We walked through the area around the epicentre in La Guaira.

Together with the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, staff, and volunteers, we visited areas that were severely affected by the earthquake. We were there to accompany those who are still waiting to recover the bodies of their relatives and loved ones.

Through simple yet life-giving gestures—a bottle of water, a hot bowl of soup, a frozen soft drink, or a hygiene kit—personally handed to each individual, we sought to bring comfort. Yet beyond the material assistance, which is deeply appreciated given the conditions people are enduring—without water, without food, and in extreme heat by the seaside—we also offered words of encouragement and warm, heartfelt embraces in the spirit of the Good Shepherd: the kind of embrace that brings comfort and reaches the deepest parts of the heart.

It has been a painful experience, but also one filled with hope. Today, more than ever, this community needs unity and the support of others. Many people have lost everything—not only their homes and possessions, but also the people they loved most.

One of them is Willy Matute, a young man whom we found sitting on a chair beside a makeshift tent, where he now spends his nights. His gaze remains fixed on the collapsed building in front of him—the very building where his family lived and where, tragically, they all lost their lives.

Willy spends his days sitting in that chair, waiting for nightfall and for the rescue teams and heavy machinery to finish their work. Only then does he enter the rubble himself to continue searching for his loved ones. One month and five days have passed since the afternoon of the twin earthquakes, but he is determined: he will not leave until he has found every member of his family. Just two days ago, he recovered the bodies of his mother and his niece. He told us with quiet determination that he will remain there until he finds the four family members who are still missing.

As we spoke with him, we offered our solidarity, words of hope, a hygiene kit, and something to eat. As we said goodbye he shook our hands with deep gratitude simply because we had been there with him in his grief. It was a simple gesture, yet powerful enough to remind us that every effort—and every contribution from those who have joined us in solidarity to support this shared humanitarian response in Venezuela—is truly worthwhile.

Before we left, Willy shared that once the search for his family is finally over, he hopes to receive psychological support to help him begin the long process of healing.

(This article is a reflection shared by, Alex Vásquez Ocampo, from GSIF Latin America, following a field visit to La Guaira, Venezuela)