More than two weeks after the devastating earthquakes that affected north-central Venezuela, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to strengthen its humanitarian response to accompany thousands of families who lost their homes or had their living conditions severely affected.

To support this humanitarian response, ADRA Argentina maintains an open fundraising campaign. The aid is part of the international response coordinated by ADRA's global network. Contributions will help expand ADRA's assistance in the most affected areas.

Since the first day of the emergency, ADRA Venezuela teams have been working in coordination with local authorities, Civil Protection and humanitarian organizations to provide immediate assistance in the most affected areas, especially in La Guaira and Caracas.

After the first field assessments, ADRA classified the emergency as Category 3, corresponding to a large-scale humanitarian response with international support, and launched a response plan for the first three months, seeking to reach 90,000 people.

The response is organized into three priority areas: water, sanitation, and hygiene. For the first stage, ADRA will distribute 4,000 hygiene kits, accompanied by water storage and purification equipment, allowing between 18,000 and 20,000 people to have access to safe water and improved sanitation.

Each kit is designed under international standards to cover approximately 15 days of a family's basic needs and includes hand soap, bath soap, laundry soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine pads, and other essential items. The kits are complemented with containers for water storage and water purification tablets.

In the second stage, ADRA will begin the distribution of 5,000 food kits, prioritizing the most vulnerable families and working in coordination with humanitarian organizations and local actors.

The emergency has also generated high levels of stress, family separation and risks for children. For this reason, ADRA's third stage will implement safe spaces for children, accompaniment for minors, and psychosocial support services for affected people.

Thanks to the commitment of churches, educational institutions, companies, and private donors, ADRA Argentina has already managed to raise more than $25,000,000 worth of resources that will be used to strengthen the humanitarian response.

Each contribution received is part of the international effort to deliver safe water, food, and hygiene and protection items to thousands of families affected by this emergency.

Although aid is already being distributed to affected communities, the needs remain enormous, leaders say. The reconstruction of homes, the recovery of basic services, and the accompaniment of families will demand a sustained effort during the coming months.

ADRA's global network continues to mobilize resources to strengthen this emergency response. ADRA's offices in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Brazil maintain their official donation channels to support the distribution of food, hygiene kits, safe water, purification equipment, and psychosocial care in Venezuela.

While search and rescue efforts have given way to recovery, humanitarian needs remain enormous and will demand a sustained response over the coming months.

The original article was published on the South American Division Spanish news site.