Helping Children in Venezuela
Donation protected
A Messy and Dangerous Situation -- Venezuelan Children in need!
Hola! My name is Carmen Garcia-Jersild and I was born and raised in Venezuela until age 18 when I came to the United States on a tennis scholarship. Fast forward, many years later and I'm now a new mom of a beautiful baby boy called Santiago.
My home country of Venezuela is going through a political, economic, social and more importantly a humanitarian crisis. This humanitarian crisis is affecting all of the Venezuelan civilians but mainly children who are innocent victims to this crisis. I started thinking one day what if I couldn't get food, medicine or the basic items for Santi ... I seriously panic just thinking about it.
In Venezuela not having enough money to feed your child or waiting in line for food that isn’t there any longer is a reality. Food is a basic human right and is limited in my home country. You have to stand in lines for 3 or 4 hours just to get some of the basic items to eat and survive. At times, people stand in lines and after a few hours, the super market clerk comes out to tell you that everything is gone.
Kids are getting sick more often because they are malnourished. Many parents skip a meal or eat every other day to make sure their child is fed. But how do you feed a baby if you can't find formula? Of the total number of malnourished Venezuelans 48% of them are between 6 months and 2 years of age and 16% are just babies younger than 6 months. A child with a fever can become a real emergency because there is no medicine to treat it at the local pharmacy or sometimes even at the hospital. Basic items for children like diapers and baby bottles are hard to find at the super markets or are sold on the black market for a lot more than the actual price.
Imagine draping your newborn in a diaper made for a one year-old and being grateful that you have a diaper at all. Imagine waking early to stand in a chaotic line for hours, all for the privilege of spending 20% of your monthly income on a few days worth of wrong-sized diapers. Imagine having no diapers at all for your precious new baby.
That's what life as a parent is like in Venezuela. Basic needs for your child are impossible to meet at times. The widespread shortage of food, medicine and baby items have caused a huge health crisis where even detergent to launder cloth diapers is equally rare.
I am raising funds to help ship items like the ones mentioned below to "Sociedad Venezolana de Puericultura y Pediatria" in Caracas, Venezuela. All donations will be appreciated more than I can express!!! The items will be sent by freight and it will take between 4 to 6 weeks to make it to Venezuela.
Your donations will help me buy as many of the items below to be sent to Venezuela.
VITAMINS
- Iron supplement in liquid for babies
- Folic Acid in liquid for babies
- Multivitamins for children
MEDICINES
-Tylenol or Motrin for babies and toddlers
-Cough Medicine for babies and toddlers
-Neosporin
-Supositories
-Diaper rash cream
-Vaseline
-Aquaphor Healing Ointment
-Bandaids
-Alcohol wipes
-Gauzes and gauze tape
Children Items
-Diapers for babies (all sizes and toddlers)
-Baby Bottles
-Formula
-Baby cereal
-Blankets
-Pacifiers
-Baby soap or shampoo
-Baby Lotion
As a new mother, not having food, medicine and basic baby items like diapers or baby bottles for my baby boy is unthinkable. Providing this simple necessity to parents and babies in my country will mean SO much to so many, including me!
GRACIAS !!!!
Carmen
Hola! My name is Carmen Garcia-Jersild and I was born and raised in Venezuela until age 18 when I came to the United States on a tennis scholarship. Fast forward, many years later and I'm now a new mom of a beautiful baby boy called Santiago.
My home country of Venezuela is going through a political, economic, social and more importantly a humanitarian crisis. This humanitarian crisis is affecting all of the Venezuelan civilians but mainly children who are innocent victims to this crisis. I started thinking one day what if I couldn't get food, medicine or the basic items for Santi ... I seriously panic just thinking about it.
In Venezuela not having enough money to feed your child or waiting in line for food that isn’t there any longer is a reality. Food is a basic human right and is limited in my home country. You have to stand in lines for 3 or 4 hours just to get some of the basic items to eat and survive. At times, people stand in lines and after a few hours, the super market clerk comes out to tell you that everything is gone.
Kids are getting sick more often because they are malnourished. Many parents skip a meal or eat every other day to make sure their child is fed. But how do you feed a baby if you can't find formula? Of the total number of malnourished Venezuelans 48% of them are between 6 months and 2 years of age and 16% are just babies younger than 6 months. A child with a fever can become a real emergency because there is no medicine to treat it at the local pharmacy or sometimes even at the hospital. Basic items for children like diapers and baby bottles are hard to find at the super markets or are sold on the black market for a lot more than the actual price.
Imagine draping your newborn in a diaper made for a one year-old and being grateful that you have a diaper at all. Imagine waking early to stand in a chaotic line for hours, all for the privilege of spending 20% of your monthly income on a few days worth of wrong-sized diapers. Imagine having no diapers at all for your precious new baby.
That's what life as a parent is like in Venezuela. Basic needs for your child are impossible to meet at times. The widespread shortage of food, medicine and baby items have caused a huge health crisis where even detergent to launder cloth diapers is equally rare.
I am raising funds to help ship items like the ones mentioned below to "Sociedad Venezolana de Puericultura y Pediatria" in Caracas, Venezuela. All donations will be appreciated more than I can express!!! The items will be sent by freight and it will take between 4 to 6 weeks to make it to Venezuela.
Your donations will help me buy as many of the items below to be sent to Venezuela.
VITAMINS
- Iron supplement in liquid for babies
- Folic Acid in liquid for babies
- Multivitamins for children
MEDICINES
-Tylenol or Motrin for babies and toddlers
-Cough Medicine for babies and toddlers
-Neosporin
-Supositories
-Diaper rash cream
-Vaseline
-Aquaphor Healing Ointment
-Bandaids
-Alcohol wipes
-Gauzes and gauze tape
Children Items
-Diapers for babies (all sizes and toddlers)
-Baby Bottles
-Formula
-Baby cereal
-Blankets
-Pacifiers
-Baby soap or shampoo
-Baby Lotion
As a new mother, not having food, medicine and basic baby items like diapers or baby bottles for my baby boy is unthinkable. Providing this simple necessity to parents and babies in my country will mean SO much to so many, including me!
GRACIAS !!!!
Carmen
Organiser
Carmen Garcia-Jersild
Organiser
Alpharetta, GA
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