“The level of child malnutrition has exceeded the threshold of the humanitarian emergency,” said Susana Rafalli, member of the Cáritas organization in Venezuela. “33% of the children have delays in their growth, and is irreversible,” she added.
The South American nation of Venezuela is going through a severe economic crisis and positioned as the worst economy in the world. Food shortage and inflation are just a couple of issues the Venezuelans are suffering right now.
9 out of 10 households with children could not cover the costs of food. The situation the country is going through is because of oil. Late former President Hugo Chavez controlled the profits, and the money got invested in education and employment. Unfortunately, that left Venezuela in a severe recession.
The United States Senate was concerned about the situation in Venezuela and insisted the members of the OAS take actions regarding the crisis. During Chavez administration, the foods imports skyrocketed. Venezuela relied on imports but didn’t have dollars to pay for them. Hence, shortage followed.
According to an official toll, the protests on the streets against current President Nicolas Maduro has caused many people to die and hundreds more injured and detained. The people were demanding elections, but the Venezuelan riot police violently stopped them using water tanks, tear gas, pepper spray, and of course, bullets.
Maduro is planning to rewrite the country’s Constitution. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of children are still dying in the country. “Humanitarian aid is necessary to save lives,” said Rafalli. The crisis in Venezuela rose drastically from one year to another and is devastating.
There are no jobs and no food. People are not happy with their president.
This article was inspired by Latin Times // Humanitarian Crisis In Venezuela: 280,000 Malnourished Children Could Die In Upcoming Months