On Monday, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia, the strongest to hit the country in decades. Over 160 people have been killed and hundreds more injured, with numbers expected to rise as search and rescue operations are underway. 

What We Know About the Situation
The quake hit on Monday morning as families were at home or beginning their day, with tremors felt as far away as Venezuela. The impact in Colombia has been severe and is still unfolding, with reports of collapsed buildings, disrupted hospitals and schools, landslides, and families displaced across the region. 

Colombia is home to the largest Venezuelan population abroad, with approximately 3 million Venezuelans living in Colombia. This earthquake hit Colombia just six weeks after twin earthquakes hit Venezuela, killing thousands. 

Global Impact Charity Alliance members are responding on the ground now. These organizations have deep experience responding to earthquakes and other disasters in the region. They are currently assessing urgent needs, preparing medical supplies, supporting shelter and basic services, and collecting donations for affected families.  

This list was last updated on August 11. 

  • Americares: preparing to provide medicines, medical supplies, and other aid to the communities affected. 
  • CARE: assessing needs, which may include food assistance (through cash and vouchers), emergency supplies, health services, and psychosocial support. 
  • Matthew 25: Ministries: working with partners to provide essential relief to support those affected as recovery efforts begin. 
  • Plan International: activating emergency response plan and providing psychosocial support and life-saving humanitarian assistance, especially for girls and families who have lost their homes. 
  • Project HOPE: evaluating damage to health facilities, identifying urgent health and humanitarian needs, and preparing to scale up support so health workers can continue delivering lifesaving care. 
  • Save the Children: closely monitoring the situation to provide support where it is needed the most.   
  • UNICEF USA: coordinating with national authorities and the country’s disaster risk management agency to closely monitor the situation and support the national response. 
  • World Vision: activating its emergency committee and assessing the situation. 

The response in Colombia also builds on a wider pattern of earthquake relief across the region and beyond. Humanitarian response after the earthquakes in Venezuela and the Philippines shows how experienced organizations can move quickly from emergency assessment to lifesaving aid, helping communities stabilize in the immediate aftermath while longer-term recovery needs come into focus. 

How You Can Help
Donate to Responding Charities

You can make a donation to our Emergency Relief Fund to support charities like these that respond in the wake of disaster with lifesaving short- and long-term assistance. Your donation helps leading international charities provide essential supplies, shelter, medical care, and other life-saving assistance to those affected by crises of all kinds, from natural disasters to conflicts and beyond. Your gift to the Emergency Relief Fund is more than a donation; it’s a lifeline to those in desperate need.  

You can also consider supporting our Charity Alliance through your workplace giving program. Your donation to any of these responding charities will go directly toward critical medical care, supplies, psychosocial support, and beyond, and your employer may even double or triple your impact with a match.  

Support Employees in Need
While we cannot yet count the total devastation in Colombia, people are in urgent need of shelter, medical care, and more. If you have employees located in an area impacted by recent earthquakes, we encourage you to activate your Employee Assistance Fund to provide short-term financial support for essential items, relocation, and home repair. If you do not have an existing Employee Assistance Fund, learn more about how they can support your workforce.  

Prepare for the Next Crisis
Earthquakes often arrive without warning, leaving little time for families, workplaces, and communities to react before the damage is done. Recent seismic activity across Colombia, Venezuela, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Japan is a reminder that preparedness remains essential, even when disaster risks feel distant or unpredictable. In a matter of seconds, an earthquake can disrupt transportation, damage buildings, cut off power and communications, and leave people in urgent need of shelter, medical care, food, and financial support. 

Preparedness saves lives before the shaking starts. Families, workplaces, and communities can take practical steps now by making an emergency plan; identifying safe places to drop, cover, and hold on; securing heavy furniture and household items; and keeping a go-bag with essentials like water, medication, copies of important documents, flashlights, chargers, and first aid supplies. It is also important to know how to reconnect with loved ones if cell service is disrupted; follow guidance from local emergency officials; and check on neighbors, older adults, people with disabilities, and others who may need extra support. 

In your workplace, preparation now can speed up your organization’s response time, provide financial support to employees impacted, and help communities recover more quickly when disaster strikes. Learn more about launching an Employee Assistance Fund or developing your disaster response strategy.