This is Christmas in a Venezuela in crisis

Donations of toys, food and clothing during the Christmas festivities are traditionally in Venezuela. But never before has charity been so essential that many families, even those with a job, can put some food on the table, give a gift, and dress their loved ones.

In contrast to the past, the statutory and compulsory end-of-year bonus – which was the financial engine of families in December – is by far insufficient. That bonus, known in Venezuela as the Christmas bonus, used to announce that a prosperous and merry Christmas would come, but not anymore.

“For me there is no Christmas because you know, it is a pity that you work a whole year”, you look forward to the bonus of “being able to buy something for your children” but “unfortunately you cannot buy anything”Marlei Lopez, a 41-year-old nurse, told The Associated Press. López’s salary also prevents him from meeting his basic needs.

According to the United Nations World Food Program one in three Venezuelans struggles to get enough nutrients on the table due to severe economic downturn and protracted political crisis. Most Venezuelans have a salary of less than two dollars a month.

“Yesterday I got a bonus of 3,190,000 (bolivars, about $ 2.38) and with that amount I could barely buy a kilo of cornmeal and a few grams of butter to feed my kids dinner”, emphasized López, who thanked his children for receiving a ‘decent’ lunch at a charity dining hall in the poor neighborhood of La Vega de Caracas, where he helps prepare food that is free five days a week in his spare hours. distributed about 100 children.

Women, children and the elderly are among the most affected by the crisis, and it is increasingly urgent that other Venezuelans stand up to help the less fortunate.

“This year we especially need the solidarity of the neighbors, of all the parishioners who visit this church to provide the necessary food and toys that the children need”said Ángeles Lopez, 61, organizer of the Olla Solidaria, who gave food and gifts to the children on Saturday in the grounds of the Chiquinquira church in Caracas.

Inflation in Venezuela – which is in its sixth year of recession and whose gross domestic product is expected to decline 25% in 2020 – closed November at 4,000% compared to the same month last year, according to figures from the National Assembly, monitored by the opposition. . The Central Bank of Venezuela usually reports official data with delays and incompleteness.

“We were motivated to continue this work by the great need that has existed for so long, with families rummaging through the waste to get food”, said López. Buying clothes and shoes is also a luxury for many. “This year there is also a huge need for clothing.”

“At this time it is more urgent every day that we all be charitable and merciful … because people desperately need it,” he insisted.

Most Venezuelans, especially the working class, believe that the preparation of the traditional Christmas dish Halca – a cornmeal cake filled with a stew – is under threat.

Since prices are set based on their dollar cost and there is constant devaluation of the local currency and hyperinflation, commodities undergo successive jumps, especially food.

It is estimated that many families will find it difficult to afford a Halca or not be able to buy all the ingredients, including cornmeal, oil, banana leaves, olives, onions, chili peppers, capers, dried grapes and beef, pork and chicken, among others.

One of the most expensive ingredients, not counting meat, is onion, which cost 6,500 bolivars (0.41 cents) in 2017, when the minimum wage was $ 32 per month. Now, with a minimum wage equal to less than a dollar, the cost of the onion is more than 2.69 million bolivars or $ 2.81.

“People Can’t Afford It”said Rosa Montilla, a 66-year-old retired nurse, as she warmed Hallas in a communal dining room where a non-governmental organization provides Christmas lunches for the children.

“We cook here Monday through Friday for all those kids … If those kids didn’t have that dining room, imagine what their parents would do.”

Montilla is also going through a difficult situation. Despite having her own Social Security pension and another as a survivor from her late husband, they are both about a dollar.

President Nicolás Maduro has said that the government, through social programs at “fair prices”, guarantees the availability of the ingredients of the saca and the pork knuckle – the traditional dishes of the Christmas table. But as has happened in other years, many fear this offer will contribute to the president’s accumulation of unfulfilled promises.

Last year, there were protests in some neighborhoods about the failure of the distribution and the fact that, instead of the promised hind leg, small portions of less valued parts were being delivered.

Amid this gloomy panorama, several men, with no greater reward than the smile of a child, travel through the Venezuelan capital dressed as Santa Claus in an attempt to offer a moment of joy.

“I rolled through Caracas”, said Antonio Prieto, a 60-year-old triathlete who For 40 years, he has been cycling through town in his red suit and long white beard weeks before Christmas.

“I go for a walk, I greet the children, I see the children’s faces with joy and that is a satisfaction for me,” he emphasized.