Caribbean Comes Together for Venezuela Earthquake Relief
Belize is joining the regional response to Venezuela, where powerful earthquakes have left communities in urgent need of help. On Wednesday, Belize’s contribution, three containers of humanitarian supplies, left the Port of Georgetown in Guyana as part of a wider CARICOM relief mission. The shipment forms part of a much larger effort, with a vessel carrying eighty-eight containers of emergency aid from across the Caribbean now headed to affected communities in Venezuela. Belize’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Her Excellency Gale Miller Garnett, was at the port for the departure, alongside Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips, as the region came together to answer Venezuela’s call for assistance.
H.E. Gale Miller Garnett, Ambassador to Guyana
“It was a wonderful feeling because of the fact that it was a symbol of Belize as a country supporting the Venezuelan people because it’s a difficult situation that they’re going through. As a matter of fact, yesterday I went to go sign the book of condolences at the Venezuelan Embassy and the ambassador for Venezuela in Guyana was sharing with me the news that he’s getting out of Venezuela and it is really devastating. So it was an emotional time because Venezuela was there for us through Petrocaribe and all of so many different iterations of assistance. So it was a proud moment for us to be able to step up to the plate for Venezuela, of course, with the – through the assistance of Guyana but it was a wonderful feeling. Belize’s aid was three 40-foot containers of the eighty-eight that set sail. So the content we sent pharmaceutical supplies. We also sent non-perishable food items and some cleaning material as well.”
Venezuela was one of Belize’s biggest trading partners during the PetroCaribe era.
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