Just over a month after Venezuela’s dramatic political upheaval, the world is watching to see what will happen next. Humanitarian organizations, civil society, and citizens in Venezuela are waiting to see if international institutions will move in quickly despite the country’s debt, frozen assets, and the risks associated with addressing a deep humanitarian crisis while supporting longer-term recovery.
“We are at a watershed moment in which there’s a big opportunity for things to change in Venezuela,” said Roberto Patiño, founder of the Venezuelan NGOs Mi Convive and Alimenta La Solidaridad, during a recent Devex Pro briefing. “And that includes the role of these [international] organizations.”
Patiño was joined by former World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley, who helped negotiate WFP’s entry into Venezuela in 2021, during political isolation and economic collapse. Their partnership began nearly a decade ago, when Patiño, then running a small grassroots feeding program, approached Beasley on a crowded bridge between Colombia and Venezuela.