It is a situation in which the government indirectly is killing Venezuelan families and separating them because they can not support their children and they are forced to leave them in orphanages, relatives or known people to see if they can have a better future.
The government does not provide figures, but private organizations say there are hundreds of cases in the country. The social and economic crisis affects families.
Poverty and hunger rates increase as the economic crisis in Venezuela leaves empty shelves of food, medicines, diapers and baby formula. Some parents can not take it anymore. They are doing the unthinkable. Leave your children. "People can not find food," Salazar told me. "They can not feed their children, they are abandoning them, not because they do not want them, but because they want them."
To enter orphanages and see what the government does, a child protection officer - warning of devastating conditions, including the lack of diapers - was confident that such a visit would be "impossible". Some private crisis centers for children fear that access to a journalist may damage their sensitive relationships with the government.
Fundana, an imposing cement complex located on the top of a hill southeast of Caracas. His family had founded the non-profit orphanage in 1991, and his mother is still the director on his board, and his aunt, the president. There are no official statistics on the number of children abandoned or sent to orphanages and homes by their parents due to economic reasons. Although interviews with officials of Fundana and other nine private and public organizations that deal with children in crisis suggest that the number of cases is hundreds, or more, throughout the country.
Fundana received approximately 144 requests for placement of children at its facilities last year, compared to 24 in 2016, and a large majority of the orders were related to financial difficulties.
"I did not know what else to do," said Angélica Pérez, 32, a mother of 3 children, almost in tears. One recent afternoon, she appeared in Fundana with her 3-year-old son and two daughters, ages 5 and 14. She lost her job as a dressmaker a few months ago. When her youngest daughter developed a serious skin condition in December and the public hospital had no medications, she spent her last savings buying an ointment at the pharmacy. His plan: to leave the children in the center, where he knew they would be fed, and so be able to travel to the neighboring country of Colombia in search of work. I expected to return to look for them.
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Venezuela fell into a deep recession in 2014, affected by a drop in world oil prices and years of economic mismanagement. The crisis worsened last year. A Caritas study in the poorest areas of four states found that the percentage of children under 5 who lacked adequate nutrition had increased to 71% in December, compared to 54% seven months earlier.
Venezuela's child welfare ministry did not respond to requests for comment about the phenomenon that children are abandoned or placed in orphanages due to the crisis. The government provides free food boxes to poor families, although there have been delays since food prices have increased.
For years, Venezuela had a network of public institutions for vulnerable children. Although child welfare workers say that institutions are collapsing, and that some are at risk of closing due to shortage of funds. Therefore, more and more, parents leave their children in the streets.
In the sandy district Sucre, in Caracas, for example, eight children were abandoned in hospitals and public places last year, compared to four in 2016. In addition, officials there say they recorded nine cases of voluntary abandonment for economic reasons in services of child protection in the district in 2017, compared with no case the previous year. A child welfare official in El Libertador, one of the poorest areas of the capital, called the situation in public orphanages and temporary care centers "catastrophic."
"We have serious problems here," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from the government. "Definitely, there are more abandoned children. But it is not only that there is more, but that their health and nutrition conditions are much worse. We can not take care of them. "
Leonardo Rodríguez, who runs a network of 10 orphanages, said that in 2017 the children located in their centers were almost always from homes with cases of abuse. Now they received dozens of calls from women who wanted to leave their children so that they could eat. The demand is so high that some of its institutions now have waiting lists.
The war economy that Venezuela suffers and the next electoral farce that will try to cement the dictatorship, will accentuate the massive displacement of Venezuelans. 10%, out of a population of 31 million, have already emigrated and 60% of households have a family member abroad. The issue of Venezuelan refugees is becoming a regional concern that requires a solution, since practically all of Latin America is home to a growing number of refugees due to hunger, lack of health and freedom. The two most affected countries are Colombia and Brazil. Both borders are collapsed and on the verge of social emergency. The same could happen in Panama, Trinidad and Tobago or Ecuador. Others, such as Peru, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, are at the limit of the capacity to receive immigrants. In Argentina, for example, the Venezuelan presence doubled in 2017. The UN agency for refugees has indicated that asylum applications have tripled, except for those corresponding to the United States, which have multiplied by 37 since 2013.
These data by themselves suggest the need for an international support strategy to assist the transit, entry, insertion and settlement of migrants. Also in what it does to the granting of humanitarian visas. Venezuela should receive careful attention from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR. So far it has not happened with sufficient emphasis although both offices in Caracas facilitate the mobility of students and skilled workers by providing international airfare and other support assistance.
For the moment, the exodus has been in general of Venezuelans with educational level and some type of economic resources. The humanitarian crisis predicts a more complex and delicate 2018 as demonstrated by the tragic case of the Venezuelan rafters. The next wave could include more vulnerable sectors. It is important to begin to anticipate this possibility to avoid the unwanted consequences that usually affect many of the population displacements due to lack of residence, work permits or opportunities. The problem includes the indigenous communities that live on the borders with Brazil and Colombia that have had to leave the territories of origin. Colombia, which hosts 800 thousand Venezuelans, studies with the United Nations to install a refugee camp.
The scope of the dramatic Venezuelan migratory phenomenon demands the responsibility to act and that the issue be the primary attention of the next Summit of the Americas in Lima in accordance with the previous pronouncements of the OAS on migration issues. This means, among other issues, the adoption of an international assistance program more in line with the emergency that guarantees access for refugees and the principle of non-refoulement, granting asylum rights in addition to legal assistance such as food security, first aid services including psychological ones that facilitate integration spaces. Also to avoid the risks of xenophobia. It is equally important that the OAS Committee on Migration Affairs, together with IOM and UNHCR, with or without the consent of Nicolás Maduro, urgently address the crisis of the Venezuelan refugees, including technical assistance to the most affected countries.
In the Sucre district of Caracas, for example, eight children were abandoned in hospitals and public spaces last year, compared to four in 2016. In addition, officials say they registered nine cases of voluntary abandonment for economic reasons in the district. in a child protection service center in 2017, compared to none the previous year. A child welfare official in El Libertador, one of the poorest areas of the capital, described as "catastrophic" the situation in public orphanages and temporary care centers.
"Here we have serious problems," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the authoritarian government. "There are definitely more abandoned children. It is not only that there is more, but that their health and nutrition conditions are much worse. We can not deal with them. "
With an overwhelmed public system, the burden increasingly falls on private facilities run by non-profit organizations and charities.
Leonardo Rodríguez, who manages a network of 10 orphanages and care centers across the country, said that in the past, children placed in their centers were almost always from homes where they had suffered physical or mental abuse. But last year, the institutions received dozens of calls, up to two per week, from desperate women who wanted to hand over their children so they could feed them. The demand is so high that some of its facilities now have waiting lists.
To cope with the increase in demand in Fundana, the organization opened a second facility in Caracas with the help of private donors. But they still had to turn down dozens of applications to receive children. At Bambi House, the second largest private orphanage in Venezuela, applications increased by 30 percent last year, said Erika Pardo, its founder. Babies, once in great demand for adoption, also stay longer now under the care of the organization.
"Adoptive families are asking for older children because diapers and formula are impossible to find or very expensive," he said. The number of pregnant women seeking to place their children for adoption has also increased.
José Gregorio Hernández, owner of one of the main adoption agencies in Venezuela, Proadopcion, said that in 2017, his organization received 10 to 15 requests per month from pregnant women who wanted to give birth to their babies, compared to one or two requests per month in 2016. The organization had to reject the majority of women. Accepted 50 children in 2017, compared to 30 in 2016.
Dayana Silgado, 28, when she arrived at the new Fundana food center for parents suffering from the economic crisis. Silgado seemed exhausted. The shoulder blades on his slender body stuck out from the top of his shirt.
In November, she gave her two youngest children to Fundana after losing her job as a cleaning lady in the city during a round of budget cuts. She knew that in this center they would receive three meals a day.
Fundana does not accept older children, so Silgado was still trying to feed her two oldest children, aged 8 and 11, at home.
The milk, the sardines and the free pasta that the center offers help her. But it's not enough.
After dinner, Silgado said, his children ask him: "Mom, I want more."
"But I have nothing more to give them," he said.
"FOR MANY VENEZUELAN FAMILIES, HUNGER REPRESENTS AN INSPECTABLE OPTION".
Share For One Life: Help the little ones eat.
The formula, that fundamental food for the development of a baby, is one of the most difficult products to obtain in Venezuela, and the hospitals are not saved from this situation: they do not have the supplies to feed the newborns. For this reason, #CompartePorUnaVida emerges as an initiative to help children in hospitals that are in critical health and need food.
How can you help? Share formula, bottles or everything you need to feed a child.
Follow the following channels to communicate with them and be aware of their national and international collection centers (they have in Colombia, New York, Panama, Chicago, Miami, etc).
Twitter: @ sharex1vida
Instagram: @comparteporunavida.
Facebook: Share by a life.
Medical aid to Venezuela: Donate what you can so that this girl in Canada sends medicines and medical supplies to the country.
Tati Delgado Ranalli, a Venezuelan living in Canada, formed a personal project with the purpose of buying medicines and medical supplies to send them to different health centers and outpatient clinics in Venezuela. Crowdfunding does not have any sponsor, nor does it represent any political party. "The only motivation is the love I have for my country and the pain and helplessness I feel when I see it fall apart," says Tati. It is important to note that this project stands out when focusing on the delivery of prescription drugs, which generally do not fall within other conventional donations because of the difficulty they have in being found without the respective medical prescription. Tati has the support of HPI Canada and Not Just Tourists, two Canadian organizations that collaborate in providing medicines and supplies.
How can you help? Donating the amount of money that is in your possibilities in this link.
To buy, send and make sure that the supplies reach those who need them most, the creator is responsible.
Donamed, una comunidad virtual 100% venezolana que conecta a quienes donan medicinas con aquellos que las necesitan.
DonaMed.com.ve is a free, non-profit and self-funded community whose mission is to connect people who donate medicines or medical supplies to those who need them most. The proposal seeks to organize and respond to the thousands of requests for medications that are lost daily on social networks.
"Although DonaMed was born from the current difficult situation in relation to medicines, its philosophy is based on promoting solidarity among citizens so that the donation of medicines becomes a permanent habit and not only in response to the crisis. The crisis is temporary, the generous actions remain forever, "say its creators Juan García and Ana Fuentes.
How I can help? There are many ways to do it.
You can donate the medicines that you have at home and that you do not use, before they expire. Click here to do it
Join as a volunteer of this cause, there are only two people working on the project and any support would be good: graphic design, coordination in social networks, delivery of flyers, are some of the ways you can help.
Do you have another idea of how to give your bit? write to [email protected]
And finally, you can also help the creators to cover domain expenses, web server, Internet service, etc.
The Humanitarian Aid Program for Venezuela transforms the concern of Venezuelans abroad, in aid for the most needy.
The Humanitarian Aid Program for Venezuela was created in 2014 with the aim of helping those affected by the social and economic situation that the country is going through. Its mission is to collect supplies in collection centers around the world (many of them located in Miami) and help with the distribution of them. This proposal seeks to alleviate the suffering of the most affected inhabitants, without distinction of race, creed, or social class.
How I can help? You can visit one of the collection centers and leave the products indicated here. If you do not have one nearby, you can donate money here. You can also contact them to serve as a volunteer for the program.
For more information:
Website: www.ayudahumanitariavenezuela.org.
Facebook: Humanitarian Aid Venezuela.
Twitter: @ HelpHumanVzla.
Email: [email protected].
Together for Venezuela, from San Francisco, California, they are collecting medicines to send them to the country
This group, from San Francisco, is formed by Ana Carolina Vasquez and Maria Alejandra Nazar Naim who are constantly collecting medicines to send them to Venezuela. The next meeting will be on Monday, May 30, at 1230 Hayes Street, San Francisco, California, where they will be in what they call a "tequeñada" from 2 to 6 PM.
How I can help? If you are in San Francisco, do not miss the Tequeñada. And if you're not in California, you can send your donations here. This group is collecting everything from toothpaste, hospital sheets, diapers, to ibuprofen and general medicine. Here you have more information about what you need and how to help. If you have contact with hospitals please, you can also inform them that.
Fill out this form if you are Venezuelan and you are anywhere in the world wanting to put your grain of sand and be in contact with them.
You can also write to the creators here:
Ana Carolina Vasquez: [email protected].
María Alejandra Nazar Naim: [email protected].
I do not want you to interpret these words, as if I were asking for your upvoto, just ask them to value the effort I make and if you are interested in the publication, comment or make constructive comments and this give me more strength to continue providing information of your interest. Thank you in advance for reading these words and I will continue to try to communicate with you with my publications. I also thank #familyprotection, (@canadian-coconut and I, @markwhittam) for allowing me to make these publications and, in addition, they have my support for any benefit of this team.
IF YOU WANT YOUR EX-WIFE, EX-HUSBAND, EX-GIRLFRIEND, EX-BOYFRIEND, EX-SPOUSE, EMAIL dr_mack@ yahoo. com…..~ =)~ =)~ =)
friend, the familyprotection tag is only used for cases of abuse of the social service, in the case of your publication is to leave the minors in the shelters
Thanks, I will adjust to the content in future publications.