When two earthquakes struck Venezuela within a minute of each other on June 24, 2026 the Jesuit works already rooted in affected communities did not wait for a plan to arrive. Schools, universities, parishes, and social centers opened their doors as collection points, safe spaces, and places of care, even as 42 of their own sites sustained damage. A new report, The Earth Shook. The Mission Became One., now documents what that shared response accomplished and what it learned along the way.
Many works, one response
Coordinated by Unidos en la Misión, the development office of the Jesuits in Venezuela, the response brought together international networks like Fe y Alegría and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), alongside local organization such as the Colegio San Ignacio, Complejo Educativo Jesús Obrero, the Centro de Reflexión y Planificación Educativa (CERPE), and a network of parishes.
Each brought its own strengths. Fe y Alegría created safe spaces for children and adolescents while working to reopen damaged schools. JRS offered psychological first aid, legal guidance, and psychosocial support. The collection center at Colegio San Ignacio became a logistical heart of the effort. There, more than 300 volunteers processed 2,374 requests for help and mobilized 471 metric tons of humanitarian aid, accompanying 70,111 people. Across the full response, more than 5,300 individual and institutional donors made that work possible.
Solidarity needs organization
The report is candid that coordination was not ready on day one; it had to be built. To keep aid moving to the right people, the response set up systems to register, validate, and track every donation, guided by three principles: transparency, traceability, and dignity. Responding quickly mattered, the report concludes, but learning to respond together was decisive.
“Behind every figure is a person, a family, a community,” said Fr. Jesús “Txuo” Rodríguez Villarroel, S.J., General Director of Unidos en la Misión and coordinator of the Society of Jesus’ emergency response in Venezuela. “And behind every response is a network built on trust, coordination, and solidarity.”
From response to rebuilding
With the immediate response now closed as a phase, the Jesuits in Venezuela are turning to a 24-month plan for recovery and reconstruction, with a focus on more resilient infrastructure and stronger community capacity to face future crises. American Jesuits International joined the Xavier Network’s coordinated appeal in the weeks after the earthquakes and will continue to accompany our partners through this next phase.
Please keep the people of Venezuela in your prayers, share their story with your community, and support the long road to recovery with a gift today.
