Emergency aid, construction of a community centre, ... Image 1

Emergency aid, construction of a community centre, agricultural training and food aid for children

Barlovento, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of

Project in numbers

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Current situation

Venezuela is a country of sharp contrasts: It presides over a rich oil industry and yet, 60.1 percent of the population lives in poverty and 28.1 percent in extreme poverty2. Children, adolescents and women suffer the most.

What happened?

In December 1999 a huge flood, caused by the climatic phenomena “El Nino,” destroyed large parts of Venezuela. Over 600,000 people were affected by the deluge – hundreds of thousands lost their homes and more than 20,000 people died1.

Emergency Aid after the flood

AMURT supported the victims by providing them with basic necessities such as food, drinking water and clothes. A medical team was also dispatched to the region in order to distribute drugs, to cure infectious diseases, to administer vaccinations and to assist childbirths.

Community Centre

Over 60% of the population, especially women, live in poverty. AMURT works to alleviate such impoverishment by fostering self-sufficiency in the region. In 2004, AMURT constructed a community centre in Barlovento, in which women can learn how to sew, tailor and manufacture care products. The centre offers courses on management and small-business as well.

Agriculture

The soil is very fertile in the region, but has largely been underutilized. Since many young people are unemployed, AMURT has begun organizing training sessions for the youth sector of the country. AMURT’s training sessions focus on how to plant papaya trees, ways to sell fruit in the market, how to prepare the harvest and how to preserve the harvest.

Food for children

In Venezuela, at least 21 percent of all children under five are malnourished to some degree3. What the children lack most is milk, containing protein and vitamins. AMURT helps these children by providing them with food formulated for babies and medical care.

1 BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/ in_depth/world/2000/dealing_with_disaster/ venezuela.stm

2 UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/ venezuela_27098.html

 

 

 

Project Duration

Project Start
1999
Project End
2007

Impressions

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