Fundación Vivarium

The Vivarium Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the U.S. Our mission is to prevent snakebite accidents and bring emergency relief to rural communities in Venezuela. Today, we urgently need your help: heavy rains have caused massive landslides in Mérida, destroying homes and displacing hundreds of families.

What’s Happening

Since mid‑June, relentless torrential rains have triggered landslides across Mérida’s Andean villages—places like La Asomada, Apartaderos, and Mucuchíes. Roads and bridges have collapsed, houses have been swept away, and crops and livestock have been lost. Entire communities are cut off, without food, clean water, shelter, or medical care.

How Fundación Vivarium Is Responding

Fundación Vivarium is on the ground coordinating with local volunteers to deliver life-saving assistance:

All funds are handled with full transparency. We promise — every dollar donated — will go directly to those most affected by this disaster.

✅ Your donation is 100% tax-deductible in the U.S.

✅ Receipts issued via PayPal Giving Fund or directly from Fundación Vivarium (IRS 501(c)(3)

Why Your Help Matters

Even a small gift makes a big impact. $50 provides a week’s worth of clean water for a family, $100 buys essential hygiene kits, and $250 helps rebuild basic shelter. If you’re unable to give now, please share this fundraiser every share amplifies our reach. Together, we can stand with Mérida in its moment of greatest need.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Your compassion and solidarity will bring hope and survival to families in Mérida. ¡Gracias, gracias, gracias!

The Fundación Vivarium Team

An 11-year-old boy from rural Venezuela, was bitten by a mapanare (Bothrops sp.) — one of the most dangerous venomous snakes in Latin America. The bite caused a severe and life-threatening complication known as compartment syndrome, which occurs when venom-induced swelling and tissue damage increase pressure inside the limb, cutting off circulation.

He was urgently transferred from his hometown (Guasdualito, Apure) to the regional hospital in San Cristóbal, where he received a third dose of antivenom and underwent emergency surgery to try to save his leg.

His Current Situation

Alexander has undergone multiple surgical cleanings and is currently receiving a blood transfusion due to critical anemia (his hemoglobin dropped to just 5.2 g/dL — a dangerously low level for a child). He remains in a delicate state and requires daily medical monitoring, bloodwork, and special nutritional care.

Despite the medical team’s best efforts, his family cannot afford the costs of lab tests, medications, and recovery support. Public hospitals in Venezuela lack most essential supplies, and families must pay for everything — from gauze to blood tests — out of pocket.

Why We Need Your Help

Every donation will help cover:

Critical lab tests (hematology, coagulation, kidney function)

Post-surgery medications and supplies

Transfusion-related costs

Special home-cooked nutrition for recovery

Transportation, logistics, and follow-up care

His recovery will be long, and he and his family need us now more than ever.

Who We Are

We are Fundación Vivarium, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and treating snakebite envenomations in Venezuela and Latin America. We are officially registered in the United States as a 501(c)(3) public charity — your donation is tax-deductible under U.S. law.

Our team has been closely accompanying Alexander and his family since the case was reported. We are ensuring that all funds go directly to covering his medical needs.

How You Can Help

If you can donate, share this story, or simply help spread the word, you will be part of saving not just a leg — but his future.

Contact us directly for more information or to help through other channels. fundacionvivarium.org

From Alexander, his family, and our entire team at Fundación Vivarium:

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

Un joven de 16 años fue mordido por una serpiente venenosa, mapanare (Bothrops sp.) en el Municipio Libertador, estado Carabobo – Venezuela. Actualmente está hospitalizado en el Hospital Central de Valencia y necesita apoyo urgente para acceder a exámenes, medicamentos y transfusión de plasma.

Su madre, de escasos recursos, ha compartido públicamente su clamor por ayuda. Desde la Fundación Vivarium estamos acompañando este caso para garantizar que cada donación llegue donde realmente se necesita.

Desde la Fundación hacemos un acompañamiento cercano y responsable canalizando la ayuda para garantizar transparencia, continuidad y trazabilidad.

Tu aporte puede marcar la diferencia entre la vida y la discapacidad.

¡Dona y comparte!

El niño Tiene 11 años y es oriundo de Guasdualito, estado Apure (Venezuela). Fue mordido por una serpiente mapanare mientras ayudaba a su papá en las labores del campo.

La mordedura le causó una grave complicación médica conocida como síndrome compartimental, que afecta el músculo y los tejidos por el aumento de presión interna. Esta situación puso en riesgo su pierna… y su vida.

Tras ser atendido inicialmente con 2 kits de suero antiofídico, tuvo que ser trasladado de emergencia al Hospital Central de San Cristóbal (Estado Táchira), donde recibió una tercera dosis y fue sometido a procedimientos quirúrgicos para intentar salvar la extremidad afectada.

Estado actual

Ha recibido cirugías de limpieza quirúrgica y esta semana le están administrando transfusiones de sangre debido a una anemia crítica (hemoglobina 5.2 g/dL). Su recuperación es lenta y delicada.

Necesita exámenes frecuentes, alimentación adecuada y cuidados médicos continuos.

¿Por qué necesitamos tu ayuda?

La familia no cuenta con recursos económicos para cubrir el tratamiento completo, las transfusiones, los exámenes, medicamentos ni la alimentación especial que necesita.

Cada aporte ayuda a cubrir:

Exámenes de control (hematología, coagulación, función renal)

Medicinas posquirúrgicas y antisépticos

Transfusiones de sangre y material médico

Alimentación adaptada a su estado nutricional

Traslados y logística

Fundación Vivarium

Somos una organización sin fines de lucro, registrada como 501(c)(3), dedicada a la prevención y manejo clínico del accidente ofídico en Venezuela y América Latina. Este caso fue reportado directamente a nuestro equipo, que ha acompañado médica y humanamente al niño desde su llegada al hospital.

Tu donación llegará directamente a apoyar este proceso. Si no puedes donar, compartir también salva vidas.

Gracias de corazón.

Fundación Vivarium is a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental conservation, public health, and education. Its primary focus areas include the prevention of snakebite incidents, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, and the production of antivenoms. The organization works with at-risk populations, particularly children and rural communities, to reduce the incidence and severity of snakebite injuries through education and awareness programs.

We are fundraising to support Fundación Vivarium's mission of environmental conservation, public health, and education. Your donations will help us continue our work with at-risk populations, particularly children and rural communities, to reduce the incidence and severity of snakebite injuries through education and awareness programs.