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Help Families in Venezuela

We are Fernando Velez and Waiyen Wong. Waiyen's family lives in Barquisimeto a small city in Venezuela where the crisis have worsen by the day. We have seen everything in the news about what is happening, but it is different when you have friends and family living in that situation. Waiyen's uncle is very ill and with no medication and high cost for nutrition we have come to accept that is not going to get better.

Venezuela doesn't accept international help, boxes of food and items take months to arrive and that if we are lucky that no one open the boxes. Lucky for us we have been able to help the family thanks to our contacts here in the US and in Venezuela. We often send money to our family, but as the crisis intensify Waiyen's family shares what we give them because how can you live when your neighbor is suffering. The two of us alone can't help everyone but together, us as humans being, can help one another.

Right now you can't send money to Venezuela, you must need a contact here in the US and there. For example, we know few people that own business there and here. Because they can't move their money from there to the US. We deposit money into their US account and they give us the exchange over there so, in reality, the money doesn't leave either of the two countries. This has helped us send money and a lot of people are doing that but not enough to help much more people.

This is where we come in, we are asking friends and family to share whatever they can. One US dollar can go a long way.

Just the other day we almost got robbed in long beach, in what we believe is a nice and safe neighborhood. The feeling we had of thinking you will get shot, you won't make it back, we look at each other while running away and said "I love you" thinking and waiting for the gun shot that will end our lives. (but thanks that nothing happened) Well, this was nothing compared to what our brothers and sister are going through in Venezuela. We know what is not to have money to buy food as we struggled when we were young but thanks to our friends we never starved, they helped us till we got on our feet. But the Venezuelan people who they have if all their friends and family are going through the same? Well, they have us, and as long as we get to live another day we will do everything we can to help them, that's our commitment and purpose.

We are not an official non-profit as for that we will need to spend $700 to open one and takes time, we are a gay couple that wants to stand up for whats right and don't look the other way when crisis affect other people. We can't help the whole world at once, but we can encourage other young people to pick an issue and fight for them. All of us together can make this world a better one for all.

I am asking you for donation as small as a dollar can help. We believe everyone can be a hero, we don't need to be there, or be rich and comfortable to be able to donate, to be able to be someone's hero.

We visited Venezuela almost two years ago when things weren't as bad as they are now. And our trip to visit family turned into everyday doctor visits, making long lines and gather everyone to be able to share the food we were able to find. Something that amazes me was that no matter how the government wants to bring people apart they still hold onto one another to survive this crisis.

If you don't have money to donate, but you have a secure contact to send stuff to Venezuela, (we are still taking the risk and sending boxes and so far they are arriving). Or if you have antibiotics and other unused medications that can be of help contact us and we can give you an address of where to send them we will gather them and mixed with other important items that they need and send them in small boxes to the hospital where we have been in contact with. If you're in Miami area and you wish to put together your own box and send it, we can send you the contact all you have to do is drop the boxes at the delivery place and we will cover the price of the shipment.

Venezuela needs you right now, those kids crying of hunger can be your kids, that person dying ill because no medicine can happen to your family, what would you do for people you love if they were their situation.

Sorry that our English is not that well, thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for your donation, just $10 dollars can bring food to a family for at least a week.

Minimum salary is $13 USD with prices of food so high, and losing jobs every day as inflation rises their minimum wage can't be enough to put a decent plate on their table.

All we need to do is skip a good meal out in the name of someone in need if we don't go out to eat once a week and save those 20/30$ that will cost you one meal you can give the meal to a family for at least two weeks. If we sacrifice two Starbucks coffee a week, we can feed a family for one week. We as humans have an amazing power if we come together, today for them, tomorrow might be us who.

To make clear how are we going to do this. My family lives there, in Barquisimeto. My mom and sister will help with this funds to provide food for neighbors and friends who are in desperate need prioritizing families with kids. They will cook food on the weekends and take it to the street where people are eating out of trash. Also, we will take food items to an orphanage in Barquisimeto. 

The way we send this funds is that we know someone who owns a business in Barquisimeto and has kids in the US. They can't send money to their kids from Venezuela has they have no access to US dollars. What we do is, we deposit the money to his kids in the US and they transfer to our family account in Venezuela the equivalent amount in bolivares. This funds will only be used to help those in needs for food items and medicine. We will send pictures with updates to show you the impact that your donation will have. With the inflation, the dollar can go a long way. Also one of our friends works at a hospital in Caracas, we are going to ship boxes(Deliver by Cargas Venezuela in Miami) with medicines and other items to her and she will be taking it to the hospital where kids will be the primary beneficiates. We had sent few boxes before and they take about a month to arrive but they do arrive. If you have items that you will like to send let us know so Cargas Venezuela can receive your box on our behave that way we pay for the delivery to Venezuela. Just have in mind that items ship to Venezuela might take around one month so only include Items that won't get back in that period of time.

Thank you for joining a humanitarian cause.
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $500 
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Waiyen Wong
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
Fernando Velez
Beneficiary

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