Venezuelan earthquake survivors rebuild lives amid scarce prosthetic aid
Amputees like Ricardo Contreras are learning to use prosthetic limbs while coping with loss and dwindling humanitarian funding after the June earthquakes.
More than six thousand people died and hundreds of thousands were treated after the June earthquakes that devastated northwestern Caracas. Survivors who lost limbs, including Ricardo Contreras and Karina Bechara, are in rehabilitation programs at workshops such as Ortoprotecnica, where prosthetic fittings can take months and require ongoing adjustments. International aid has fallen short, with UNICEF securing less than half of its target and the Red Cross similarly under-funded.
Organizations like the Juan Pablo Dos Santos Foundation are stepping in, but prosthetic costs range from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. Amid these challenges, survivors are returning to work, school and family duties, while grieving the loss of parents and confronting uncertain financial futures.
Why it matters
The story shows how disaster survivors face medical, psychological and financial hurdles when aid dwindles.
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