Ireland for Venezuela
An appeal from West Cork for the children of La Guaira.
Donate before 21 DecemberOn 24 June 2026, two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck the coast of Venezuela. They lasted 33 seconds. La Guaira took the worst of it, and thousands of families ended up living in tents.
I have Venezuelan friends and I'd visited the country in 2024, so when I saw the images on television I started a GoFundMe. People in West Cork gave almost €7,000.
October
At the start of October I flew to Caracas and travelled out to Playa Verde in La Guaira. Together we reached more than 220 children with school packs, along with over 1,000 bottles of water, 1,000 snacks and 60 footballs.
The children were overjoyed with a school bag and some pencils. Then a girl at a school operating out of a tent asked if I could bring noodles the next time I came.
"When a child asks you for food, you know how bad the shortages are."
December
"I want each of them to have something new to wear, new shoes, and a present to open."
That's why I'm going back. Over ten days in December, we want to give 400 children new shoes, new clothes and a present each, handed out on the 24th. It costs about €50 a child, so the goal is €20,000.
Donations close on 21 December.
In the press
- The Southern Star, Chris Benn, 3 November 2026 Read more
- Cork Independent, Steven Fox, 21 October 2026 Read more
- The Echo, Rachel Lysaght, 27 October 2026 Read more
- The Southern Star on TikTok, 30 October 2026 See it
- The Southern Star on Instagram, 30 October 2026 See it
"To everyone at home who gave, thank you, you made all this happen."