Venezuela Regional Crisis
About the Crisis
Venezuela’s political and economic crisis—marked by devastating hyperinflation—has led to severe food and medicine shortages, and a collapsing health system. Millions of people have fled the once-prosperous country, straining the health care systems and other social services of neighboring countries in Latin America.
In response, international humanitarian organizations are supporting emergency efforts to assist vulnerable Venezuelans who have fled their country, and the neighboring communities that are hosting them. Aid groups are providing urgently-needed food, nutrition, and health assistance, as well as safe drinking water, relief supplies, shelter, and protection from violence and exploitation.
How You Can Help
When disasters occur anywhere in the world, Americans generously offer assistance to those in need. Decades of experience in disaster relief and recovery have shown that the best way to help people affected by disaster is to make cash donations to reputable relief and charitable organizations on the ground. These groups work closely with affected communities, and know what people need and how to strengthen recovery efforts.
Cash donations are the most efficient form of assistance. Unlike material donations, cash involves no transportation costs, shipping delays, or customs fees. It also enables relief organizations to spend more time providing aid by spending less time managing goods. Cash donations also allow relief supplies to be purchased in markets close to the disaster site, which stimulates the local economy, thereby boosting employment and generating cash flow to stimulate the local economy.
If you are considering making a monetary contribution to a relief organization, you can find detailed financial and programmatic information at GiveWell, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and the Better Business Bureau.
Organizations Responding to the Venezuela Regional Crisis*
* Disclaimer: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of non-U.S.Government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. USAID CIDI does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.
Additional Resources
About USAID CIDI
USAID created the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) in 1988 one month after Hurricane Gilbert made landfall as a Category 5 storm that affected 10 countries. An outpouring of unsolicited donations took up space needed to stage and deliver life-saving relief supplies, and USAID and other responders spent valuable time managing unneeded clothing, expired medicine, and other non-critical items. USAID established the Center to educate the public about the advantages of giving monetary donations to relief organizations and the downside of donating unsolicited material goods www.cidi.org. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) leads and coordinates the U.S. government’s humanitarian assistance efforts overseas, responding to an average of 65 disasters in more than 50 countries every year. Learn More About USAID/OFDA
