The NGO World Vision reveals that 54.8% of Venezuelan adults admit to having had to cut their food rations to give priority to children and the elderly.
The study, carried out in Venezuelan homes between January 6 and 13 during the first days after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, concludes that rising prices and inflation aggravate hunger in Venezuela, stress levels and worry in homes in a country where it is estimated that at least 7 out of 10 Venezuelans already live in poverty.
Génesis, a Venezuelan woman with five children, says that her priority is to bring them a plate of food “because inflation is eating up the little income that comes in.” “Prices are rising every day, food is extremely expensive. Meat is unaffordable, at least for us,” laments this mother.
If a kilo of beef cost 12 dollars in December, its price now stands at 25. And other basic products, such as powdered milk, have also doubled their price: to about 20 dollars per 900 grams.
The uncertainty in the country, after the fall of Maduro, is worsening the mental health of the little ones
The excessive increase in prices in Venezuela has caused – in addition to food insecurity – the emotional discomfort of the little ones to skyrocket due to more than evident tension and the weakening of protective environments.
Instability and uncertainty are affecting the mental health of Venezuelan children and adolescents. 56% confess to having experienced emotional distress, which manifests itself in sleep disorders, anxiety and eating disorders, including loss of appetite.
