Ayudantes Internacional
Covid-19 food relief in Venezuela & Ecuador.
Ayudantes Internacional was created in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis by a group of people with direct ties to Ecuador and Venezuela, both of which have been hit unimaginably hard by this pandemic. With your donations, we purchase groceries that are then delivered to families in need. We are working directly with those affected, minimizing the amount of money donated that does not go directly to helping purchase groceries. All donations made are tax deductible. Ayudantes Internacional is a project under our Despensas de Luz program, expanding our reach outside of Tijuana, Mexico.
What’s Happening
Venezuela
Venezuela has been experiencing severe political and economic crises since 2014, causing 15% of its population to flee the country. Currently 79% of the population is living in extreme poverty, and with limited access to food. For years, individuals and families in Venezuela relied on remittances sent by those friends or relatives who had fled the country to surrounding countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. This was crucial to keep families alive with food on their tables as the country fell apart, leaving neighborhoods without water, electricity, and gasoline. However since the beginning of the pandemic, remittances have dropped by 40% as those migrants have lost their jobs. With one job earning a monthly salary of $2-3 and a chicken costing $5, families who have lost those remittances must either work 4 to 5 jobs or go hungry. Many residents say: “If the coronavirus doesn’t kill us, starvation will.”