Volunteers make giant cake for children displaced by Venezuela quakes

Volunteers in Venezuela prepared a giant cake for about 3,000 children displaced by last month’s twin earthquakes, Al Jazeera reported on July 19. The event offered a brief moment of relief as the reported death toll from the disaster rose to at least 5,069.

Al Jazeera said the children were among survivors uprooted by two powerful earthquakes that struck the country last month. The cake was made to cheer children who have been forced from their homes after the disaster.

The humanitarian toll remains broad, according to Al Jazeera. An estimated 1.8 million people need aid, including 680,000 children.

Children face a large share of the crisis

Al Jazeera’s figures indicate children make up a substantial part of the population requiring help after the quakes. Many of those children are displaced, adding pressure to relief efforts focused on shelter, food and basic support.

The volunteer effort centered on morale rather than emergency response, but it took place against a worsening backdrop. With more than 5,000 deaths reported and hundreds of thousands of children in need, the disaster has left families facing both immediate loss and prolonged displacement.

• At least 5,069 people have died, according to Al Jazeera.
• About 1.8 million people need humanitarian assistance.
• Al Jazeera reported that 680,000 children are among those in need.
• Roughly 3,000 displaced children were the focus of the cake event.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.