Government gives $100,000 to FIFA, Shakira fund for Venezuela’s children

Prime minister, Luís Montenegro, has announced a contribution of around €87,000 to support children in Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster.

In a post over social media platform ‘X’, the PM wrote: “The Portuguese Government is joining FIFA’s initiative for the ‘Global Citizen Education’ fund and (singer) Shakira’s appeal to support Venezuelan children, and is immediately sending a contribution of $100,000 towards this project for the inclusion, recovery and future of the friendly people of Venezuela.”

Shakira has appealed to several world leaders, including Luís Montenegro, to join the fund, which supports the education of children around the world.

In a social media post, Shakira announced that the FIFA fund will provide $500,000 (approximately €437,000 at today’s exchange rate) to organisations helping Venezuelan children affected by the earthquakes.

The funds are intended to help resume school activities, as well as to support teachers and restore access to education in the worst-affected areas.

According to Expresso, Shakira praised Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, for joining the initiative recently, expressing her hope that Luís Montenegro, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will do the same.

“If you believe that all children deserve to dream, join this initiative,” she said.

According to latest figures, the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 have caused at least 3,342 deaths and 16,740 injuries. Among the dead are 96 Portuguese citizens and people of Portuguese descent, and 60 Portuguese nationals are missing, the Portuguese ministry of foreign affairs announced yesterday.

Several countries, including Portugal and other European Union member states, have sent search and rescue teams to Venezuela. The operations base for the Portuguese earthquake response mission is located in Catia la Mar, in La Guaira, an area with a high concentration of Portuguese nationals and people of Portuguese descent and one of the worst-affected areas.

The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck 200 kilometres from Venezuela’s capital Caracas, less than a minute apart, and were followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

source: LUSA

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.