Published on 7 April 2017 by Granma International

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Punta de Maisí, Guantánamo.– Orfelina Matos Legrá struggles to keep back the tears as she speaks about the New, Tricolor Neighborhood Mission. And it’s understandable, given that her home is one of the over 150 which, through this collaboration project with Venezuela, have been restored thus far in Punta de Maisí, following damage caused by Hurricane Matthew.

“I’m so grateful for the presence of the New Neighborhood initiative here… How could I not be, look at my little house, if you saw what it, and many others, looked like after the hurricane, it would have given you a fright. Now it’s got a new roof, it’s been brightly painted inside and out, with a new bathroom, and nicer doors and windows, all donated by Venezuela!”

The 60-year-old campesina also expressed her gratitude to the Cuban state, which supplied additional resources totally free of charge, such as cement, sand, gravel, building blocks, and tacks, as well as transportation to deliver the supplies donated by Venezuela.

“Matthew seriously impacted the vast majority of homes in the area. Everything was destroyed, however, the destruction quickly turned into well-being thanks to the Revolution and international aid. Look how lovely this row of houses is with their red roofs, and each painted three different colors. They are prettier than before the hurricane hit. My neighborhood looks like new, it’s much better and a lot more colorful,” states Orfelina, pointing to several newly restored homes to her right.

This sense of gratitude is also shared by José Rodríguez Azahares, Carlos Rodríguez Paumier, and other residents whose homes have benefitted from the New Neighborhood project.

José notes that small brigades of neighbors were formed to help each other repair and rebuild their homes, and help with the most difficult tasks such as replacing roofing.

“Thanks to the resources Venezuela and the Cuban government have been providing since mid-January, I was able to repair my house. My neighbors and brother-in-law helped me,” states Carlos, who works as a security guard at the coffee processing plant in Punta de Maisí.

A COMMUNITY PROJECT

Published on 11 October 2016 by venezuelanalysis.

venezuelan medical brigade

In the wake of Hurricane Matthew's devastation in Haiti, the Venezuelan government continues to extend material solidarity with the island nation.

This week, Venezuela sent 50 health professionals to Haiti. According to Reuters, the death toll in the country has reached more than 1,000 as Hurricane Matthew has also accelerated the spread of cholera in the country.

Vice-President for Social Development and Revolutionising the Missions Jorge Arreaza confirmed on Monday that the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force was dispatched to Haiti and will work in the country for approximately 8 days. The team includes 40 epidemiologists and 10 general medical practitioners. The humanitarian task force departed from Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía the same day.

Published on 12 October 2016 by venezuelanalysis.

indigenous venezuelans

Thousands marched in Venezuela’s capital on Wednesday to commemorate the Day of Indigenous Resistance and provide a counterweight to the opposition mobilizations in favour of the recall referendum against current President Nicolás Maduro.

Supporters of the Bolivarian process expressed the anti-imperialist character of their march and denounced ongoing destabilization attacks against Venezuela including the economic war which they claim has dramatically affected global oil prices.

The Chavista march departed from three starting points throughout Caracas: Plaza Sucre, Redoma La India and Parque Los Próceres. All three marches converged in Plaza Venezuela where President Nicolás Maduro revealed a monument in honour of Indigenous leader Tiuna.

Published on 30 September 2016 by venezuelanalysis.

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A group of 29 countries called for the Venezuelan government and opposition to engage in renewed national dialogue on Thursday, amid calls for more US sanctions against the South American country.

Led by the right-wing government of Paraguay, the international group including the US and UK called on President Nicolas Maduro to “ensure the full respect of human rights, due process, the separation of powers and the consolidation of a representative democracy”.

Issued during a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, the statement also called for the Venezuelan government to ensure the organisation of a presidential recall referendum.

Venezuela condemned the declaration as interventionist, while its regional allies drew support outweighing the Paraguayan statement.

Published on 22 September 2016 by venezuelanalysis.

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Venezuelan authorities said on Wednesday that they had melted down 17,000 firearms, and would use the scrap metal as material in public housing units.

During a public demonstration in Barquisimeto, Lara state, the thousands of arms were crushed in preparation for being melted down. The firearms included illegal weapons confiscated by police, along with others voluntarily handed over to authorities during government sponsored disarmament drives.

Speaking at the public event, interior minister Nestor Reverol praised gun control as a crucial part of reducing violent crime in Venezuela.

“The Bolivarian Revolution has destroyed more than 423,000 firearms so far. This is a significant figure to show to the world,” he said.

Published on 26 August 2016 by Granma.

lima left conference

Lima:  Around 20 leftist parties from Latin America will come together today to review their experiences, neoliberal attacks against progressive governments and the development of a common agenda.

The Meeting of Communist and Revolutionary Parties of Latin America will be inaugurated in a ceremony set to take place in the auditorium of the Derrama Magisterial, with the participation of representatives from around 20 political organizations from the region.

Published on 3 August 2016 by teleSUR.

peru inequality

The 10 kilometre-long wall separates luxury houses with large gardens and pools from makeshift homes without clean water services or electricity.

Unlike other infamous barriers, the "wall of shame" does not divide nations or separate the colonized from colonizers, like the one between Israel and Palestine. It separates rich and poor people of the same country.

The wall started being built in 1985 and now separates one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the country, Casuarinas, from one of the poorest, Pamplona Alta. It was built at the request of those on the wealthy side, who say they need protection from crime committed by the poor. Pamplona Alta suffers extreme poverty, lacking most basic services.

Published on 3 August 2016 by teleSUR.

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Evo Morales said the Pacific Alliance trade bloc is a neo-colonial tool intended to cripple regional trade initiatives that exclude the U.S.

Bolivian President Evo Morales issued a scathing criticism Wednesday of the Pacific Alliance Trade Bloc referring to it as a “political, military and financial arm of the empire.”

“It seeks to put an end to the regional integration initiatives of MERCOSUR, UNASUR and CELAC,” President Morales wrote on twitter.

Over the last decade and a half several regional integration mechanisms have emerged such as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which was formed with the goal of strengthening domestic and regional sovereignty.

Published on 29 July 1016 by teleSUR

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teleSUR correspondent Iain Bruce spent a day with one of the doctors trying to build a new kind of medical service in Venezuela, the community health program known as Barrio Adentro, or Inside the Neighborhood.

"Betty Martinez remembers how a baby boy died in her arms in 2003, during the bosses' oil lockout against President Hugo Chavez, because his mother couldn't get him in time to the hospital where she was a junior doctor. “My world changed, and the medicine I practiced changed.” She has just been taking me round as she visits some of her patients in Buenavista, a low-income neighborhood in the west of Caracas.

Betty had been trained in the old school of hospital-based health care, where the aim of young doctors was to get a job in a big private clinic and then never leave the four walls of their office. “Yet when I attended an emergency during my rural placement, I'd have to send the patient or their family to buy all the supplies I needed, the drugs, the syringes, the cotton swabs. Without that I couldn't treat them.” That's what Venezuelan health care was like before the Bolivarian revolution.