Crisis in Venezuela
Lina Petronino ’20
Venezuela: a country known for its picturesque vacation spots, beauty pageant queens, and authoritarian regime. Once a South American superpower, Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest oil reserve and is inhabited by 30 million people. Although the majority of citizens led the lives of healthy, middle-class citizens in 2003, their current situations resemble those of the protagonists in an apocalyptic movie.
Every day, the people of Venezuela flood the streets to demonstrate against the leadership of their president, Nicolas Maduro. Despite their universal plea for more humane lifestyle, the current responses to the political climate vary greatly. While some demonstrators chant pleas for peace, others wreak havoc on their city and its armed forces by setting fire to buildings and vehicles.
But no matter how peaceful their dissonance, police have responded to these actions by blasting the protestors with tear gas, jets of water and rubber bullets,. These harsh methods of ‘controlling’ the people has lead to the 37 deaths and nearly 700 injuries.
What provoked this horrific situation in Venezuela? What has kindled the anger of millions so violently? The answer: hunger.
Venezuela is suffering from deep recession and hyperinflation. Prices rose by 800 percent in 2016, with the International Monetary Fund predicting inflation could hit 2,200 percent by the end of 2017. With prices so outrageous, most Venezuelans find themselves unable to care for themselves or their families. As a result of the widespread shortage of essential supplies, many are unable to acquire basic necessities, such as food and medicine. Shoppers wait in 13 hour long lines to buy from markets with shelves barren of supplies. Less fortunate Venezuelans are forced to scavenge for food scraps in dumpsters and garbage cans. Hospitals are suffering from a shortage of supplies, including antibiotics, handsoap and gauze. Oftentimes, there are nationwide power outages, resulting in doctors resorting to the light of their smartphones to see and operate on patients.
Venezuela is a country in a state of chaos. Yet, no matter how many people die, starve, or scream for justice, the world responds with indifference.
Although one may feel as if there are few ways to help from outside of the country, donations to Venezuela’s affected majority help significantly. Donate to Feed the Protest here to feed the hungry demonstrators participating in the fight for fairness. Help feed malnourished children by donating to Sharing for Life here to assist these poor souls. Finally, for those who care about animals, donate to the mission Santuario Luna to provide these suffering creatures with veterinary care at http://fundacionsantuarioluna.com .
Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Emily Hsiang ’19
When the Rohingya people flee their homes, they do not take the time to ponder their grim futures. Even with the prospects of starvation, hunger, rape, and disease in front of them, these runaways cannot concentrate on anything other than the menacing echoes of the words, “leave or we will kill you all.”
Myanmar military members and Buddhist civilians have been throwing these kinds of threats at the Rohingyas for years now. In an attempt to promote the “ethnic cleansing” of Myanmar, the Rohingya people have been banished from their homes and stripped of their nationalities. These escaped Rohingyas, or “the world’s most persecuted minority” have since reported incidents of villages being torched, threats being issued, and relatives being taken away. Meanwhile, outside of Rohingya villages, terrorism is mercilessly spreading throughout Myanmar.
Eight hundred thousand Rohingyas have migrated to Bangladesh, only to be packed into the grimy, congested, and understocked refugee camps. Over time, these camps have devolved into collages of quickly-improvised huts and tarps, where any available land is fair game for a toilet. Let’s not forget the many women who have been subjected to rape, and the many children who have watched their family members die.
There is still a way to help, however! Food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention are all in short supply, so these refugees are ready to grab at anything they can get. A simple donation could mean the difference between a night’s sleep among the dirt and the pebbles and a night’s sleep on a sleeping mat for these refugees. Lend a helping hand by visiting the following links: https://www.partners.ngo/take-action/save-the-rohingya
https://donate.unhcr.org/gu-en/rohingya
Panic In Puerto Rico
Kyla Hunter ’19
Before September 20, Puerto Rico was associated in the minds of the general public with images of a beautiful, tropical island vacation destination. However, the events of the past two weeks have brought chaos and turmoil as the home of our fellow United States citizens was recently devastated by Hurricane Maria.
Two weeks after the hurricane struck, the country of 3.5 million people is facing overwhelming difficulties. The lack of supplies is one of the most prevalent and widespread issues. Many locations are without any food, water or power. Although the capital of San Juan has a large amount of resources, the real problem is distributing the supplies to other regions. Some cities in rural areas have still not been reached by supply trucks and the people are struggling to survive.
The extensiveness of the desolation has resulted in hundreds of people waiting in lines. Waiting to enter the supermarket where the aisles are mostly empty. Waiting to enter banks to extract money since the ATMs are not functioning. Even waiting to enter laundromats to wash clothes. One of the most critically lacking resources is fuel. The U.S navy is working to help hospitals that are currently relying on generators. A few days ago, hundreds of people waited in line to board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to take them to the mainland for free.
Widespread frustration has arisen over the administration’s response to the Puerto Rico situation. Many people criticize President Trump’s limited, inefficient, and self-satisfied response to the problem. The Mayor of San Juan voiced her desperation by declaring, “I am begging. Begging anyone that can hear us… to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying. And you are killing us with the inefficiency.”
Puerto Rico will take a long time to recover from this current state of devastation. However, it is important to stay hopeful and help in anyway you can. Lin Manuel Miranda, the son of Puerto Rican parents, declared, “If I can leave you with anything today… Our island is in crisis and if I can help in any way, if i can get more eyeballs to this crisis, it’s a fixable problem.”
Support UNICEF’s hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico here.
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