IN the days following the violent 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that crumbled parts of Venezuela, killing hundreds and stranding several more beneath the rubble, Venezuelan migrants living in Trinidad and Tobago have come together to lend a helping hand to their homeland in a time of crisis.
Regular working migrants mobilised over the last few days, collecting a number of necessary items such as food and medicine, with the intent of transporting them to Venezuela via boat even as the Government continues to organise its national aid drive.
Between Thursday and Sunday, the Express was told, several cardboard boxes of items donated by the migrant community had been filled. They were collected at least six points across the country by small business owners, or volunteers.
Social media activist Aixa Gonzalez (La Cherry Music) told the Express Sunday that the effort was born from a profound sense of sadness within a community struck by the multitude of images and videos of destruction coming out of Venezuela.
‘The situation in Venezuela really hit us. It was a complete shock and we did not expect something like that to happen in Venezuela. I felt like I couldn’t eat or sleep while watching it. I am Venezuelan and I saw the situation and I said I need to do something. My family is okay but it is a feeling of seeing my people, it is a feeling of humanity,’ she said.
In tears as she spoke, she added, ‘When you see the videos of children being rescued and they’re being asked where is your mother and they say my mother is inside and she died, it is heartbreaking. This is all we can do from outside.’
Gonzales, a 34-year-old migrant who has been living in Trinidad for ten years, last week issued a call for aid on her social media platforms. She said a number of groups operating in Venezuela such as the Angels of Orinoco, a transportation company that offers legal travel between Trinidad and Tucupita, as well as El Lider, a distribution company, had offered to assist the effort.
‘I tried to organise a ‘trip’ with one of the boats that travel legally to Venezuela and do ‘tripping’. Tripping is when you send stuff over. A few companies like the Angels of Orinoco and El Lider were organising to bring boats for donations and were willing to take them to Caracas and La Guaira. I called on the community of Venezuelans living in Trinidad on social media and I got a lot of support, including some from others from the Dominican Republic, Colombia et cetera,’ she explained.
‘I saw people working for small money but still offered to help. I am in Chaguanas but people from Sangre Grande and Siparia are reaching out and wanting to help,’ she reported.
Gonzales said at least 70 boxes had been donated in Chaguanas, with varying figures from other donation venues. The items donated include non-perishable foods, bottled water, pampers for babies, painkillers and other medical supplies.
She said the items would be taken via boat to Venezuela from Wednesday, and again on the following Monday. She added that she hoped for the effort to continue on a week by week basis.
‘I know we have Venezuelans who do not have families affected, and they are working here to send something back to their relatives, but it is touching their hearts and they want to do something,’ she said.
For those who may be interested, Gonzales can be reached via WhatsApp at 1-868-376-5237.
Trinidad Express
