Young Lives Transformed by Venezuela’s Tremors
Sandego.net – Maria, a ten-year-old girl, constantly replays the memory of losing her mother, a moment that shattered her world. Following a pair of massive seismic events that struck Venezuela last month, the coastal community of Caraballeda was left in ruins. The twin earthquakes demolished homes and separated families, forcing Maria and her thirteen-year-old brother, Damian, to seek refuge with their aunt, Mercedes Osul. For Maria, the trauma is fresh and verbal; she repeatedly informs her new guardian, “My mom was there.” Damian, however, processes the loss in silence. Osul observes that her nephew rarely speaks of the event, choosing instead to immerse himself in activity. “My nephew hasn’t wanted to talk about it. All he does is play, play,” she explains.
Rebuilding Through Play and Routine
Damian spends his days on an makeshift soccer pitch alongside other youngsters who share his displacement. These children are navigating a new reality defined by fear, sorrow, and uncertainty, learning to cope with a tragedy that has upended their existence. While Maria finds solace in sweets, Damian channels his emotions through sport. These innocent responses highlight how children manage crises differently than adults. Specialists emphasize that there is no universal method for healing from such shocks. Consequently, numerous shelters have established designated Child Friendly Spaces. These areas allow psychologists and social workers to guide teenagers and children through structured play, group exercises, and counseling sessions.
“Through play and group dynamics, children can begin to express themselves, begin to release the stress and trauma caused by this catastrophe, and also begin to regain that sense of security they have lost,” explains Manuel Rodríguez Pumarol, the UNICEF representative in Venezuela.
The primary objective is not to force immediate conversation about the disaster, but to provide a secure atmosphere where processing can occur naturally. World Vision has been instrumental in creating these environments. Andrea Lasso, the group’s Emergency Response Manager for Venezuela, notes that they have deployed eight to ten portable facilities across Caracas and La Guaira, the regions hardest hit by the quakes. Inside these spaces, children engage in board games, card playing, arts and crafts, and athletic activities. “They need some space where they can feel safe again, where they can be protected, where they can play and interact with other children,” Lasso states. She believes this environment is vital for their emotional recovery and ability to reconstruct their daily lives.
Supporting Caregivers and Ensuring Safety
This support network extends beyond the children to the adults caring for them. Osul is simultaneously grieving the loss of her sister while adjusting to her role as a primary caregiver for her niece and nephew, in addition to raising her own two daughters. A psychologist at the shelter advised Osul to allow Damian to process his grief through soccer rather than forcing him to discuss his mother’s death. “They told me to let him vent, that this is a way to vent,” she recalls. The disaster has disrupted the routines of thousands of young people, some of whom lost relatives, schools, or their homes entirely.
Managing the shelters presents its own set of challenges. Beyond providing food and sleeping quarters, organizers must ensure these locations remain sanctuaries for learning and play. Lasso points out that controlling entry to the shelters is an ongoing struggle. Aid organizations must guarantee that the spaces are secure and that children are shielded from opportunists. “We have seen many people who shouldn’t be there, and are really not affected (by the crisis), but are just trying to take advantage of the situation and take advantage of children, which is so evil and so sad, really,” she told CNN. UNICEF projects that approximately 650,000 individuals will need help, including roughly 234,000 minors. This figure encompasses those who lost their homes or family members, as well as those impacted by disruptions to essential services like healthcare and clean water. “The earthquake has taken so much from those boys and girls, and our role is to ensure it does not take away their future,” Rodríguez Pumarol concludes. A significant part of that future relies on the children’s capacity to return to their classrooms, a goal that temporary camps operating within educational centers are striving to achieve.
