Venezuela

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Bethany Solidarity Kitchen feeds hungry children

Our history in Venezuela

Present in Venezuela since 1951, staffing a hospital in Maracaibo, today MMS supports the most deprived people in the barrios (shanty towns) where COVID-19 is worsening Venezuela’s economic and social crisis that plunged the majority into acute poverty and desperate hunger. The pandemic is causing a new human crisis, psychologically and emotionally, for children and young people experiencing abandonment, malnutrition, places of recreation and learning shut. 

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Solidarity Kitchen in Venezuela in full swing

Focus of our mission in Venezuela

Delivering healthcare

Providing a solidarity kitchen 

Community communications

Accompanying young people 

Developing music and arts programmes for children and young people

Caracas

In Caracas, three Medical Mission Sisters are involved in a number of food and healthcare projects run by Caritas Venezuela and the parish. One of our Sisters also accompanies young people in an inter-congregational formation programme.

Due to a slow vaccination programme, we remain actively involved in preventing the spread of COVID-19 among those communities with whom we engage.

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Caracas - involvement in COVID-19 prevention programmes
Caracas - involvement in COVID-19 prevention programmes

Maracaibo

In Maracaibo, Sister Marielena runs a project along with the community council. called Community Communication Center (CDCC) where they provide a service to the community in the area of ​​communications. 

She also accompanies local Christian communities and the group of catechists, since we, as Medical Mission Sisters, are responsible for the religious services and activities in our neighbourhood.

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Sister Marielena with the community in Maracaibo
Sister Marielena with the community in Maracaibo

Bethany Solidarity Kitchen in Barquisimeto

In Venezuela 2021, as the double-edged blow of poverty and the pandemic hits women, children and persons with underlying health conditions the hardest, MMS’s well established Solidarity Kitchen in Barquisimeto, which has been running since 2015, addresses acute shortages of food and water to boost immunity.

350 people a day come to the Solidarity Kitchen for a nutritious snack designed to add to local diets, for example, dairy products, not affordable for many families.  This life-saving programme enhances healthy growth and immunity and builds resilience.

The kitchen keeps Sister Maiguilida, Luz Marina, Yira and other volunteers very busy indeed.

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Our faithful volunteers in the kitchen
Our faithful volunteers in the kitchen
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Sister Maigualida at the Bethany Solidarity Kitchen
Sister Yira at the Solidarity Kitchen
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Special activity in Barquisimeto

Creating La Fundación Latidos in Barquisimeto

By creating La Fundación Latidos (The Beats) in 2015, Sister Maigualida and her colleagues aimed to keep children and young people away from violence and drugs on the streets in Barquisimeto, as you can read here: 

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/12/07/nuns-music-program-designed-keep-venezuelan-youths-away-violence

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Making music in our studio
Making music in our studio

Income-generation for local women making Latidos costumes

Local women in the barrios make the traditional costumes for the children's performances to secure a small income. 

Latidos has its own Facebook page at latidosfv

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Dressed up and ready to sing and dance
Dressed up and ready to sing and dance
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Fiesta in Barquisimeto!

Healing a continent torn apart by grief

Prior to the pandemic, Latidos flourished into a lively music group, involving 550 children from 10 barrios, mostly aged 5-17 years. Cooperating with universities and arts groups, Latidos fast became the heartbeat of Barquisimeto, keeping hope alive for everyone. COVID-19 restricted its activities in 2020 but now, use of masks and hand sanitisers enables 150 children to play music again, face-to-face, alongside a team of trained teachers.

In country where music is the cornerstone of life, Latidos is now restoring merengue, salsa and other rhythms to life. Listen to those lively beats!

Listen to those beats

“When we sing, dance, draw, make poetry, stories, dramas, I feel that many beautiful things happen in my heart and around”, says Karla, aged 10.

The children in Latidos dream of recording a CD to carry the message of their music to many more people - rebuilding communities and shattered lives. After five women committed suicide in a month in 2020, MMS launched two radio programmes to reach across all social backgrounds in South America. Through Latidos, joyful songs and poems can touch lives in desperate times.

A sharing for life and peace in a park, Barquisimeto 2024

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The children of Venezuela wave goodbye