Venezuela, Save the Children: “Pregnant women and new mothers at risk, we need healthcare”

In the state of La Guaira, the area most affected by the earthquake, the main pediatric hospital is still closed and the most complex cases have to be transferred to the capital Caracas. Many pregnant women or caregivers and their children have lost their homes and now live in temporary shelters, where access to prenatal care, nutritious food, clean water and sanitation is limited. Yohana – not her real name – 23 years old, expecting her first child, was alone at home in one of the most affected areas of La Guaira when the earthquake caused the building to collapse. “I went out barefoot, wearing only the clothes I had at home. I lost my glasses – she says – I couldn’t see, or I saw very little. When the whole house collapsed I was scared. At that moment I didn’t feel like I had hurt my stomach, but in the chaos I didn’t know if I had hurt myself or not. Honestly, I was only thinking about saving my life”.

Yennifer, not her real name, also 23 years old, is breastfeeding her four-month-old daughter and has had difficulty taking care of her health since the earthquake. “I couldn’t eat and I had very bad headaches – she says – I couldn’t sleep because I had the sensation that everything was continuing to shake. It was very difficult and every slightest movement put me on alert, making me feel constantly anxious. Since Carmen’s pediatrician (the little girl) died in the earthquake, my biggest worry is how I’ll find someone who can treat her. We don’t even have the money. It all seems unsustainable and I can’t rest.”

“Every day in Venezuela around 130 children are born to mothers whose lives have been completely turned upside down by the earthquake and who are facing very high levels of stress – explains Fatima Andraca, director of Save the Children in Venezuela – Many are giving birth to their children amidst uncertainty, displacement and seriously compromised health services. We receive alarming reports of newborns falling ill in camps where families sleep on damp mattresses, exposed to the rain and in precarious sanitary conditions. At the same time, many women are facing the pain of losing their loved ones, the trauma they have experienced and the worry of no longer knowing where to receive healthcare after losing their trusted gynaecologists, obstetricians and paediatricians. Pregnancy and caring for a newborn are a challenge in any circumstance. No mother should be forced to face them living in a tent, while mourning her loved ones and fearing not being able to provide her child with the care he needs.”

Save the Children reiterates that in Venezuela, “in the humanitarian response and recovery phase, it is essential to give priority to pregnant women together with their children, in the post-partum period and breastfeeding, through urgent coordination, adequate funding and targeted interventions”. The Organization calls on governments, international donors and humanitarian partners “to ensure earthquake-affected pregnant and breastfeeding women have continued access to quality antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care, specialized infant and young child feeding services, nutritious food, safe shelter, safe water and sanitation, and essential supplies for newborns, both immediately and in the coming months.”