SOS VZLA BCN makes its first financial aid shipment to Venezuela and strengthens transparency across the solidarity campaign
The platform channels the first funds to Ven Da Tu Mano and guarantees traceability, auditing and accountability for all donations.
Barcelona, 30 June 2026. The SOS VZLA BCN platform, made up of fifteen associations from the Venezuelan community in Catalonia, continues to consolidate the organized humanitarian response following the devastating earthquake that affected various regions of Venezuela. Just days after launching the solidarity campaign, the platform has made its first allocation of funds to address the most urgent needs of affected communities, reinforcing a management model based on transparency, coordination and permanent accountability.
To date, the campaign has raised €12,778, distributed as follows: €6,369 through Meals4Hope, €2,213 through Asocaven and €4,196 from the Arepazo Solidario. SOS VZLA BCN explains that a first recipient is the medical organization Ven Da Tu Mano, which works directly on the ground and will immediately acquire medicines, medical supplies and priority items requested by the teams responding to the emergency.
Ven Da Tu Mano formally began its humanitarian work in 2018. It was born in Spain as a foundation driven by Venezuelan doctors to send medicines to the country and now provides medical assistance directly in Venezuela.
Thanks to coordinated work between SOS VZLA BCN, Ven Da Tu Mano and Meals4Hope, a first list of medicines, medical supplies and essential items required by affected communities is already available, which will allow donations to be quickly transformed into effective aid.
Transparency as a non-negotiable principle
Since the platform was created, the fifteen participating organizations agreed that public trust must be built on clear mechanisms for control, monitoring and auditing of all contributions received.
For this reason, the management of financial donations is channeled through bank transfers to the Associació Catalano-Venezolana (Asocaven) and Meals4Hope, a humanitarian organization with a decade of experience operating in both Spain and Venezuela, with a fully auditable system for recording, tracking and justifying funds.
In addition, individuals and companies making contributions from Spain can request the corresponding certificate to benefit from the tax deductions provided for under Spanish legislation.
“These are not isolated actions by individuals. We are fifteen organizations coordinated in Barcelona, making decisions together, with permanent financial reports and internal audit processes. We want the public to have complete peace of mind that every euro donated reaches its destination,” explains Vanessa Sánchez Pirela, a Meals4Hope collaborator.
Why are financial donations prioritized?
Since the start of the campaign, dozens of citizens, companies and associations have offered food, medicines and other products to be sent from Spain.
Although SOS VZLA BCN deeply appreciates all these shows of solidarity, technical teams have determined that, in this first phase of the emergency, the most effective way to save lives is to channel financial resources to organizations already operating within Venezuela.
Sending material aid from Europe requires complex international logistics, long transport times and high operating costs. In contrast, direct purchase in the country allows a faster response to needs identified on the ground and also helps stimulate the local economy in areas that remain operational outside the most devastated zones.
First funded actions
The first resources mobilized are already making it possible to address critical needs identified by teams working on the front line of the emergency.
Among the prioritized actions is the acquisition of medicines, medical supplies and medical equipment through Ven Da Tu Mano, as explained by Adriana Rubial, representative of Asocaven.
For her part, Vanessa Sánchez Pirela, from Meals4Hope, reported that protective equipment, helmets and other safety materials for Firefighters, Civil Protection and the Ángeles de la Autopista motorized paramedic group, who are actively involved in search and rescue operations, have already been funded.
Likewise, part of the funds will support the shelters managed by the Augustinian Sisters, where families displaced by the earthquake are currently being cared for.
How to contribute
People who wish to make a financial contribution can do so through the campaign available on sosvenezuelabarcelona.com/#donar (using the reference SOS VZLA BCN).
They can also make a bank transfer to:
- Banco Santander
- Account holder: Associació Catalano-Venezolana
- IBAN: ES38 0049 3841 9123 1475 5521
Next phase: organized collection of material aid
SOS VZLA BCN is simultaneously working on planning a second phase of humanitarian assistance.
Once logistical conditions for international transport normalize, the platform will officially announce an organized campaign to collect medicines, medical supplies and essential items.
In parallel, it continues to establish alliances with humanitarian organizations, including Cáritas, with the aim of expanding distribution channels and strengthening the response on the ground.
Press contact
SOS Venezuela Barcelona
Email: prensa.sosvenezuelabarcelona@gmail.com
Phone:
- Gerali Rodríguez: +34 633 437 848
- Catherine Rijsdijk: +34 654 179 851
- Nina Hernández: +34 645 624 767
Official Instagram account: @sosvenezuelabcn