleep in open spaces. We are urgently calling on the generosity of Canadians to donate today to help us rush life-saving humanitarian aid for the hundreds of thousands of families caught in this tragedy.”
The members of the Humanitarian Coalition are Action Against Hunger, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, CARE Canada, Doctors of the World Canada, Humanity & Inclusion Canada, Islamic Relief Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan International Canada, Save the Children and World Vision Canada.
Canadians can help rush emergency assistance to people affected by the earthquakes in Venezuela by donating at savethechildren.ca
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