Rellevate backs Venezuela earthquake relief with Catholic Relief Services and Caritas

Rellevate has teamed with Catholic Relief Services and Caritas de Venezuela to provide flexible financial aid for families affected by the June 24 earthquakes in northern Venezuela. The prepaid card support is meant to help survivors buy food, medicine and other essentials from local merchants as the response shifts toward early recovery.

Why it matters: - Families hit by the earthquakes can use aid for the items they need most, instead of waiting for in-kind supplies. - The prepaid card approach gives relief groups a faster way to move money to affected households. - The support can also help local merchants as families spend aid in nearby stores.

What happened: - Rellevate partnered with Catholic Relief Services and Caritas de Venezuela to support humanitarian relief for victims of the earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026. - The quakes included a magnitude 7.2 foreshock and, 39 seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 mainshock near the coast west of Caracas. - The disaster caused widespread destruction across Caracas, La Guaira and surrounding states. - Rellevate issued a Prepaid Award Mastercard for online and in-person point-of-sale purchases to support the relief effort.

The details: - CRS deployed an emergency response team and is working with Caritas de Venezuela, its longtime in-country partner. - The prepaid card is designed to let recipients buy food, medical supplies and household essentials directly from local merchants. - Stewart A. Stockdale, Rellevate co-founder, chairman and CEO, said financial inclusion means being there when people need access to funds urgently and that the card helps aid reach families quickly. - Jennifer Poidatz, CRS vice president for humanitarian response, said the technology places resources directly into families' hands while supporting local markets and communities. - CRS and Caritas de Venezuela are prioritizing children, older adults, pregnant and nursing women, and people with disabilities as the response moves from emergency relief toward early recovery. - Rellevate said it has more than 3 million account holders and works with public- and private-sector partners across digital banking, disbursements, payments and employer services.

Between the lines: - The effort reflects a broader shift in disaster response toward cash-based aid and recipient choice. - The partnership also signals that fintech tools are becoming part of humanitarian logistics, not just consumer banking. - The focus on vulnerable groups suggests the immediate relief phase is giving way to longer-term recovery planning.

What's next: - CRS and Caritas de Venezuela will continue directing aid to the most vulnerable populations. - Supporters can learn more about CRS's work in Venezuela through CRS's Venezuela earthquake appeal. - The response is expected to keep moving from emergency assistance toward early recovery as conditions stabilize.

The bottom line: - Rellevate, CRS and Caritas de Venezuela are using flexible digital payments to help earthquake survivors buy what they need most, when they need it most.