A Guyana-led humanitarian relief shipment for communities affected by the devastating June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela has arrived safely at La Guaira Port, marking the successful delivery of a regional assistance effort spearheaded by President Dr Irfaan Ali.
Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud announced on his social media page that the vessel Mega Motti, operated by BK International, reached the Venezuelan port on July 12, carrying food and medical supplies for earthquake-affected communities.
According to Persaud, the shipment forms part of a coordinated regional humanitarian response led by President Ali with the support of CARICOM member states and Guyana’s private sector.
The supplies were officially received by Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yvan Gil, alongside Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Dr Richard Van West-Charles.
“Guyana remains a reliable partner in times of crisis and stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people as they recover from the devastating impacts of the earthquake,” Persaud said.
The vessel departed Guyana last week after being loaded at the BK Wharf in Kingston, Georgetown, where Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, oversaw the dispatch of the humanitarian supplies on behalf of President Ali.
The shipment represented one of the largest regional humanitarian initiatives coordinated by Guyana and included contributions from the Governments of Belize, The Bahamas, St. Lucia, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In total, the cargo comprised 88 containers filled with food items, medical supplies and other relief materials, along with 300 black water storage tanks and two pieces of heavy earth-moving equipment to assist recovery efforts.
Prior to the vessel’s departure, Dr Singh had said the relief mission reflected President Ali’s immediate response to the tragedy, noting that the Guyanese Head of State had swiftly expressed condolences following the earthquake before mobilising both national and regional support.
He had emphasised that the initiative attracted an overwhelming response not only from the Government of Guyana, but also from the local private sector, Guyanese citizens, Venezuelans living in Guyana and several CARICOM governments.
Dr Singh also acknowledged the contributions of the participating CARICOM member states, describing the operation as both a national and regional humanitarian effort.
He stressed that the assistance demonstrated Guyana’s commitment to supporting its western neighbour during a time of immense hardship.
“Venezuela is our neighbour, the Venezuelan people are our neighbours, and so we consider this to be the least that we could do as a country in this moment of tragedy in support of our Venezuelan brothers and sisters,” Dr Singh had said.
The Government had also indicated that the relief supplies would form part of the wider international humanitarian response already underway to assist communities impacted by the earthquake, reaffirming Guyana’s commitment to standing with the Venezuelan people throughout the recovery process.
