Under the name «Con Ellas/For Women”, five human rights organizations in Venezuela presented an initiative in New York that seeks to strengthen and prioritize humanitarian programs aimed at women and girls in the South American country.

These are five civil society organizations: Funcamama, Acción Solidaria, Prepara Familia, Centro de Justicia y Paz (Cepaz) and Unión Afirmativa, which agree on the need to prioritize the care of girls and women, who are the most affected by the current complex humanitarian emergency in Venezuela. In view of this situation, they decided to launch an international action to channel support and aid.

These five organizations presented in New York to international organizations some of the programs that each one carries out in Venezuela to take care of vulnerable populations, specifically girls and women, mitigating suffering and alleviating the damage they suffer. They also seek to make visible the situation of girls and women who have been most affected by the crisis and, therefore, require priority attention.

Institutions or companies that wish to collaborate with these organizations can do so through the “Con Ellas/For Women” initiative.

The money raised will be delivered to these organizations which, with their humanitarian programs, supported more than 90,000 women in 2019. It is important that you identify your donation with the hashtag #ConEllas so that it can go directly to women’s programs. Thank you!

Gofundme https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/for-women-con-ellas

Acción Solidaria

Acción Solidaria is a non-governmental organization (NGO) whose mission has been to reduce the social impact of the HIV epidemic, through comprehensive responses in the areas of prevention, care and public advocacy.

However, following the Complex Emergency established in Venezuela since 2015, in 2016 the organization opened two new programs: the first one is for Humanitarian Aid, where medicines, food and medical supplies are brought in and distributed through our Community Services Center (CSC) which benefits 1,692 people monthly (on average) of which 65% are women. Through our network of allies we reach about 89,000 people monthly. The second program, is a Legal Departmen for Human Rights, which has obtained 3 precautionary measures of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for more than 50 people with HIV and hemophilia, and provides free legal advice to women and men with HIV.

Centro de Justicia y Paz, Cepaz

Cepaz is a non-profit organization that works in the promotion and defense of democratic values, human rights and the culture of peace in Venezuela. It seeks to generate alternative proposals for the formation and promotion of peace, democracy and human rights. Under this mandate, its main areas of action are citizen and women’s empowerment, activism networks and promotion of the culture of peace.

Likewise, it develops specialized work for vulnerable populations, focusing on women and girls. With its combined program in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, it serves women victims of gender violence and accompanies grassroots women in impoverished areas to boost their leadership and awareness of rights, as well as supporting them in the generation of organizational processes that generate well-being and assistance in the community in areas such as water, food, violence, sexual and reproductive health, among others.

Its action is carried out mainly in the La Dolorita parish, where, among other actions, several days of placement of subdermal contraceptive implants and other contraceptive methods have been carried out. In addition, in 2019 it delivered a sexual and reproductive health kit to migrant women in shelters and border populations.

The proceeds will be invested in continuing and expanding humanitarian assistance and action programs for women and girls, which include menstrual hygiene and sexual and reproductive health products, solidarity networks and community kitchens, prevention and care of gender violence in communities, as well such as empowerment, containment and resilience in human rights.

Funcamama

The foundation for the fight against breast cancer, FUNCAMAMA has been working since 2002 on awareness, diagnosis, treatment and emotional support. The Funcamama Health Center has been operating for 15 years, serving 3,500 people per month, with a team of 53 specialist doctors and 5 diagnostic units.

When the Complex Humanitarian Emergency was established, in response to attention in 2018, it institutionalized the humanitarian program for free drug delivery. In the last quarter of 2019, it delivered an average of 1,500 weekly units, more than 18,000 in the quarter.

In 2019, Funcamama has diagnosed 482 new cases of breast cancer in people who do NOT have access to care and treatments by the Venezuelan health system.

The proceeds from our activity will be invested in expanding and subsidizing diagnostic services (mammography, breast ultrasound and mastology consultation), sampling for biopsies, processing, and analysis of genetic load by Immunostochemistry and treatment.

Prepara Familia

Prepara Familia is an organization committed to promoting values, serving women and the neediest families, contributing to the construction of a solidary and a fairer society, accompanying the defense and awareness of their rights. It was founded as a grassroots organization, working hand in hand with doctors, family members and children hospitalized at the JM de los Ríos Hospital, and since its foundation it has worked intensively for the rights of mothers, children and teenagers. The work in litigation for human rights has been fundamental so that international organizations can provide protection measures to the hospital where Prepara Familia works.

Unión Afirmativa

Unión Afirmativa is a non-profit civil association, registered in Venezuela on November 24, 2000. Its mission and objectives are: a) the promotion, dissemination and defense of the collective and diffuse rights of sexual minorities, these being understood as the fundamental human rights that every natural person enjoys, tending towards the absolute equality of this group with respect to the rest of society in Venezuela; b) Stimulate and facilitate the collection of objective and truthful information about the reality of sexual minorities, in order to achieve the object contained in the previous section; c) Develop any type of activity of lawful nature, which aims to achieve the main objectives of the Association; d) promote compliance with international human rights standards that protect people against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In the context of the complex humanitarian emergency, the organization has focused on documenting human rights violations against LGBTI people. It offers counseling and referral services to psychological, legal and social services. Likewise, it promotes the labor inclusion of LGBTI people and the recognition of their labor rights within a framework adhered to international human rights standards. It provides educational services through human rights education and training workshops.

The money will be used to expand services to lesbian, bisexual and trans women. As well as continuing to offer human rights education and training services, empowerment workshops for women and prevention of violence against women, among others.