VENEZUELA

I’ve two friends in this team, really incredible how they offer their house to collect supplies for the protest. They used green signs during the march because ‘the best way to help is doing what we do every day’: helping protesters and soldiers alike.

Andrea Rodriguez and Andrea Mendez are my friends from summer camp and both of them are studying medicine at the Central University of Venezuela. They wake up every morning to work for keep Venezuelans to be safe of violent protest in the country.

Primeros Auxilios UCV is a volunteer group of young doctors and medical students have become a symbol of how Venezuelans are trying to replace critical government functions.

But group organizers say they treat dozens of patients daily and believe that the first aid they deliver has been crucial in saving lives. The Venezuelan economy’s near-collapse has devastated medical facilities and supply lines, and limited state-run emergency care at demonstrations, according to the group.

When the team of roughly 60 volunteers went to the front lines for the first time, they didn’t even have gloves, disinfectant, or bandages.

They work across Venezuela any time there’s a rally or demonstration, but most of their time is spent in Caracas, where the majority of the group’s members are based. i

They received donations from all over the world from Venezuelans abroad but if you want to help with this cause, you can go here:

The health system in Venezuela has been slowly crumbling for years, reaching a point of crisis in recent months with hospitals lacking even the most basic resources to treat patients, like gauze or running water. Hospital workers report having only 3 percent of needed supplies, according to the Venezuelan Medical Federation.

You can support this group HERE 🙂  they are sending medical and other resources to Venezuela. All these supplies will be delivered to the First Aid group of UCV med students that help protesters as well as several resistance groups.

Together we are the solution!

-ONLY ONE WEEK TO THE ELECTIONS-

Chavez used to have fantastic ads, well was easy when oil was at $100 a barrel.

This post is about what happens when that same barrel costs $40.

The new news: Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s attempt to use Latin hit “Despacito” – which means ‘slowly’ – to inject some cool into his controversial new Congress has backfired quickly.

Maduro’s unpopular leftist government on Sunday promoted a remixed version of “Despacito” to encourage Venezuelans to vote for the Constituent Assembly, which will have powers to rewrite the national charter and supersede other institutions.

“Our call to the ‘Constituent Assembly’ only seeks to unite the country … Despacito!” goes the Socialist Party-sanctioned remix of the catchy dance song, which was played during Maduro’s weekly televised show.

“What do you think, eh? Is this video approved?” a grinning and clapping Maduro called out to the crowd, which roared back in approval.

But Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee said they do not approve at all.

“At no point was I asked, nor did I authorize, the use or the change in lyrics of “Despacito” for political ambitions, and much less in the middle of a deplorable situation that Venezuela, a country I love so much, is living,” Fonsi said in a message posted on Twitter.

Daddy Yankee, meanwhile, posted a picture of Maduro with a big red cross over it on Instagram.

“That you illegally appropriate a song (Despacito) does not compare with the crimes you commit and have committed in Venezuela. Your dictatorial regime is a joke, not only for my Venezuelan brothers but for the entire world,” he said.

“With this nefarious marketing plan, you only highlight your fascist ideal.”

I found this version from Aristegui journalist from CNN Espanol, PLEASE you have to see this. They look so stupid laughing and clapping.

MADURO VERSION – Despacito

Sorry Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi, not all Venezuelans are like this guy.

Alejandro Cegarra

Carlos Becerra

Fabiola Ferrero 

About this photo:

“The citizens depend on the State. The State depends on oil. It seems now that we’re both in trouble. While people spend hours waiting for food, lose weight and get deeper and deeper into a collective depression, the oil prices stay around 40$ a barrel and it doesn’t seem possible that they go back up anytime soon. Years of focusing on exports and abandoning the land have obvious consequences. But the deepest are the citizens: according to a recent study, the main emotions Venezuelans feel on daily basis due to the breakdown, are anger, sadness, and fear. While some express their frustration taking the streets, life for a vast population is about surviving.”

Cristóbal Ochoa

(My friend’s brother)

MaCe Peña

(My summer-camp friend)

Which one is your favorite?

\It was a regular day at the office (I think it was March, 2016), when at @Analiticom (a digital agency that I used to work at) the big boss Ana Isabel Otero came in as every day, with her heels and a newspaper. She was so worried because the maternity ward of one of the most popular hospitals in town had thirty kids without food. That’s how an incredible non-profit organization that collects inputs and funds in order to be able to alleviate this problem as much as possible started.

“Comparte por una vida” or “Share for a life” is currently serving 35 hospitals nationwide, which receive formula and nutritional supplements for children. They also serve 6 homes, which receive food for their children and recently they started the “School Lunch” program that takes a daily meal to children in very poor areas. The hungry crisis is Venezuela is quite serious.

My personal opinion from these experience was very satisfying because I was part of something that helps make things right. We stayed at the office until very late and we also helped Ana on weekends too. People came into the office every single day to bring donations. Right now  I’m not in Venezuela to help, but you can help me. They have a Go Found Me and you can donate! Most donations are from Venezuelans living across the U.S. and other parts of the world.  Part of the campaign for this charity is made through social media and public relationships. Not even one TV channel has talked about this cause.

However, the situation in Venezuela is still a crisis.  Venezuelan opposition supporters have marked 100 days of anti-government protests with yet another march. Thousands gathered in the capital to listen to leaders, including the wife of Leopoldo Lopez – the hardline politician who was freed from jail last Friday.

Simultaneously, masked youth and security forces clashed again last Sunday, June 9th. National Guard troops fired tear gas at protesters who threw bottles and rocks and took up position behind makeshift shields. Latest reports say around 90 people have died and hundreds have been arrested since the unrest against President Nicolas Maduro began at the start of April.

For more information, please check this video:

NBC NEWS – Ana Isabel Otero – Comparte por una vida

Also, you can donate HERE  🙂

Thanks!

After three months of protests, Venezuelan anti government demonstrations are still heated, no matter what. People believe that the resistance is the way for president Nicolas Maduro drop off his charge.

One of my objective of this blog is to show you how difficult its for Venezuelans to  have the news of what’s going on every day.

All the tv channels in the country are Under State Pressure. It’s so hard that Venezuela TV Limits Live Coverage of Protests are so unreal and shortened.  Our only information source is the social media platforms such as: Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Employees and members of staff said that the TV station receives at least daily warnings and threats from state telecom regulator Conatel. Why? because they are  just showing live footage of clashes between antigovernment protesters and security forces, or broadcasting terms like ”dictatorship” or ”repression”

Protesters and politicians use their own phones to transmit all the information during the concentration in each corner, when? Day and night. It’s crazy, because is really dangerous to have your phone out, there’s a lot of burglars looking for someone to steal from.

Although, if you are in or out of Venezuela your first place to look and to know what happens is any Social Media platform, imagine how desperate it is to look up something on Twitter, and at the same time turn on the TV and see some stupid tv show about comics or celebrities.

To prove the information isn’t so easy, as you have to curate the content on the internet, you have to curate the rumors or non certificate news about each big or small town.

This isn’t the last statement in Venezuela, today, Maduro has said that Twitter is an “expression of fascism” after accounts linked to his government were suspended, accusing the U.S. company of persecuting his followers. Can you believe it? they want to control everything!

But we have to be clear about a few details:

1.  One of the Twitter accounts suspended was ”Radio Miraflores” – a station set up by Mr Maduro that broadcasts a weekly salsa show presented by the president. Seriously? Thank God that was closed or hacked!
2. It is not clear if Twitter has any employees in Venezuela. The company has so far made no response.
3. Twitter’s guidelines say accounts can be suspended for abusive behavior, security or spam, among other reasons.
4. Just a funny fact: Chavez was a pioneer among politicians in the use of Twitter, gathering millions of followers and frequently announcing news on the platform. Even today, Chavez’s 4 million followers beats Maduro’s 3 million.

Thank you for reading me 🙂

Please, if you could write what you think about this article i’ll be grateful.

I’m very excited to start this journey with you.

It doesn’t matter where you are from, or what your interest are, I’m pretty sure you have heard about the protests of a country named: Venezuela. It sounds like a name of a beautiful woman, but right now she is not in a good situation. She needs your help! Everyone should know about what’s going on there because we need international support from all over the world. She wants freedom and a better future.

To show you a short and simple list about what happened in Venezuela (south american country with some of the world’s largest proven oil deposits as well as huge quantities of coal, iron ore, bauxite and gold) these are the reasons that made the protests start:

1. The last 29th of March in Venezuela the Supreme Court dissolved the parliament and not only break up their exercise, also they transferred all legislative power to itself.

2. After three days, the decision was reversed but protests continued around the country until today.

3. Venezuela is not only in a dictatorship, the entire nation is living in the middle of a severe food shortage and economic crisis.

4. The minimum wage is 50% as hyperinflation rages (45$ per month)

5. Anti-governments face off against military forces day and night, but the most difficult situation is that no one can know about what’s going on there, because all the communications channels are taking by Maduro’s government.

6. This is the most catastrophic crisis in all the history of this wonderful country. That’s why people aren’t giving up with the protests.

PS: While I was writing this, a 17 years old student has died in Chacao, Caracas .