The crisis in Venezuela did not begin today, but it risks worsening with the new instability generated by U.S. attacks and the fall of Maduro.
“All our staff are safe,” explains José Rodríguez, AVSI’s Country Representative in Venezuela, speaking to the Italian magazine Vita.it. “We have continued to constantly monitor the team, checking security conditions and ensuring that everyone could return safely to our offices. Many staff members were outside the cities where we operate, and we supported them along the way. Overall, the situation is calm, but there is a high level of attention and caution.”
A complex humanitarian emergency for over ten years
The crisis in Venezuela is not a recent development. “The country has been experiencing a complex humanitarian emergency for over ten years. There is a social and political crisis that over time has lost visibility: attention has returned today following the attacks, but Venezuela has been living in an extremely critical situation for years—one that, together with AVSI, we try to address day by day.”
Economic crisis, malnutrition, and a collapsed healthcare system
The country is struggling with “a severe economic crisis, runaway inflation, extremely high malnutrition rates, and a healthcare system that has completely collapsed and is no longer functioning.”
Children are paying the highest price: more than two million children are not attending school, while over nine million Venezuelans have been forced to leave the country.
Could the U.S. attacks and the fall of Maduro represent a turning point for the population? “There is a tense atmosphere,” Rodríguez replies. “At the moment, everything remains uncertain—except for the needs of the population, which are severe and urgent.”
Between hope and fear, a fragile calm
In the meantime, the organization remains vigilant. “We continue to closely monitor the context so we can carry on our work in support of people, ready to intervene should new crises arise, such as population movements or displacement. For now, however, no such situations are being reported.”
The climate in the country is one of great tension and strong anticipation. “It was a shock that shattered an apparent calm,” Rodríguez explains. Today, the population is divided between hope and concern: “Conditions remain fragile, and in the coming days we cannot rule out the emergence of new tensions. But people need hope that the country can begin again.”
A “engine of hope”
At this time, programs such as distance support need to be strengthened with even greater commitment and conviction—programs that today connect more than one hundred Venezuelan children with the same number of Italian families.
For twenty years now, in fact, a bond has linked Italy and Venezuela: the simple yet powerful gesture of distance support, through which Italian families ensure that Venezuelan children, thanks to consistent backing, are able to attend school and grow up in safe and supportive environments. Thanks to Italian supporters, AVSI provides services that meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable families through a pediatric medical center, a dental care center, and an educational center that supports children in extracurricular activities. This represents a powerful engine of hope for those living through this severe crisis.
