Hunger looms over Venezuela’s presidential election

Hugo Chavez, the former president of Venezuela, and socialist Nicolas Maduro were once supported by Carolina Leal.

Currently, however, Leal, the creator of the charitable organization “Feeding a Dream,” spends her days providing food to undernourished and occasionally starving youngsters in Maracaibo, in the oil-rich state of Zulia, Venezuela. She isn’t so sure now.

“I once stood up for the revolution,” Leal declared. “(But) I got tired of seeing people die of hunger.”

On July 28, when Venezuelans cast their ballots for the next president, the terrible circumstances in which many live will be on everyone’s minds. Many people are going hungry and relying on help to feed themselves despite a recent economic rebound that the Maduro regime has made much of.

Clutching three-month-old Juan Camilo, who is fed by the foundation, 47-year-old Leal said, “We’ve seen the eyes of many children shine, which is what is most fulfilling.”

The Venezuelan GDP has decreased by almost 73% in the past ten years. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Venezuela has the second-highest rate of hunger in South America, after Bolivia, despite Maduro relaxing currency restrictions and other laws in 2019 to bolster the economy.

The UN estimates that 5.1 million of the over 30 million people on the planet do not eat enough.

Requests for comment were not immediately answered by Venezuela’s ministry of information. The government holds the United States sanctions responsible for the nation’s economic woes.

Leal provides 200 meals a week, Monday through Friday, to kids in the western Altos de Milagro Norte district of Maracaibo. She serves soup, chicken and rice, cereals, and more. The lunches are delivered from her garage.

At least two cases of malnourished children are seen by the organization each week, which is supported by donations from advocacy groups, according to her.

Having held the job since 2013, Maduro is hoping to secure a third term in July by defeating former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition candidate.

Leal, however, says she is remaining focused on the kids while the election campaign heats up.

“We’ve come bearing life, just by giving them hope, a meal that they enjoy and makes them feel valuable,” Leal explained.