Letters From Venezuela: This Is What Life Is Really Like In A Post-Collapse Society

Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

If you ever wondered what life was really like in a post-collapse society, look no further than Venezuela. Today, I’d like to share a first-hand report of everyday life there.

The country has been on the way down since a socialist government destroyed the economy. Here’s a quick timeline:

• Private ownership of guns was banned in 2012. Then things began to go downhill in a hurry.


• In 2013, preppers were relabeled “hoarders” and the act of stocking up became illegal.


• In 2014, the government instituted a fingerprint registry for those who wished to buy food to ensure they didn’t take more than their “share.”


• In 2015, things began to devolve more quickly as electricity began to be rationed and farmers were forced to turn over their harvests to the government.


• 2016 brought the announcement that folks were on their own – there was simply not enough food. As well, despite the rationing, an electricity shortage was announced.


• 2016 also brought the news that the country was out of everything: food, medicine, and nearly all basic necessities. People were dying of starvation and malnourishment made other illnesses even worse. Hyperinflation brought exorbitant prices, like $150 for a dozen eggs.


• Now,  civil war is near (if not already happening.) They’re calling it “protests” but violence between the people and the government is ongoing. This rage is stoked by wealthy Venezuelans who enjoy luxurious meals, fabulous parties, and lush accommodations while the rest of the country struggles to find a bag of rice they can afford. Let them eat cake?

It appears there is no end in sight to the tribulations of the Venezuelans.

So, what is day-to-day life like for the average Venezuelan?

A reader from Venezuela took the time to comment and tell us what life is really like there. You can find her story below. (I’ve edited for spacing to make them easier to read, but please keep in mind that English is a second language.)

Daisy Thank you so much for this content.

I’m a venezuelan mom of a 1 year old baby. And we are living a war here.

You can’t go outside to buy food or supplies or medication because each activity is a high risk and more with a baby. So I stay home as much as I can. There are a lot people outside trying to live normaly, trying to go to work and buy foods and continue there lives. But when you are working or whatever thing your doing you dont know is you will be able to come back home safe… people continues to work to get whatever miserable pay to buy some food.

Everything is so expensive. Perhaps the beans and rice are affordable but still not cheap and is so hard to find food. options are limited because of the price… you can only buy one item or two of pasta, rice, like I say the less expensive food , and you have to wait in long long lines at your own risk because there are a lot of fights in this store. imagine tones of people wanting to buy the same product. this have being worst since perhaps about 5 years now… because of scarcity.

Malls and big stores are basicly alone because there are places where “colectivos” use to attack, with bombs and there is a group of about 40 men in motorcicles that have been creating chaos in the whole city, every day the take the city they have plenty of arms and the just go through the city shooting building houses, stealing stores, people on the streets, batteries of cars, everything the want… this situation is far worst that we ever imagine. they kill people every day and they are pay mercenaries from the goverment because no one does nothing.

the goverment people is also killing inocents. kids… teenagers, the youth. we are panicking. We bough a land 3 years ago. I got pregnant and we decided to wait. the land is a safe zone but is 5 hours from here. is a very small town 11. 000 people. I live ib a city with about 3 million people. at least for now the town are peaceful but there isnt electricity and the isnt an asfalt road so this doesnt sound lovely for thief that are now looking for biggest fish to cash. according to our neighbours the town is in calm nothing has happen. We need to go as soon as possible. I am scared because what you say is also true. But in the city there are no options at least not now. . what do you thnk we should do? I realize appreciate what you recommend.

I’m sorry for my bad english I’m trying to write this while playing with my baby.

Venezuelan houses are already bunkers. This has being like this ever since I can remember. Perhaps 20 years… Every regular house is made like bunkers. Pure concrete from the botton to the walls to everything. Every house has also 2 to 3 security doors really big and heavy ones and on top of that we have fences and electric fences on top Of BIG GATES. And trust me is not enough to be safe.

The army has damaged gates and has entry to different houses looking for students, or rebels… and also innocents people has died because they were sadly in the middle of this events. I don’t doubt that country land might have problems too. But so far cities are pure anarky and maddness.

There are several groups creating chaos… the army, the mercenaries, the thiefs, and the rebels that want to kill chavismo and politics and whatever on their way. A few days they put a bomb into a propane gas distribution cargo and it blew away and this have being affecting every single thing, they steal cargo transporting food or gas and even fuel… so there is no much to do now.

Communities in the city are not organize since they really need to find food and basic resources so each indivual is waiting in long lines to buy a bread or a medicine or whatever they need… and people doesnt want to organize they dont see this could go like this for years… I assume that we got used to live in some sort of chaos and violence.

But the true is most people is praying and just wishing this will pass soon. that this will pass as the moment a new presindent arrive.

And what if it doesnt? Let’s be clear that we have so many resources, and Canadá and USA are pulling all of the gold and all minerals now so no country really matters what we are suffering as long as they can get they way.

We really feel hopeless.

Dear Ale,

Thank you for sharing your story. Here’s my advice:

If you can safely get out of the city, the time to do it is now. When I said I was moving from the country into town, the move was not to a major city with millions of people, but a much smaller one. I went from living a mile from my neighbors to a suburban neighborhood where we chat over the fence and share fresh vegetables and barbecues.

In a small town like you describe, you will have neighbors, hopefully some unity, and be able to be more self-reliant without as much risk as the place where you live now. Being on your own with a small child in a situation like this is hard and dangerous. Try to make friends so that you have some support. If you have extended family, consider that relocating to them might be another option.

The journey will be difficult, but I sincerely hope that you will be able to get there with your baby and find some peace and safety. Please know that you and your child will be in many hearts and prayers after this.

Keep us posted if you can.

Love,

Daisy

Would You Quit Your Job to Build a School in Nepal?

Via The Daily Bell

After a nerve-racking, jam-packed five-hour bus ride on a careening mountain road in the Nepalese countryside, I was seriously doubting my life choices. I had quit my job, moved my stuff back home with Mom and Dad, budgeted my modest savings for the next five months, and now I was in the middle of a remote town by a river with an over-stuffed backpack.

It had all started with an application to help rebuild a school in Nepal that had been destroyed by the 2015 earthquake.

And now I was finding my way an hour up the road, across a suspension bridge, and on top of a farming terrace, where I discovered an international coalition of kind-hearted volunteers taking part in a ceremony. The village of Nagpuje was celebrating the anniversary of its school. I looked around and saw temporary learning centers and CGI structures. I was moved by the celebration, but it also struck me that this was the entire extent of the village’s development.

In the coming days, I would wake early, labor all day with my soon-to-be-family, and settle by the fire with a warm cup of tea, reflecting on our day’s work. We moved rocks, dirt, and cement, all of the necessary simple tasks. We soon learned and started trying our hand at carpentry, bending and cutting rebar, and manually mixing concrete. The project was lead by engineers, both domestic and foreign, who employed local masons from the village in which we were staying. It was clear that there was an efficient plan with effective measures; and I had the privilege of helping.

All Hands

The Internet is inundated with charitable causes to which you can donate. And while a donation is admirable, there is a slight visceral shortcoming in the satisfaction of helping. For some, a monthly subscription to a charity works. For others, myself included, there is a need to go somewhere and help in order to know for certain the effects of my individual contribution.

When you research different types of international volunteer organizations, two things become apparent. In order to be involved, you either need a specific skill or vocation, such as nursing or engineering, or you can pay money to be a part of a program.

I was discouraged. I was just a guy in his mid-20s with a film degree (read: broke) and arguably no valuable skills. But then I discovered All Hands Volunteers – a non-governmental organization specifically to do with natural disaster response and recovery; everything from tsunamis to earthquakes, and much more.

When their founder David Campbell created this organization, he had one simple goal: No matter the qualification or skill set, find average people who have a desire to make a difference in the world. All Hands Volunteers runs on grants, partnerships, and donations. They don’t charge incoming volunteers to participate. All they ask is that you set up a personal fundraising page. You work 6 days a week, and in return, All Hands provides you with:

– Room and board (meals provided 6 days, meal options always near).

– Insurance.

– Spontaneous entry and flexible length of stay.

– Genuine work that needs doing.

– Authentic cultural experiences (even and especially in state-side projects).

Generally speaking, it makes sense to charge incoming volunteers, especially if they’re spontaneous. It takes money to keep people fed, continue work on the project, make sure facilities are kept up, etc. But despite the cold hard logistics of this business model, All Hands breaks the mold. They instead rely on the raw power of human generosity.

Were it not for a steady stream of donations, this NGO might not have a place in the world. Behind each carefully selected mode of operation, there is a reliance on the decency of the average person. Not to mention, this past year All Hands spent over 84% of its budget directly on its programs, with administrative costs just under 8%. You can view their financials here.

So I decided to apply.

The Work

Soon I was leading teams of people in the day’s work, directing workflow and working in tandem with Nepali masons. We hardly shared a language, but through working together, we came to know our shared responsibilities, and how to help each other accomplish our goal: to build a school that could withstand an earthquake.

With each passing day, I became a little closer to the local community. From the shopkeepers to the farmers, to the children who would pass by our worksite every day, waving and shouting “Namaste!” at the top of their lungs. Little did they know that they were providing a boon of motivation of a spiritual scope. Whenever we got sore, or tired, or when manually mixing concrete in the hot midday heat became too difficult; whenever we felt our strength waning with the setting sun, there they were, doing nothing other than just being kids. That was always enough.

As much as I grew to understand Nepali culture in an authentic way, I also learned so much about the world through other international volunteers. I’ve worked with people whose religious and political views are diametrically opposed to my own. We were able to learn from each other, entertain debates both serious and capricious, and learn about each other’s cultures. They were engineers, yoga teachers, travelers, students, and business owners. They were young, old, experienced, wide-eyed and determined. They were, and are, truly brilliant.

Our mission in Nagpuje, Sindhupalchowk is complete. We built two schoolhouses, a functioning bathroom, a DIY no-budget playground, and a community water tap, complete with a partition wall so women can bathe in privacy. Our goals were made manifest by the strangest group of misfits we’d ever have the pleasure of being a part.

In Nepal, it’s common to refer to everyone by a family name. Everyone is either a sister or brother, father or mother, aunt or uncle. It was this passive reinforcement that these relationships became real for me. Even though our hearts soared seeing these massive structures we built with our own bare hands, we were sad. We knew we had to leave, that’s just the nature of it.

After bidding farewell to many a volunteer, it was finally our turn. We celebrated a final night with many families in the village. We ate, sang, danced, drank, played with the kids late into the night. The following day was surreal for everyone. Our base was deconstructed. The villagers had to get used to our absence just as they got used to our presence.

But as we walked down the mountain, we could see from the far end of the path a bright, beautiful school. No matter where the road lay ahead of us, we all knew precisely what we left behind. Through nothing other than our own determination and willingness to help, we made lives measurably better. The feeling of accomplishment was so rewarding; the finest thing for which to live.

The results are fascinating. This organization attracts people from all around the world who fulfill a singular goal with a team of people. Not for pay, but for the intangible value that comes with making a genuine difference. Volunteering is only the illusion of selfless activity; the volunteer ends up receiving not just a broadened perspective, but also a changed life. In giving freely, you can reach out and hold a universal purpose: to aid the safety, growth, and development of the human race.

It’s very easy to be cynical in a 24-hour media cycle, where we are barraged by the conflict and turmoil at home and abroad. It’s even easier to make a positive change as an individual. It’s legitimately at our fingertips. If you are curious about doing something like this for yourself: this is your invitation.

The world is waiting to become a better place thanks to you.