REGINA — For Regina’s Venezuelan community, the pain of watching tragedy unfold back home is heartbreaking.
The country has suffered widespread loss of life in the wake of two separate earthquakes less than a minute apart in its north-central region last week.
Regina resident Karen Quiroz-Norman, who was born and raised in Venezuela before moving over 20 years ago, said her family and friends are safe, but she remains concerned for the people of her home country.
“Knowing that our people are not okay, that it's a tragedy. It has impacted so many. Every time you see or hear something that is happening, it just breaks your heart.”
Fellow Regina resident Milly Sywanyk, who moved from Venezuela to Regina over 25 years ago, said her family and friends are also safe. However, she said her sorrow for the people of Venezuela has been compounded by the frustration of not being able to help in person.
“I feel like my ability to help is not necessarily what I would want to do. I would be the type of boots-on-the-ground person trying to help people and make a difference in these very, very difficult moments that our people are going through.”
The local community's desire to help has inspired a fundraiser, which will take place Saturday at Local and Fresh from noon to 3 p.m.
“We would love to invite people so they can enjoy authentic homemade Venezuelan food while helping families who need our support,” said Quiroz-Norman.
Part of the donations will go toward Fundana, a home shelter in Venezuela providing shelter for newborn babies to six year olds.
“They are often the most vulnerable during times like this, and every child deserves to feel safe, to feel protected, to feel cared for, and to be hopeful for the future,” said Quiroz-Norman.
Donations will also support various causes in Valencia, organized by Hispanos en Regina, which has already sent money to locals.
“Some of the money is going towards the local hospital in Valencia for medical supplies, while a portion is also being used for food in Morón,” said Cynthia Kalina, Hispanos en Regina president.
Constant communication with people back home is critical to ensure donations are reaching the people who need them, said Sywanyk.
“Venezuela has a very corrupt government, and they're actually making efforts to stop donations from other countries coming.”
Sywanyk said it’s important for anyone interested in donating to do research.
“It’s important they do a bit of research or reach out to a Venezuelan, reach out to the Hispanic community or the Latino community, and we will make sure that you know we can provide some feedback to people around which organizations to support.”
While locals in Venezuela continue to look for survivors, a question being raised is how long rebuilding efforts will take.
Sywanyk estimates it will take years for the country to recover, noting a similar situation occurred decades earlier during the 1999 Vargas tragedy, which killed 30,000 people.
“It rained for days and days and days nonstop, and there was a major and a massive landslide that washed out the entire state.”
Rebuilding after the tragedy took well over a decade.
The local community plans to continue relief efforts beyond Saturday and will look at offering mental health supports for those in Regina who’ve lost loved ones back home.
“I hear stories that there are some Venezuelans who are new in the country in Regina, and they have lost their grandparents, their parents back there, so there is a lot of mental health support that will go into our organization,” said Kalina.
