EFE.— About 36,700 women affected by the powerful twin earthquakes that devastated northern Venezuela are pregnant, and nearly 4,000 are expected to give birth within the next month amid the country’s “severe humanitarian emergency,” the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned.
The UN agency appealed to donors for $10 million to ensure lifesaving reproductive health and protection services during the first three months of the emergency response.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 have placed enormous strain on the country’s healthcare system. The disaster damaged 38 health facilities, sharply reducing access to essential maternal healthcare for women and newborns.
Under these circumstances, emergency obstetric and neonatal care remains an urgent humanitarian priority, UNFPA said in a statement released in recent hours.
The agency is expanding its emergency response to keep maternal health services operating, provide emergency obstetric care, support family planning, deliver clinical care for survivors of rape, and strengthen programs that prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
UNFPA estimates it needs $10 million to sustain these critical reproductive health and protection services during the first three months following the disaster.
The agency also warned that disruptions to essential services, overcrowded shelters, family separation, and growing psychosocial distress are increasing protection risks, particularly for women, adolescents, people with disabilities, and older adults.
More than 10,000 people currently live in temporary shelters where privacy, lighting, and security remain inadequate. UNFPA stressed the need to strengthen measures that prevent gender-based violence and ensure survivors can safely access specialized support services.
“Venezuela is facing a severe humanitarian emergency after two powerful earthquakes,” the agency said, noting that tens of thousands of people remain unaccounted for and that the death toll will likely continue to rise as search-and-rescue operations move forward.
According to the latest official figures from the Venezuelan government, at least 3,535 people have died and 16,740 have suffered injuries. Authorities have not updated the number of missing people, which has remained at 157 since June 25, the day after the earthquakes.
Government officials also reported on Tuesday, the 13th day since the disaster, that 14,634 people are staying in 87 temporary camps established across the country.
