Thousands of families in Venezuela have lost everything after two devastating earthquakes struck on 24 June. Homes have been reduced to rubble, communities torn apart and thousands of people are now living in overcrowded tents in parks and schools with little access to clean water, toilets or basic hygiene.
The immediate emergency may have passed, but the recovery has only just begun.
Disaster Aid UK is preparing to deploy a Disaster Aid Response Team (DART) on behalf of Disaster Aid International to Venezuela this September. Working alongside our Rotary partners on the ground, the team will support communities through the long and difficult recovery phase, helping people rebuild their homes, restore essential services and regain their independence.
The need is immense, and without urgent action, poor sanitation and overcrowded conditions could lead to further health emergencies.
We believe the greatest need will be in the months ahead, when media attention has moved on but communities are still struggling to rebuild. That is when Disaster Aid UK will be there.
Every donation, whatever the size, will help us deliver practical support where it is needed most.
Please give what you can today. Share this appeal with your Rotary network and friends. Together, we can help families recover, rebuild and look to the future with hope.
We will continue to update you as we work with our Rotary contacts in the affected areas and prepare for deployment.
MESSAGE FROM OUR TEAM MEMBER KATE IN JAMAICA 6/02/2026
Dear All,On arrival Jamaica is a beautiful country with greenery everywhere, it’s only when you start to explore do you see the destruction. Every time you step outside, you see debris everywhere, abandoned buildings, dismantled powerlines and broken roads, but more alarmingly you see homes with no roofs, shattered windows or walls missing. I truly did not expect to see as much destruction as we did in some areas.
So far we have: completely removed and began the replacing process for the roof at the Uprising Church (where we are staying); visited the ‘Cuba’ area to determine how we could assist, then provided the materials to two families, one for complete reconstruction of a house and a new roof for another; visited a half finished home that the community of ‘Whitehouse’ have been teaming together to complete, a contractor has been contacted to finish the home, for the mother and her 15-year old son; and, an additional contractor has been contacted to construct a concrete roof for a home of seven young adults, that were born and raised in the area and now work in the tourism industry, they are all currently living in one room.
We have been approached in the streets and shops (while wearing our Disaster Aid shirts) with people asking what we have been doing and others thanking us for our help.
Regards
Kate Morgan
Disaster Aid Response Team member,
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland
When we are not running appeals for specific disasters, our focus is on raising funds to prepare,
so that we are ready for future disasters.
Funds provided before a disaster have a much bigger impact, as it means that we can deploy with more aid, more quickly.
To help us be ready for the next appeal please go to our donation webpage
If your organisation, club or group would like a speaker for your meetings, we would be very happy speak about Disaster Aid UK & Ireland, and answer any questions they might have.
Please contact us with suggested details of the time and date of the meeting. Email: admin@disasteraiduk.org
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland
Disaster Aid UK & Ireland is one of the founding partners of Disaster Aid International (DAI). DAI is an international organisation, involving Rotary Clubs around the world, with the mission to:
- Respond to disasters with the supply of humanitarian aid to the affected communities and/or individuals.
- Work in partnership on humanitarian projects funded by other organisations including Rotary clubs and Rotary districts.
In contrast to many other disaster-response groups, our aim is also to provide an infrastructure that allows affected communities to regain their normal lives.
Deployments
What do DARTs do?:
- Conduct an assessment of the disaster and local needs;
- Coordinate with relevant governments, aid agencies and the affected communities to ensure that aid is deployed where most effective;
- Manage the effective distribution of equipment, tents etc. to the sites of deployment;
- Train members of the local community so that they can be involved in the distribution and deployment of the equipment, tents etc.;
- Work to ensure that deployments are designed to support longer term sustainability;
- Monitor and evaluate our deployments to ensure that both the products we are deploying as well as the means of distribution are relevant, effective and reach out to the most vulnerable.
View video for the role of DARTS
