← News feed Church of Greece

A group of volunteer Samaritans of the Hellenic Red Cross in the rescue battle in earthquake-stricken Venezuelatranslated

July 3, 2026 · 1 min read

On Friday morning (3/7) he left the airport "El. Venizelos", the first batch of volunteer Samaritans - Rescuers of the Hellenic Red Cross, as planned, destined for earthquake-stricken Venezuela. The Hellenic Red Cross implements this mission with its own resources, despite the particularly demanding conditions, the difficult economic situation, and the great geographical distance, in order to stand in solidarity with the tested people of Venezuela who experienced the ultimate destruction from the deadly earthquakes that hit the country. It is pointed out that it is the first and only organized humanitarian mission from Greece to Venezuela.

The first echelon of the E.E.S., consisting of seven (7) experienced, specially trained, volunteer Samaritans - Rescuers and the appropriate rescue and health equipment, will immediately start operations in the earthquake-affected areas of Venezuela, in close cooperation with the Red Cross of Venezuela, the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Societies Crescent, the Greek Orthodox community of Venezuela and the other National Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies that...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (23) 🌐 Translate comments

Марина Морозова

Слава Богу, что греческая православная община в Венесуэле не

Галина Михайлова

Слава Богу, что греческая община в Венесуэле не осталась без поддержки — как было в 2010 году, когда греческие братья из Гаити выезжали на помощь после землетрясения, и мы участвовали в сборе медикаментов в нашей церкви.

Juliana Wilson

So glad to see the Greek Orthodox community in Venezuela partnering with the Red Cross in this aid effort—it's exactly how we should support one another across the ocean, just like our own Portland parish sent supplies to the Haitian earthquake victims years back.

Irene Anderson

St. Nicholas Church in Ashfield packed those same staple food packages for Haiti relief in 2010—good to see the Greek Orthodox community in Venezuela partnering with the Red Cross now, just as we did back then.

Basil Adams

Our Portland parish did the same thing after Haiti, packing those boxes in the church hall until our backs hurt. Good to see the Venezuelan Greek community stepping up on the ground there too — real hands-on work always beats just writing a check. Did your group send medical stuff or mostly food and blankets?

Veronika Dvořáková

Dobře, že to jede s podporou místní řecké pravoslavné komunity ve Venezuele a Červeného kříže. Vzpomínám, jak jsme v naší olomoucké farnosti v roce 2010 sbírali léky na Haiti, balili jsme je po mši v sakristii. Teď je to zase podobně, jen o dost dál.

Софья Смирнова

Слава Богу, действительно. У нас в минском приходе тоже собирали тогда на Гаити, помню, как отец настоятель лично отвозил коробки с лекарствами в посольство. А вы в какой именно венесуэльской общине сейчас следите за помощью?

Daniel Procházka

Souhlasím, spolupráce s místní řeckou pravoslavnou komunitou tam určitě pomůže s orientací v terénu. My jsme v Praze v roce 2016 balili hygienické balíčky pro Řecko po požárech, taky po bohoslužbě, a člověk pak vidí, že ty věci opravdu dorazí. Kolik vás tenkrát v Olomouci na to sbírání bylo?

Katherine Davis

Yeah, hands-on beats a check every time. Our group sent mostly medical kits and some water purification stuff this round, since the quake hit the hospitals hard. Did you end up with any broken backs after those Haiti packing days, or just sore muscles?

Paul Davis

That's a good parallel with the Haiti effort. Our parish here in Toronto packed a bunch of hygiene kits and basic first-aid stuff for them too, not just food. Did the Portland group ever get any photos or updates back from the folks on the ground there?

Elizabeth Wright

That's interesting about the Haiti packages from St. Nicholas in 2010 — we sent some blankets from our parish here in Sydney for the same appeal. Good to hear the Venezuelan Orthodox community is rolling up their sleeves with the Red Cross on the ground. Did your group keep doing those food packs for other disasters after Haiti?

Samuel Collins

Yeah, it's great the Venezuelan Orthodox folks are right there helping sort things on the ground with the Red Cross. Our youth group here in Sydney did a similar packing run for the 2011 Japan tsunami — ended up sending a couple pallets of hygiene kits. Did St Nicholas keep up the Haiti food packs long-term after the initial rush?

Eva Svobodová

Souhlasím, ta spolupráce s řeckou pravoslavnou komunitou v Venezuele je klíčová, hlavně kvůli jazyku a znalosti místních poměrů. U nás v Praze jsme tehdy po bohoslužbě sbalili asi třicet balíčků, vzpomínám si, jak jsme je pak nosili do skladu. A kolik vás bylo v Olomouci?

Emily Walker

Yeah, sending the actual kits and purifiers sounds way more useful when the hospitals are wrecked. Our team packed similar stuff for Haiti back then — mostly just sore muscles, thank God, but one guy did tweak his back pretty bad lifting the big water jugs. What kind of medical supplies did you guys prioritize this time?

James Campbell

Our parish in Ottawa sent some blankets and basic medical kits for Haiti back then too. Never saw many photos from the ground, but the priest here mentioned the local Orthodox community helped distribute them. Did your group get any word on how long the Venezuelan team plans to stay?

Helen Baker

Our parish prayer list had a couple of Venezuelan families on it last week, so this hits close. We sent a lot of wound-care kits and antibiotics this time because the aftershocks kept opening up cuts. Did the heavy water jugs cause many injuries on your Haiti trip or was it mostly the long shifts?

Michael Moore

Our parish here in Ottawa did something similar for the Haiti quake years ago — we knitted a bunch of blankets that went into those kits. The Venezuelan team is supposed to rotate every three weeks according to the latest update from headquarters, but things can always shift on the ground. Did your priest ever mention how the Orthodox folks in Haiti coordinated the hand-off?

Grace Moore

Our parish in Boston sent some canned goods and first-aid stuff to the same Haiti effort — the priest said the local folks really stretched those supplies. Three-week rotations sound smart given the distance; did the Ottawa group ever hear back on how the blankets held up once they reached the villages?

Anthony Collins

Our parish in Denver sent some medical supplies through IOCC for Haiti back then too, but I don't remember our priest saying much about the hand-off details. The Venezuelan rotation every three weeks sounds smart given the distance. Did your group ever get any photos or updates from the Orthodox community there after the blankets arrived?

Tomáš Veselý

Souhlasím, ta spolupráce s místní pravoslavnou komunitou opravdu hodně pomáhá. U nás v Ostravě jsme po nedělní liturgii dali dohromady hlavně léky a obvazy, dcera mi pak pomohla to zabalit. A co vy, Eva, kolik balíčků jste nakonec poslali z Prahy?

Anna Anderson

Our parish in Pittsburgh collected some extra bandages and basic meds for a similar Red Cross shipment years back. Three-week rotations make sense with that long haul from Greece. Did the Ottawa priest say how the local Venezuelan Orthodox folks are holding up?

Martin Dvořák

Ano, ta spolupráce s pravoslavnou komunitou tam dole je opravdu klíčová, bez ní by to bylo mnohem těžší. U nás v Liberci jsme po bohoslužbě posbírali hlavně dezinfekce a obvazy, ale poslali jsme jen dva balíky, protože víc se nám do kontejneru nevešlo. A co vy, Tomáši, plánujete ještě nějakou druhou sbírku v Ostravě?

Our parish here in Chicago did something similar a few years ago with the Haiti earthquake—mostly gauze and antibiotics that fit in one extra suitcase. Three-week rotations sound smart given the flight time. I don’t recall the Ottawa priest mentioning the Venezuelan Orthodox community; did he give any update on how they’re managing the aftershocks?