Miami nonprofit begins mobilizing aid for Venezuela after deadly earthquakes
.jpg "Global Empowerment Mission volunteers distribute boxes of aid to people in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa devastated the island.")
A Miami-based nonprofit is mobilizing to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes devastated the country Wednesday, killing hundreds of people. Officials warn the death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue.
Global Empowerment Mission, GEM, headquartered in Doral at 1850 NW 84th Ave., is accepting donations and coordinating an emergency response. The organization expects to have response teams on the ground in Venezuela by Friday.
“The GEM team, partnered with our long-term Venezuelan partner I Love Venezuela, is currently mobilizing in response to the developing situation,” the organization said in a statement posted on its website.
Beginning Thursday volunteers and staff at GEM’s Doral headquarters will assemble and prepare humanitarian aid, including food, bottled water, hygiene kits, medical supplies and other emergency relief items.
The Venezuelan Caribbean was rocked by two powerful earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 that struck just 39 seconds apart, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.
READ MORE: Venezuela double quake death toll climbs, and thousands feared trapped
The earthquakes were felt across much of the country, with the hardest-hit areas including Caracas, Miranda, La Guaira, Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón, according to Interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
GEM has previously operated in Venezuela, including during the country’s 2019 refugee crisis.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit also responded to a deadly earthquake in the Philippines, deploying teams to the Sarangani and Davao Occidental provinces. There, volunteers distributed food, clean water, hygiene supplies and other essential items to rural communities, according to their website.
Other organizations providing earthquake relief to Venezuela
Global Giving, a nonprofit that “supports other nonprofits by connecting them to donors and companies” has set up a Venezuela Earthquake Relief Fund, according to their website.
Donations made to the fund will “provide local organizations with flexible, rapid funding to deliver emergency medical care, search and rescue support, temporary shelter, food, clean water, hygiene supplies, and other essential services,” the site reads.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 8:25 AM.