Israeli aid organizations prepping to provide aid in Venezuela

More details emerge on the activities of Israeli humanitarian aid organizations that are sending teams to Panama and crossing the border into Venezuela, until the earthquake-struck airport in Caracas reopens.

Natan: Worldwide Disaster Relief is sending an initial delegation that includes medical personnel and psycho-social support experts to conduct a situational assessment prior to a broader response.

IsraAID is sending a team of disaster response experts, also to assess needs and provide psychological first aid, water, sanitation, and hygiene. It will partner with local organizations with which it has worked in recent years.

SmartAID is operating through partners in Venezuela. It is also assessing needs, and preparing to send equipment.

The Joint Distribution Committee is working with Venezuela’s Jewish community to provide food, water, medicine, and shelter. It is preparing to dispatch its emergency team to the country as soon as the Caracas airport opens, to expand aid to the Jewish community and the wider population.

According to Lihi Lavian Yaffe, Director of Humanitarian Aid at SID Israel, the umbrella organization for Israeli international aid and development organizations, “In emergency situations, the ability to respond quickly is a result of years of preparation, partnerships, and presence in the field. Even when complex barriers exist – such as the lack of diplomatic relations between Israel and Venezuela – Israeli aid organizations know how to rely on the professional networks of connections they have built over years, on local teams, and on professionals operating in the region, to begin the response already in the first hours after the disaster. The earthquake in Venezuela illustrates how much long-term partnerships and continuous presence in the field are a critical component in the ability to reach affected populations quickly and provide them with life-saving aid.”