A few weeks ago I sent Caracas Chronicles founder Francisco Toro an email detailing the amount of food Venezuela’s government donated to Peru. He was absolutely speechless and asked for a piece. I penned a sarcastic write-up and turned it in just hours before Venezuela’s supreme court dissolved congress.
I knew right then my piece wouldn’t see the light of day. Then Francisco’s email came in: “Sorry, the constitutional crisis ate this post!”
So here it is for you.
Despite the economic war being waged against the Bolivarian Republic by the United States and its imperialist allies, Venezuela leads the region in sending much needed aid to Peru as it reels from its “coastal El Niño,” an extreme weather phenomenon of torrential rains, flooding and mudslides which have killed 97 and left over 100,000 homeless.
Venezuela has not only sent more than double the humanitarian aid of Colombia, it has contributed more than any other country in the hemisphere including the United States, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.
According to Peruvian state media agency Andina, Venezuela has donated:
- 2,200 gallons of cooking oil
- 37,000 pounds of rice
- 18,500 pounds of sugar
- 9,250 pounds of black beans
- 9,250 pounds of milk
- 37,000 pounds of pasta
- 9,250 pounds of sardines
- 9,250 pounds of tuna
- Five tons of canned sardines
- Eight tons of water
Venezuela also sent two tons of medicine and disposable materials, 328 mats, 761 blankets, 308 packages of diapers, 461 bed sheets and 201 bath towels.
The aid from the Bolivarian republic comes as Peru’s international reserves stand at a mere $63 billion and poverty under the neoliberal economic model reached a whopping 21.8% in 2015. The basic food basket in the country which does not subsidize food prices has reached $97, while the monthly minimum wage is just $262.
Almost 200 years after Simon Bolivar liberated the colony of Peru from Spanish rule in 1824, Venezuela continues to stand with the Peruvian people despite the recent aggression and violations of Venezuelan sovereignty by Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former investment banker who has been accused of advancing imperial interests.
In a stunning display of ingratitude, Kuczynski recalled Peru’s ambassador in Caracas on Thursday after the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal was forced to assume the National Assembly’s parliamentary functions given the coup-mongering opposition’s being held in contempt of court stemming from voter fraud.
Follow the Bolivarian government’s lead and donate to victims of Peru’s extreme weather here:
https://www.embassyofperu.org/donation-campaign
[end]
If you don’t get the jokes, here are some search terms so you can read up on the state of 21st century socialism in Venezuela:
- Venezuela hunger in pictures
- Venezuela food basket
- Venezuela poverty
- Venezuela default foreign reserves
Expat Chronicles 
That’s an interesting support quantity. I added together the numbers, except for the 2 tons of unspecified medicines, the totality of the items could be financed without emptying the 401K account of the average 50 year old MBA.
BTW, why cannot employers ask their housekeepers to make Aji de Gallina? It seems like a very reasonable request, is there something dangerous about it?
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@ Viking – what’s the final number? Maybe the U.S. cash donation is larger, but as far as food Venezuela gave the most by far.
It’s illegal to have the maid cook something nice for the family, such as Aji de Gallina, while making her eat rice and eggs. So she’s toiling away on a proper Creole dish and she gets the cheap stuff.
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It is a noble gesture that VZ donated food & medicine to Peru, but they need to take care of their own citizens. I believe this will happen if they get rid of Maduro & start to embrace democracy.
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