As you might have read in the press and social media, at the end of the second quarter of 2018, the news from Venezuela is alarming. Our families and friends there are struggling to cope with the crisis and the less fortunate are facing the worse humanitarian crisis that our country has ever had. We, at Healing Venezuela, are determined to make a difference and here is a summary of what we have achieved to in the second quarter of 2018.
So far, we have shipped more than 1,400 kgs of medical supplies donated by surgeries and hospitals in the UK to Venezuela. Through an alliance with a Spanish NGO, Ven Da Tu Mano, we can now send also much-needed medicines. All our shipments have arrived or are in transit. We have partnered with a well-established Venezuelan NGO, Accion Solidaria, to distribute medical supplies in the country. Through them, we are supporting 53 medical centres in 13 states.
Teaching children how to manage stress is a wonderful gift to a generation in much need of inner peace. We are very proud to have just finished a course of stress management workshops in the Manuel Cabre primary school in Ruiz Pineda. We have also delivered workshops to the ambulance staff, municipal schools, welfare departments and others from the Municipality of Chacao. Considering the current situation in Venezuela, these workshops are becoming more important every day. In partnership with The Art of Living in Venezuela, we have trained 427 people.
On the 24th of June, we celebrated in a true Venezuelan way, San Juan's party hosted by LIQUI LIQUI-Venezuelan Deli & Artisan Cheeses. With our tombola, full of wonderful prizes and working as a team with the girls of A Hand For Venezuela we were able to raise more than £ 550 to help our Venezuelan children with Type 1 Diabetes Guerreros Azules.
Getting certain types of medicines is very difficult, even outside of Venezuela. But we are very happy to have got some to be able to help children with leukaemia. An arduous but valuable work and thanks to our allies in Fundación Vida and Fundamédula these will reach those who need them the most. Also, 27 patients and their families will have more peace of mind. They will benefit from highly spec laboratory tests and will have definite diagnoses that will help them cope better with their illness.
We are working with a Venezuelan NGO in Lara State, ALAPLAF, with a well-established reputation in sexual health. During the last quarter, we sent 90 mini IUDs, 50 adult IUDs, 50 pregnancy and syphilis tests, plus gloves and speculums for the medical staff.
Healing Venezuela is run 100% by volunteers. Thanks to them and generous donors, we were able to achieve a lot during the past three months. Some of our most successful events were: an online art auction curated and vetted by Henrique Faria Fine Art and Maddox Arts raised over £10,000 bringing to London over 20 of the best Venezuelan and international contemporary artists. On a beautiful sunny day in London, 22 runners came together to run 10km and help raise funds for Healing Venezuela. They raised more than £8,000!
We would make these Newsletters very long if we had to mention all the wonderful people who have donated money, cakes, time, energy and good vibes to Healing Venezuela. We are grateful for every penny received, and from the bottom of our Venezuelan hearts: GRACIAS!
There are many ways to contact us, through social media, subscribing to our newsletter, or writing to us directly at: info@healingvenezuela.co.uk
