Live Updates

GEM Hawaiʻi Executive Director @danielle.dreis joined Island Life Live to discuss Global Empowerment Mission’s ongoing response following Hurricane Lala and the road to recovery for communities across Hawaiʻi Island. @globalempowermentmissionhawaii

During the segment, Danielle highlighted the extraordinarily generous donation made by UNIQLO and TY Management Founder Tadashi Yanai, who selected GEM as one of four charitable organizations to receive support. We are deeply grateful for this commitment to the people and communities of Hawaiʻi during such a critical time.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Lala, GEM Hawaiʻi was the first NGO to reach some of the hardest-hit areas, providing cash cards directly to families whose homes and properties were impacted, giving them the ability to address their most urgent needs immediately.

Our teams have also been providing residents with the essential tools and supplies needed to begin the difficult work of cleaning up after the devastating flooding caused by Lala, including shovels, rakes, buckets, gloves, tarps, cleanup kits, and other critical supplies. But the work is only beginning.

GEM is now in the process of establishing a warehouse on Hawaiʻi Island that will serve as a base for continued humanitarian assistance and long-term recovery efforts as families begin rebuilding their homes, businesses, and communities.

At the same time, GEM Hawaiʻi ground teams remain on high alert as additional tropical disturbances develop across the Pacific, with the potential to impact the Hawaiian Islands.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Tadashi Yanai, UNIQLO, TY Management, and all of our partners and supporters helping make this work possible. Special thanks to @laiwohi @uniqlousa

To learn more about GEM’s Hurricane Lala response or to support our Hawaiʻi mission, please visit the link in our bio or GEM.org.
#GEMUSA #Hawaii #HurricaneLala #DisasterResponse #LongTermRecovery ...

Colombia Earthquake Response Update

In the past three weeks, @globalempowermentmission, in partnership with the U.S. @statedept @usembassybogota and our many incredible collaborators, has delivered 792 pallets of aid, deployed 19 containers, coordinated six humanitarian cargo flights, and mobilized a Colombian Navy vessel, transporting more than 650,000 pounds of life-saving relief valued at over $5 million.

To date, our teams have carried out 85 distributions across six departments, reaching more than 110,000 people with critical aid.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Government of Colombia, the Office of the First Lady @analu_pineda @armadacolombia, @dhlexpress, @avianca and the U.S. Department of State for helping make this mission possible.

A special thank you as well to the Colombian diaspora, the City of Doral, Mayor Fraga, Councilman Pineyro, and all the community leaders, volunteers, donors, and corporate partners who have stepped up. We couldn’t do this without you.

Together, we’re delivering hope, family by family, and we remain committed to standing with the people of Colombia for the long road ahead.

Special thanks to our incredible partners
@univisionfoundation
@citynationalbankofflorida
@bankunited.official
@the_agi_group
@kingdomcharitabletrust
@florida.blue
@royalcaribbean
@themiamifc
@goodwillsfl
@onespaworld
@rworldfl
@HOERBIGER_global @prologis
@tatyhenriquez_ @marcanthony @goyafoods @goya_gives @christifraga @councilmanpineyro ...

Today marks two months since GEM began serving survivors of the catastrophic twin earthquakes in Venezuela.

What you’re looking at is the largest private/public humanitarian response in Venezuela’s history.

GEM @globalempowermentmission, in partnership with @welove_foundation and the U.S. @statedept, has committed an initial $75 million in aid for Phase 1 Emergency Support.

The scale of this response is extraordinary, but the numbers tell only part of the story. This is ultimately a story about the power of the Venezuelan diaspora, the resilience of the Venezuelan people, and what is possible when the public, private, nonprofit, and humanitarian sectors work together toward one mission.

Our First Two Months of Impact:

• $30M+ in humanitarian aid delivered

• 5,338 pallets shipped

• 30 humanitarian cargo flights

• 175 sea containers

• 125+ direct distributions to affected communities

According to the United Nations Logistics Cluster, GEM has delivered more than 50% of all humanitarian aid entering Venezuela over the last two months.

A very special thank you to our incredible partners at We Love Foundation, the U.S. Department of State, the Venezuelan diaspora, our dedicated volunteers, donors, corporate partners, and every individual who has helped make this historic humanitarian effort possible.

This response is far from over. As we move beyond emergency relief, GEM will continue expanding its programs and preparing for the next phases of recovery and rebuilding.

Learn more through our bio link: Venezuela Earthquake Missions. Special thank you to all of our supporters: @oceanbankus @miamidolphins @amazon @manacommon @publix @royalcaribbean @bankofamerica @felixpago @pricesmart @braves @redsox @astros @aman @loandepot @onespaworld @owpbrokers @bankunited.official @cadillacchampionship @goyafoods @edringtonamericas @monatofficial @intermiamicf @themiamifc @sperformancehub @univisionfoundation @univision @televisaunivision ...

HURRICANE LALA | HAWAIʻI RESPONSE

GEM Hawaiʻi teams are on the ground responding to communities across Hawaiʻi Island impacted by Hurricane Lala, with immediate efforts focused on the hard-hit Kaʻū region.

Nā‘ālehu was among the communities that sustained significant damage. Floodwaters swept away homes, damaged local businesses and Nā‘ālehu Elementary School, and left streets and properties covered in mud and debris. The iconic Punaluʻu Bake Shop, a longtime landmark and gathering place for the community, was also heavily damaged.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, surrounding Kaʻū communities were effectively isolated. Damaged and blocked roads, disrupted communications, and road closures into Pāhala made it extremely difficult for outside assistance to reach residents.

Because GEM already has an established presence on Hawaiʻi Island, our teams were able to mobilize quickly and move directly into impacted communities. GEM Hawaiʻi is providing families with the practical resources they need to begin the difficult work of recovery, including cleanup kits, buckets, tarps, shovels, gloves, and other essential supplies to clear mud and debris and protect damaged homes.

GEM is also providing immediate cash assistance through cash cards distributed to affected families and community centers, helping those whose homes have become unlivable cover urgent necessities during these first critical days.

For families who have lost so much, recovery begins one home, one family, and one community at a time. GEM Hawaiʻi will continue working alongside local communities as immediate relief transitions into the longer road toward recovery. Every donation makes a difference.

To support GEM’s Hurricane Lala Hawaiʻi Response, please donate, volunteer, or share this post to help us reach more people who want to make a difference.

Learn more through the link in our bio or at GEM.org.

#Hawaii #HurricaneLala #GEMHawaii #GlobalEmpowermentMission #Naalehu ...

In partnership with the U.S. @statedept & @usembassybogota GEM LATAM teams continue expanding humanitarian operations across Colombia’s earthquake-affected regions, delivering critical aid while strengthening the infrastructure needed to reach more communities in the days and weeks ahead.

Across the Coffee Region and Valle del Cauca, our ground teams are working alongside local governments, private-sector partners, community leaders, and fellow humanitarian organizations to coordinate relief efforts and ensure aid reaches families where it is needed most.

Yesterday, GEM operations focused on the municipalities of Caicedonia and Sevilla, while teams simultaneously established the logistics infrastructure for the next phase of distributions in Armenia and surrounding municipalities.

GEM Colombia Humanitarian Response to Date:
• 219,917 lbs / 99.75 metric tons of humanitarian aid shipped
• $1,704,484.78 in humanitarian aid delivered
• 232 pallets of aid shipped
• 12,545 GEM Family Necessity Kits deployed
• 4 humanitarian cargo flights delivered
• 41,494 people served with food & hydration
• 1,374 people served with critical non-food items

GEM continues its partnership with First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda’s Colombia Un Solo Corazón initiative and Solidaridad por Colombia, while expanding our logistics network in Medellín, Pereira, and Cali and building dedicated Colombian ground teams to serve affected communities throughout the country.

From humanitarian cargo flights arriving in Colombia to trucks moving aid, and teams delivering directly into communities, this response continues to grow every day. The mission work continues. @fundacionsolidaridadxcol

To help support GEM’s Colombia Earthquake Response, donate, volunteer, or learn more through the link in our bio or GEM.org. PLEASE SHARE POST.
@juanpablollano
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@elataubert
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@juancarlosgarciap @fasanchezr ...

GEM’s second humanitarian cargo flight has arrived in #Colombia, marking another major step forward in our nationwide relief operation supporting families and communities impacted by the recent earthquake.

In partnership with First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda and her initiative, Colombia Un Solo Corazón, GEM is working to ensure critical humanitarian aid reaches the communities that need it most.

A heartfelt thank you to @dhlus for helping make this latest humanitarian flight possible. Together with Solidaridad por Colombia, GEM is establishing three regional logistics hubs in Medellín, Pereira, and Cali, while building dedicated Colombian teams to serve some of the hardest-hit areas.

We continue to coordinate closely with all levels of government while maintaining the operational model that defines GEM’s response: strong partnership with local and national authorities, while GEM retains full control of warehousing, inventory, logistics, and direct distribution. This ensures aid moves quickly, efficiently, transparently, and directly into the hands of those who need it.

These efforts are already supporting almost 40,000 people with food, hydration, essential supplies, and critical non-food assistance.

Collecting aid is only the beginning. Getting it there quickly, responsibly, transparently, and directly into the hands of survivors, is what defines an effective humanitarian response.

To learn more about GEM’s response and how you can help, donate, or get involved, visit GEM.org.

Special thanks to our partners and supporters: @colombiaembassyus @mayordic @christifraga @miamidadecounty @cityofdoral @solidaridadxcol @motorradangels @citynationalbankofflorida @bankunited.official @royalcaribbean @themiamirealtors @onespaworld @the_agi_group @florida.blue @statedept #Colombia #GEMMissions #DHL #HumanitarianAid ...

Proud to announce the arrival of our first humanitarian cargo flight into #Colombia, marking the start of GEM’s nationwide relief operation for families impacted by the recent earthquake.

Heartfelt thanks to Avianca Cargo for making this mission possible, and to the First Lady, Ana Lucía Pineda and her initiative and campaign, Colombia Un Solo Corazón for their partnership and leadership.

GEM in partnership with Solidaridad por Colombia is establishing three regional logistics hubs in Medellín, Pereira, and Cali, building dedicated Colombian teams across the hardest-hit areas. We are coordinating closely with all levels of government while maintaining our model. Partnership with authorities, but Full GEM control of warehousing, inventory, and direct distribution, so aid reaches people efficiently and transparently.

To date, we’ve shipped 188 pallets, 171,836 pounds or 77.94 metric tons with an estimated value of 1.36 million dollars. That includes 9685 GEM Family Necessity Kits, 2,500 locally procured food kits, 24 generators, 219 shelter items, 44 toolkits, 12,960 candles plus water and medical supplies. already supporting 34,344
people with food and hydration plus critical non-food relief.

Collecting aid is the easy part. Delivering it quickly, responsibly, directly into the hands of survivors is what defines effective response.

For almost 2 decades, GEM has built its reputation on speed, transparency and disciplined logistics. This is just the beginning.

We are here for the long haul with the people of Colombia. To learn more visit GEM.org

Special thanks to our partners:
@colombiaembassyus @mayordic
@christifraga @miamidadecounty
@cityofdoral @solidaridadxcol @motorradangels @citynationalbankofflorida @bankunited.official @royalcaribbean @themiamirealtors
@onespaworld @the_agi_group @florida.blue @statedept #colombia ...

Yesterday marked our first major distribution in Pereira, Colombia. These initial distributions are with locally sourced aid.

Our @globalempowermentmission headquarters in Doral, Fl commences daily scheduled cargo flights along with high-capacity maritime sea containers. Due to the immense support of the Colombian🇨🇴 diaspora in the US along with hundreds of US companies, we anticipate transporting over 1000 pallets of aid by fall 2026.

In today’s deployment, we distributed our specialized family necessity kits to hundreds of earthquake survivors who have lost everything are are currently camped out in parks

Additionally, vital pallets of tents and mattresses are being shipped immediately.

This is just the beginning of our $15 million commitment of aid to Colombia for 2026 alone. This effort is in partnership with the Colombian Government, Solidaridad por Colombia, Colombia un Solo Corazon & Motorrad Angels. Also, please join us this weekend in support of charity concert #UnidosPorLosNuestros on August 16th at the Kaseya Center with our friend @marcanthony and many other amazing artists, to support to those affected in Colombia and Venezuela.

Special thanks to our incredible partners and seed donors on this response.

@colombiaembassyus
@mayordlc
@christifraga
@miamidadecounty
@cityofdoral
@solidaridadxcol
@motorradangels
@citynationalbankofflorida
@bankunited.official
@royalcaribbean
@themiamirealtors
@onespaworld
@the_agi_group
@florida.blue
@statedept
#colombia ...

GEM Team Member, Spencer Taylor, @spencervybes reporting live from Pereira, Colombia, on @cnn as our teams continue assessing the impact of the devastating earthquake.

#GEM is now mobilizing for large-scale humanitarian aid distributions across earthquake-affected communities throughout #Colombia, delivering critical supplies and support directly to families in need. To learn more visit www.GEM.org ...