Trauma, the Other Earthquake: World Vision Urges to Protect the Mental Health of Venezuela’s Children

• In the first three weeks, World Vision reached 36,720 people; a third of them are children.
• Restoring the rights to protection and education are long-term priorities of the emergency response.

CARACAS, July 21, 2026  One month after the earthquakes that devastated north-central Venezuela on June 24, World Vision warns that, alongside the visible damage to infrastructure, an “inner earthquake” is unfolding: the protection and mental-health risks the emergency has heightened for thousands of children and adolescents.

The earthquake shook children who were already carrying deep losses. Nearly 7.9 million people had emigrated, and an estimated one million children had been left in the care of relatives or neighbours because their parents migrated. The quake also damaged more than 400 schools in an education system already worn down by years of deterioration. Before the disaster, 22% of Venezuelan migrant children were not enrolled in formal education, according to R4V.

Scientific evidence indicates that trauma and adverse experiences in childhood multiply health risks, and that unprocessed trauma is stored in the body and the nervous system. Those who lived through four or more adverse experiences in childhood are twelve times more likely to experience suicidal ideation and face elevated risks of cardiovascular disease in adulthood, according to studies by Felitti and Anda (1998).

“It is because of this heightened risk to mental and physical health that World Vision prioritises Child-Friendly Spaces during emergencies. They are an emotional lifeline,” said Maribel Prada, Country Manager for World Vision in Venezuela. “We have worked for more than a decade with the Parenting with Tenderness approach in the region to protect the mental health of children and their families, as a way to healthily process the multiple losses that a disaster brings.”

In these spaces, set up in shelters and distribution points where World Vision provides food, water, and hygiene items, our teams offer psychosocial support, art, and play to help children regulate their emotions. In the first three weeks of the response, the organisation has reached 36,720 people, a third of them children, said Prada.

As the first month since the earthquake closes, World Vision stresses that restoring a sense of hope for children will take years, and therefore prioritises education in emergencies in this new phase. The organisation aims to provide psychosocial support for the whole school community (children, parents, caregivers, and teachers), the provision of supplies and uniforms, the rehabilitation of school infrastructure, temporary classrooms, and child protection.

“Restoring the right to education is the most effective way to anticipate and prevent the risks of irregular migration and forced displacement that many families affected by the earthquake could consider”, said Mishelle Mitchell, Regional Director of External Engagement for World Vision in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We call on neighbouring countries to keep regular migration pathways and access to asylum open, and to guarantee that Venezuelan children can access education, protection, and psychosocial support on equal terms with children in host communities.” At the local level, the organisation urges not only the rebuilding of infrastructure but also the strengthening of national capacities to ensure children’s access to education during the emergency.

The school year in Venezuela ended this past July, and in the aftermath of the earthquake, the country faces severe challenges due to damage to more than 1,000 buildings, including 400 educational centres, according to OCHA.

World Vision’s calls to action

1. Guarantee unimpeded humanitarian access and support frontline responders, including local, faith-based and community actors.

2. Provide flexible, multi-year and sustained financing to move from relief to reconstruction, channelled as a priority to child-focused organisations.

3. Put children first in every decision and allocation: protection, mental health and psychosocial support, water and sanitation, food security and education.

4.  Protect and receive displaced and migrant families: open borders and asylum, non-refoulement, and support to host communities.

About World Vision

World Vision is a global Christian humanitarian organisation that works with children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and injustice, and serves all children regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Through its Hope Without Borders initiative, it has responded since 2019 to the needs of Venezuelan children inside the country and in host nations, working with churches, volunteers, and local organisations.

Media contact: Marielos Romero · Regional Communications Coordinator, World Vision Latin America and the Caribbean · marielos_romero@wvi.org

Note to editors: figures cited are from R4V, CECODAP, and OCHA and continue to be updated; confirm the latest situation report before publishing.