Camellos Internacionales
Earthquake Relief for Venezuelan Families
One Simple Goal: Connect donors directly with verified families and trusted organizations in Venezuela to provide immediate, transparent earthquake relief. One donation at a time.
â–º Sign up to donate.
â–º Get matched with a Venezuelan family (or local organization).
â–º A WhatsApp group is created to connect you with a family and volunteers (“Camellos”) who help translate or coordinate the donation process.
â–º The family (or local Camello) shops at a store.
â–º The family (or local Camello) sends you a photo of the bill before paying at the store register.
â–º In real-time, you use Zelle to pay the business for the bill on the family's behalf. After payment, you receive a photo of the receipt.
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We Identify Need.
Camellos Internacionales has deep, direct ties to families and communities who have been devastated by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. With more than 1,719 Venezuelans dead, tens of thousands still missing, and 15,866 people now homeless, immediate aid is critical.
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Our trusted, local volunteers (“Camellos”) work directly within their communities in Venezuela to identify families, shelters, churches, community kitchens, and other organizations in need.
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We connect donors like you to these families and groups, directly.
Once you sign up to donate, we match you with a Venezuelan family or trusted local organization who has been verified by Camellos Internacionales.
Step 1
We Connect Families and Donors.
Whenever possible, families personally submit their request for aid to Camellos Internacionales.
Sometimes, a local Camello may help a family or community group submit a request. Before a request enters our system, our Camellos verify the family’s needs, the participating store where the family will shop, and whether the store accepts Zelle payment.
Each verified request is reviewed and prioritized based on urgency and the resources available.
Once approved, we match the family with a donor. If local assistance is needed, a local Camello is also assigned to support the family or community group.
Next, a remote Camello creates a dedicated WhatsApp group to connect the donor with the family. Depending on the situation, the group may include:
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The family or a community group partner
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The assigned local Camello
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A remote Camello acting as the coordinator and/or translator
After being matched, everyone has 24-48 hours to coordinate a shopping time that works for all parties. This allows the family (or local Camello) and remote Camello to confirm the shopping list, choose a convenient time, answer questions, and complete the payment process smoothly.
Donors may remain matched for up to three months. Multiple donors may be assigned to larger organizations (like shelters, churches, and community kitchens) that serve multiple families.
Step 2
Your Aid Goes Directly to Families.
Family Support
When possible, families shop for the items they need.
Businesses may include grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, funeral homes, transportation providers, or other verified businesses. Payments are made through Zelle, allowing families to receive aid directly, meaning that funds do not need to pass through Camellos Internacionales.
If a family is unable to shop because of displacement, mobility, or other circumstances, a local Camello may purchase and deliver the aid.
Community Partners, Local Support
Large-quantity purchases (including food, prepared meals, hygiene supplies, water, and other bulk items) are coordinated only through verified shelters, churches, community kitchens, and other trusted organizations, not through individual families.
In these cases, a local Camello purchases or collects the supplies (with proof of purchase) and delivers them directly to the organization.
Step 3
Donors Receive Confirmation.
Once a family receives aid:
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Any receipts or proof of payment are shared with the donor.
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When appropriate (and with permission), photos of the completed delivery may also be shared.
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The request is marked as completed by Camellos Internacionales.
Step 4
Get Involved With Camellos
Become a Donor
Support a verified family or community partner by paying local businesses or service providers directly for groceries, medications, transportation, funeral expenses, rebuilding supplies, or other essential needs.
Become a Camello
(Local or Remote)
If you're in Venezuela: help verify requests, coordinate with families, and purchase and deliver supplies, or support the shelters, churches, and community kitchens serving those affected.
If you are not in Venezuela: help coordinate requests, translate conversations, manage spreadsheets, communicate with families, or assist with outreach and logistics.
Our Work Focuses on Three Areas
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Level 1
Immediate Survival
Food, clean water, medications, infant formula, funeral expenses, and other life-sustaining essentials.
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Level 2
Essential
Living
Clothing, hygiene products, diapers, blankets, and other
daily necessities.
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3
Level 3
Recovery & Rebuilding
Building materials, tools, mattresses, appliances, and supplies needed to help families rebuild their homes and lives.
Why This Model?
Traditional aid often relies on one organization collecting funds and deciding how they should be distributed. While that approach can be valuable, Camellos Internacionales is intentionally designed to work differently.
With our model, families choose the items they need, donors pay businesses directly, and Camellos help verify requests and coordinate logistics. We cut unnecessary intermediaries, promote transparency, respect the autonomy of each family, and support local businesses. By partnering locally, decisions are informed by the people who know their communities best—not by one individual making decisions from afar.
Our hope is to build trust, shared responsibility, and collaboration—by allowing support to reach people in a direct, transparent, and respectful way.
Mission
Camellos Internacionales creates an international network of financial support for Venezuelan communities in crisis.
Vision
We support Venezuelan communities in crisis from everywhere in the world. We are not a 501(c)3 … yet. Camellos Internacionales began when Nathalys paid for her mother’s groceries in Venezuela from Chicago using an app on her phone. The goal is not to formalize this support through philanthropic or bureaucratic systems. We need to care for people in Venezuela now, not after we have a W9.
We do not receive any money from your donation.
Your financial support goes straight to the business or the community group buying on behalf of a family. You will always be sent a photo of a physical receipt, shopping bags with the family (if they’re willing). This is about people helping people.
We set limits. Camellos in Venezuela also need respite and healing from this traumatic event. We work diligently to ensure that people providing support on the ground are not victims of burnout during this time.
Our Values
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Versatile - Because a changing situation means being responsive at the drop of a dime. Even though the main earthquakes took place June 24, 2026, additional quakes of lower magnitudes followed. And the need grows…
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Empathetic - This work is done with great care and caution. People who partner with us come with an understanding that gentleness, concern, and sensitivity must be paired with their support from abroad or on the ground.
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Neighborly - From Caracas to Chicago to Quito to Berlin to Seoul, we are creating a global network of people who care and believe in being friendly, kind, and helpful to those in need.
