When Need Is Far From Home
Our churches are wonderfully international, bringing together people from all over the world. This means that our lives and communities are often touched by events far from home.
In today’s blog, we’re sharing how one Partner Church is responding to a natural disaster that has impacted them.
On 24 June 2026 two major earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and striking just 39 seconds apart, hit northern Venezuela.
By 24 July, more than 5,300 people had been reported dead and more than 16,500 injured, according to figures from the Venezuelan government (BBC News).
Among those affected are many children who have lost parents and other family members. For them, the earthquake has brought trauma of the disaster itself and also the loss of their parents.
A church responds
SilkLife Church has responded to the crisis by launching a campaign to support children who have been left particularly vulnerable by the earthquakes.
Johan, a Venezuelan member of the SilkLife church family, personally lost friends in the earthquakes. He has led the church in launching a fundraising appeal with WayMaker to support Hogar Bambi, a local organisation working with vulnerable children in Venezuela.
Hogar Bambi is providing children affected by the earthquakes with a safe place to stay, alongside education, care and therapeutic support. For children who have lost parents and may be experiencing significant trauma, this kind of stability and care can be life-changing.
The importance of local organisations
A key part of this response is the decision to support a local organisation that already understands the community and has experience of caring for vulnerable children over many years.
Hogar Bambi has been working in Venezuela for many years and is well placed to respond to the needs arising from this crisis. Supporting organisations like this means churches can come alongside people who are already on the ground, building on their knowledge, relationships and expertise rather than trying to respond from a distance.
A reflection from Johan
Johan, a Venezuelan member of the Silklife church family, shared his reflections on the earthquake and why the church wanted to respond:
“When I saw the news about the earthquake, I wept – more than once and over several days. In a single day, thousands of people lost their lives, and those who survived were left mourning dead relatives, homeless, and having to start from scratch in a country already plagued by instability.
It is hard to grasp the level of suffering these people are experiencing. When tragedy like this occurs, we feel an urge to help – we live the events through the news we see – but after a week or two, the news feed slows. The situation for survivors in Venezuela hasn’t changed though – their pain has not eased.
That is why we are launching this appeal. We want to impact as many lives as possible, particularly the most vulnerable. By supporting Hogar Bambi, we can help them continue and strengthen their work of responding to emergencies like this, easing the suffering of children who have survived such unimaginable loss.”
Find out more about the campaign and Hogar Bambi: Venezuela Earthquake Appeal – WayMaker